London: Maria Sharapova suffered a shock exit from Wimbledon on Monday as Germany's Sabine Lisicki avenged last year's semi-final defeat with a 6-4, 6-3 fourth round victory over the world number one.
Sharapova had romped to a straight sets win over Lisicki in last year's semi-final at the All England Club, but the top seed was completely out-played by the 15th seed this time.
The 25-year-old has been a finalist in three of the last four Grand Slams and arrived at Wimbledon on a high after winning the French Open for the first time earlier this month.
But she came back down to earth with a bump on Court One as Lisicki, beaten in the first round in her four pre-Wimbledon tournaments, produced one of the best performances of her career.
Sharapova had romped to a straight sets win over Lisicki in last year's semi-final at the All England Club, but the top seed was completely out-played by the 15th seed this time.
The 25-year-old has been a finalist in three of the last four Grand Slams and arrived at Wimbledon on a high after winning the French Open for the first time earlier this month.
But she came back down to earth with a bump on Court One as Lisicki, beaten in the first round in her four pre-Wimbledon tournaments, produced one of the best performances of her career.