WTA: Top 5 upsets of the year 2013

2013 French Open - Day Five

“It is probably one of my best wins, but best games? I don’t think so. I have had some beautiful losses.” If the above words from emerging Latvian star Ernests Gulbis are anything to go by, some of the best matches of the year necessarily comprise some of the biggest ‘upsets’ as well. In a year that saw Marion Bartoli emerge as winner on the lush green lawns of the All England Club at Wimbledon, the WTA circuit also witnessed some striking upsets that shook the tennis fraternity.

PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 30: Na Li of China congratulates Bethanie Mattek-Sands of United States of America on victory in their Women’s Singles match

5)Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeats Li Na at the French Open

2011 Champion and 6th seed Li Na was ousted by the heavily tattooed, funky, vibrant American, Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the second round at Roland Garros. Who would have thought? Not too many. Asia’s only Grand Slam champion, Li Na, went down fighting after rain delays forced the match to go on for longer than usual, and in the end Mattek-Sands retained her composure to emerge as the deserving winner.

Li took the first set 7-5 and when the rain came pelting down during the second set, not many expected the American to stage a dramatic comeback. But Bethanie fought, and fought hard, winning seven consecutive games to take the second set and make it 5-0 in the decider. Perhaps, the fall Li Na endured at the Australian Open earlier this year, and the subsequent recovery had its repercussions on the veteran’s form and led to her disappointing exit. However, for Bethanie Mattek-Sands, it was a dream victory over the 2011 French Open Champion and one of the biggest upsets of the year.

2013 Australian Open - Day 10

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 23: Serena Williams of the United States of America celebrates a point in her Quarterfinal match against Sloane Stephens of the United States of America during day ten of the 2013 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 23, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

4)Sloane Stephens’ victory over Serena at the Australian Open

In an all-American derby, 19 year-old Sloane Stephens beat Serena Williams 3-6 7-5 6-4 to enter her first ever Grand Slam semi-final. This heart-breaking loss ended a string of 20 consecutive wins for Serena Williams, and gave 29th ranked Sloane, arguably the biggest win of her short, yet eventful, career thus far.

Williams sustained an ankle injury in the second set which did affect her movement, but attributing this loss entirely to injury, would be belittling Stephens’ commendable performance. It took an enormous amount of effort from the rookie to beat her “idol and mentor” Serena, who is, incidentally, five-time champion at the major. An animated Stephens later quoted, “When I woke up Wednesday morning I had a good feeling about the match against Serena.” This self-belief will go a long way in establishing one of the most exciting rivalries in the history of American tennis.

The Championships - Wimbledon 2013: Day Three

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 26: Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal shakes hands at the net with Maria Sharapova of Russia after beating the latter at Wimbledon

3)Michelle Larcher de Brito prevails over Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon

A few minutes into the encounter, one would think Portuguese qualifier de Brito could give Maria’s screams and grunts some tough competition. However, soon enough, we witnessed that the World No. 131 was more than just shrieks, and could additionally match up to Maria’s game as well.

In a Wimbledon characterized by shock exits, Sharapova’s stunning loss to a 20 year-old qualifier came as another major surprise. Maria struggled to find her ground on the slippery turf of the lush green courts, slipping and falling twice, and eventually, de Brito found herself on stronger footing to send the four-time Grand Slam Champion home in straight sets. For Michelle Larcher de Brito, it was the most remarkable victory of her career, and quite a “deafening” upset in WTA history.

2013 US Open - Day 2

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 27: Samantha Stosur of Australia returns a shot to Victoria Duval of United States of America during her shocking upset defeat

2)Victoria Duval ousts Samantha Stosur in Round One at the US Open

Australia’s Samantha Stosur is probably one of the few players in the Women’s circuit who can match Serena Williams’ power-packed, aggressive brand of tennis, the same opponent whom she beat to claim the US Open title in 2011. This is, perhaps, what makes Stosur’s loss in the same event in the first round to 296th ranked Victoria Duval, all the more shocking.

After losing the first set 5-7, Duval came back fiercely to delight her home crowd, winning the second set 6-4. The latter squandered away three match points in the deciding set, after finally breaking through the shackles and setting up a crosscourt winner to wrap up the set. Duval not only won her first ever Grand Slam match, but also won the hearts of all the Americans present in the packed Louis Armstrong stadium at the Flushing Meadows.

The Championships - Wimbledon 2013: Day Seven

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates match point during her Ladies Singles Match against Serena Williams

1)Sabine Lisicki beats Serena Williams at Wimbledon

Most experts would not term this as the biggest upset of the year in Women’s Tennis, given Lisicki’s past record at Wimbledon. However, given the occasion, the tournament, and the surface, given the weight of expectations and Serena’s ominous form, having won the French Open less than a fortnight ago, the American’s fourth round loss would definitely qualify as the most shocking exit this year.

“World No. 1 Serena Williams has thus far steamrolled her way through the first three matches as only she can” ran the preview in the lead up to the encounter. The early exits of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka had already prompted many to crown Serena as the indisputable favourite. Lisicki, however, had other plans. She believed, “If I play well, serve well, anything is possible.” The belief wasn’t in vain.

The German brought out her powerful serves and stunning forehands to take home the first set 6-2. Serena though wasn’t defending champion without reason. Staring down the barrel, the five-time champion didn’t give up and returned to win 5 games in succession, forcing a deciding set. After trailing in the last game, however, Lisicki dished out an ace to level things and then produced a sensational forehand crosscourt winner. Moments later, she threw herself onto the ground, screamed in exultation with an overwhelmed sense of joy and disbelief at what she had achieved. It was Game, Set, Match – Lisicki.

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