The craziest Wimbledon on record got even crazier today when No. 1 seed Serena Williams was trounced by No. 23 seed Sabine Lisicki. The 23-year-old German player soared to a 6–2, 1–6, 6–4 victory over Williams, who was widely expected to proceed to the next round.
Williams’ unexpected elimination follows a startling streak of losses by a slew of famously great players, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Maria Sharapova, as well as injury-related withdrawals of Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and John Isner.
Lisicki’s triumph breaks a 34-match winning streak for Williams. The five-time Wimbledon champion notes that her serve—usually her strong suit—served as an Achilles’ heel this round.
