Breaks and Breakthroughs

Wimbledon, Day 7

Ladies

Well, the days of upsets are not yet at an end beyond the pearly gates at the All-England Club. Manic Monday's shocker is Serena Williams's loss to 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki. The top seed and defending champion started more than okay with routine service holds. But Serena's usual composure seemed to melt down, first into complacence and then into a sort of baffling apathy.

Her opponent was still too self-focused to notice the frequent lapses in intensity; but Lisicki was quick to turn the heat up, going back behind Serena on the ground-strokes to make the 31-year-old look more, well, her age.

Serena was soon flopping most uncharacteristically around the baseline and the net and the mid-court trying, with utter futility, to stop the roll that her German rival was on.

Broken twice to end up set point down at 2-5, 0-40, it's hard to tell if Serena even noticed that her opponent was serving just as massively as she was, but winning all the big points as well. Lisicki took the first break chance and wrapped up the first set with a strong fist pump.

Williams, however, hasn't become a 16-time major champion by lying on her belly. Reacting well to the pressure of extending her 34-match win streak and retaining her title, Serena's effort to bounce back in the second was felt most emphatically. Before long, she had come back to win it 6-1.

The decider was all Williams as well. Matching firepower with firepower, she would soon grind out a 4-2 lead, with fortune, flair and experience all on her side.

Sabine, however, fought gruesomely to break back for 4-all and then the unthinkable happened: Lisicki played a drop-shot that had Serena stumbling towards the net, then nailed the volley down the tee to break for 5-4 with the chance to serve for the match.

And boy did she come through. Williams seemed more and more shaken with every point that led to dethronement and the ruthless Lisicki wrapped the ball around her a million ways to pull off yet another upset at Wimbledon this year, beating the reigning champ 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

For match highlights, click here.

Serena Williams (L) lost to Sabine Lisicki (R) on Monday

Kaia Kanepi did indeed stop the inspired Laura Robson from giving England a "son-of-the-soil" win this year; Kanepi defeated the 19-year-old in a stiff match that ended 7-6, 7-5. Perhaps feeling her country's expectations heavy on her back, Robson surrendered the lead in the first set twice before losing it in a tense tiebreak, then was broken at 5-5 in the second to hand Kaia the victory in straights.

Marion Bartoli, Petra Kvitova and Li Na all dismantled their fourth round opponents in straight sets, while Sloane Stephens and Agnieszka Radwanska needed deciders to book their spots in the quarters.

Click here to watch today's matches.


Gentlemen

Jerzy Janowicz won a marathon match against Jürgen Melzer by 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while Ferrer, Del Potro, Verdasco and Berdych made it through also to the quarterfinals.

Hometown favorite Andy Murray still has not dropped a set in his bid this year to go one win further than last year; he beat World No. 26 Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

Beginning in fine form, Murray showed Youzhny the meaning of the ranking difference between them and broke fancily to serve out the first set. Showing more emotion that is usual for the Scot, Murray was fist-pumping almost Rafa-like with every tough point won.

Youzhny fought back as best as he could to come back in the second but, with the crowd enormously on his opponent's side, and Murray feeling as confident as ever, there wasn't much he could do to prevent a tiebreak. And Andy, urging the crowd to cheer him on, would soon recover from a mini-break and win the tiebreak.

The third set was by far easier for Murray to work through; his rival had pulled every trick out of the bag and still not managed to seriously threaten the World No. 2. The 31-year-old Russian Mikhail Youzhny would be broken a few more times before the adept and strong hands of Andy Murray ended the match with a forehand volley.

Pumped up Andy Murray on Day 7 at Wimbledon 2013

Novak Djokovic was more than comfortable on Center Court while completely outplaying back-in-form veteran Tommy Haas. Djokovic would take the first set 6-1, undoing any imaginings Haas may have had that beating the World No. 1 would have been easy.

Haas did sort of threaten the Novak serve in the second set but couldn't follow through with securing the set and eventually lost it 4-6, digging himself a monumental two set hole.

Still not admitting defeat, however, Haas clamped down on errors and forced a few out of Djokovic to produce an all-or-nothing tiebreak in the third. That is when the top seed showed his very finest work, answering every question that Haas asked on the racket and taking the set and the match with a 7-6 (7-4) tally.

Tomorrow, Berdych will try to stop the Serb from claiming his second Wimbledon title and, if Haas's experience is any indication, it certainly will not be an easy task.

Novak Djokovic is into the QFs at the All-England Club

For a view of the official draw, click here.

Breathe tennis!!