Wimbledon, England – The new women's Wimbledon champion will be decided on Saturday, when 15th-seeded former runner-up Marion Bartoli clashes with 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki.
The two women were Thursday's semifinals winners on Centre Court at the famed All England Club, as the German slugger Lisicki upset fourth- seeded 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 2-6, 9-7 and France's Bartoli secured a berth in her second Wimbledon final in seven years with an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory over 20th-seeded Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.
Bartoli and the Florida resident Lisicki will meet for a fourth time on the WTA level, with the German leading their lifetime series, 3-1. Bartoli beat Lisicki in the opening round here on the Wimbledon grass in 2008, while the German topped the Frenchwoman in the quarterfinals at the All England Club two years ago. Lisicki also beat Bartoli in two other WTA matches, both in Charleston, in 2009 and 2011.
The 28-year-old Bartoli was the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up, losing to five- time winner Venus Williams. She owns seven career titles overall and has been a runner-up on 11 occasions on the WTA circuit. Her last title came in Osaka, Japan in 2011.
The 23-year-old Lisicki, who shocked defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round on Monday, will appear in her first-ever major final and is the first German Wimbledon finalist since the great Steffi Graf in 1999.
Lisicki is seeking her fourth career title in her eighth final.
Ironically, Lisicki battles a grass allergy that she controls with medication.
Saturday's big winner will become a first-time major singles champ and collect $2.4 million.
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