Therer is an interesting clash in the second round of Wimbledon as a Grand Slam winner and former Wimbledon finalist will face to book a spot into the third round.
Samantha Stosur stunned the world in 2011 when she defeated in straight set Serena Williams in the US Open final. The former world number four hasn’t had the best results on the grass of Wimbledon only reaching the third round.
It has been a different story for the 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist, Sabine Lisicki. Her earliest loss was in her Wimbledon debut in 2008 when she lost in the first round. Since then, Lisicki has reached at least the quarterfinal of the tournament, except last year when she lost in the third round.
Stosur and Lisicki became a doubles team and even reached the final of Wimbledon in 2011.
How they got here
It has not been the best year for Lisicki as she has fallen in the ranking, currently standing at 81. The German just played one tournament prior to Wimbledon, at Mallorca, but she suffered a second round there loss to Mariana Duque-Mariño in three tight sets.
In the first round, she defeated this year’s French Open quarterfinalist, Shelby Rogers in straight sets and by a very solid scoreline, 6-1, 6-3. It was a quick match that lasted less than an hour. Overall, the German played great tennis even if she struggled with her first serve she still won an 81 percent of it.
Her clay season ended with an amazing result at the French Open where she reached the semifinals. Just like Lisicki, the Australian just played one tournament before Wimbledon but lost her first match against Caroline Wozniacki. During her first round match, she scored a win over Magda Linette. It was a quick victory, winning in 77 minutes with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-3.
Prior meetings
They have played on seven occasions and the Australian leads the series 5-2. Their last meeting happened in 2014 in Rome where Stosur won in straight sets. However, the last match Lisicki won was on grass at Wimbledon 2013 in three sets. They have played on grass three times and it’s Stosur who leads that series as well, 2-1. Both of the meetings the Australian won on grass were in two sets.
Match Analysis
Lisicki has declared her favorite surface is grass and has shown that it suits her game. As for Stosur, she has said that grass is her least favorite surface. The reason why Stosur dislikes grass so much is because it affects her main weapons, her kick-serve, and top-spin forehand. This doesn’t happen to Lisicki as the grass actually helps her aggressive game and especially her fast serve (currently, she holds the record for the fastest serve).
Stosur was a serve and volley player which is a great thing when she played on grass, but lately, she’s more comfortable playing from the baseline. Just like her opponent, she is a powerful player and that’s what makes this clash even more interesting. There’s no doubt that the German is more comfortable playing on the grass, and not only that, it seems she plays her best at Wimbledon.
Even if Stosur leads the series against the German, it’s Lisicki who is the clear favorite. Not only is her game perfect for the surface, but she is confident whenever she plays here. As for Stosur, she needs to believe she can beat Lisicki and will need to try her best to avoid unforced errors. One of Lisicki’s weaknesses is her second serve, and that’s something Stosur should take advantage of and attack it.
Prediction: Sabine Lisicki in straight sets.