* Defending champion loses in straight sets
* Frenchwoman Bartoli powers into last eight (Adds quotes, details)
Serena Williams began Wimbledon in floods of tears but ended the defence of her title with of deluge of "scary" optimism following her last-16 defeat by France's Marion Bartoli on Monday.
The American, seeded seventh after serious health problems which had kept her out of action for almost a year, succumbed 6-3 7-6 after making a succession of unforced errors on Court One.
The ninth-seeded Bartoli has looked in cracking form in the last two months and Serena felt it was no disgrace to head home early given the "disaster" year she has endured.
"I think I did really well, just being able to come back and play and win some matches and just really play tough," she told a news conference.
"Even though today I lost, I was able to kind of hang in there and play tough. I can only get better. That can potentially be really scary, because I can only go up from here and I can just do so much more."
Serena, famous for her steely determination, showed her emotional side in her first-round win over Aravane Rezai when she wept with relief following a long road back to fitness after a cut foot and blood clot on the lungs.
"I never came here thinking I would lose. That's, you know, my attitude," she added twirling her hair in her fingers.
REAL CONTENDER
"My mentality was just to do the best that I could and just continue that. Today I tried to do well and I think Marion played really well. Clearly she played really well."
Serena will now target a full return to form and fitness in time for the U.S. Open in August and September while Bartoli is emerging as a real contender for the Wimbledon title.
The 2007 runner-up took the first set on her sixth set point and she continued to move the 13-times grand slam champion ruthlessly around the court to move to the brink of victory.
She had three match-points in the 12th game of the second set but Williams showed all her battling qualities and great composure to save them and force a tiebreak.
Bartoli continued to serve strongly and she earned another two match points, the first of which Williams saved with an ace, but the Frenchwoman took the second to take the tiebreak 8-6.
"You cannot say because I beat Serena I'm going to win the whole thing. It's just not working like that," said Bartoli, who banished her parents from the court during her gruelling third round win over Flavia Pennetta.
"Well, I suffered the most definitely against Flavia. I mean, that one was crazy. But I think today the way I played and the way I handled the pressure, especially the pressure, was good."
Bartoli, who won the Eastbourne warmup tournament, next meets Sabine Lisicki in the last eight with the German also in fine fettle having defeated French Open champion Li Na at Wimbledon after winning the Edgbaston title.
Comment 1 - 11 of 11
'* Defending champion loses in straight sets
* Frenchwoman Bartoli powers into last eight (Adds quotes, details) '
Sloppy.
@phil stevens: A bloated Serena won the Australian Open in 2009. Being able to play any sport depends on fitness and skills.To refer to the exploits of the sisters at Wimbledon which saw them winning the slams there for almost a decade as cameo, is ingenious.The No.1 player in the world has been playing all year round because she is fit and young and skillful but she also lost at the same stage as the sisters. Your facts are contradictory.Bartoli is a 'model pro' who sadly has no slams to show for it,though model pro in your definition would mean just playing as many events on the tour as possible. Give the sisters a break.They have nothing more to prove in tennis to anyone. They came ;they saw and they conquered! Any tournament won to them now is just a bonus subject to their health and priorities. Lusicki won as you predicted.I thought she will win too.
Some of you people are really harsh on the William Sisters, they just got back. They shouldn't have gotten that far being out so long but they did. The other players played their hearts out and won and now look, Bartoli lost already. Now it can be said that if Serena was in better shape, maybe she would have won. Can't same the same for Venus, her play is too sloppy and Pironkova has her number but she too is out of match play. Unfortunately when Venus is out of match play she's very, very sloppy. Her bad. She'll correct it hopefully but no need to be mean to the girls. Corporate sponsors are paying them to come back so that you mean people can make your mean comments, really sad.
to all williams hater, at least both sisters have proven that once in their lifetime they conquered women tennis - and that is what we called accomplishment.....
Ha, she thinks she's going to get better? She'll be bounced out in the 3rd round of the US Open by some solid all-court, year-round player, that's my prediction. And that is only if she can maintain her bloated body enough to make it to the tournament. Well done, Bartoli, great to see a model pro who competes all year round hold her nerve against the imtimidating annual Wimbledon cameo of the Williams. I think the in-form Lisicki will beat her in the quarters, though, that's the way it goes.
Williams are history, at last.
serena should quit..its over
Serena and Venus continue to inspire; amazing girls given how unwell they have been for the past year. Looking forward to seeing them play when they fully recovered.
Well done to you Tsveti Pironkova!
well done Bartoli. all the best
to the writer of this article, you are a moron.
Congratulations to Bartoli! You are always such a good sport and if you eventually win the championship, it is because you deserve it.
Congratulations to Serena on making it this far, even the world number #1 who has been fit and playing all possible tournaments did not advance any further. Looking forward to seeing an even fitter and healthier you at the U.S. Open!
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account