Maria Sharapova stepped on to Court No1 yesterday (Monday) as the tournament favourite and world No1; she left it as neither, soundly beaten by world No15 Sabine Lisicki.

The German sank to her knees as the emotion of her achievement overcame her. She had been magnificent, taking charge of the match from the start, and was rewarded with the biggest victory of her career. Never before had she beaten a reigning world No1.

There was, too, a certain symmetry to the fact that the scoreline, 6-4, 6-3, was the same by which Sharapova had beaten her on Centre Court

12 months ago in a one-sided semi-final. In fact, she had lost all three previous meetings against the reigning French Open champion, including in three sets at the Australian Open in January. Revenge? "Yeah, for all three of them," she laughed.

In a women's tournament that continues to surprise, Lisicki, 22, now lurks menacingly at the top of the draw. She will play compatriot Angelique Kerber in today's quarter-final, her third appearance in the last eight in four visits to Wimbledon. Not bad for a player who takes medication for a severe allergy to grass. "On grass you have to have a good serve," she said. "It gives you a great advantage. That's what I have. I like to be aggressive in general, so I think that's why grass suits me well. Also, the atmosphere here at Wimbledon is amazing."