Sabine Lisicki
Lisicki is the daughter of first-generation Polish immigrants and speaks Polish fluently.
Career
Lisicki lives and trains at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA. She is coached by her father Richard Lisicki and managed by Olivier van Lindonk from IMG.
She had a successful year in 2007 on the ITF circuit and climbed from #497 to #198 in WTA rankings.
She won two titles, one in Jersey, UK, and the other in Toronto, Canada. She defeated top-seed Katie O'Brien (6-4, 6-4) on August 2, 2007 at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open.
2008
At the 2008 Australian Open, her first Grand Slam tournament, she defeated the #16 seeded player, Dinara Safina (7–6, 4–6, 6–2) and Mariya Koryttseva (6–1, 7–5) to reach the third round as a qualifier.
Additionally, in the first round of Fed Cup against the United States, Sabine defeated the veteran Lindsay Davenport, 6–1, 7–5.
Sabine next reached the fourth round of the Miami 2008 Sony Ericsson Open, a Tier I event, where she sensationally defeated sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze (WTA 6) in straight sets 7–5, 6–1. However, she was soundly beaten 6–3, 6–2, in the next round by Elena Dementieva (WTA 11).
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Sabine lost in the first round to the 2007 runner up and the #11 seed Marion Bartoli 6-2, 6-4.
With daylight fading on Center Court at the end of day one, she made a spirited comeback in the second set, with a powerful serve and some good groundstrokes, but was not good enough to convert important points. She impressed the tennis analyst Virginia Wade, a Grand Slam winner herself, and Sabine will possibly be a force to be reckoned with in a few years time.
After some moderate success, Lisicki reached her first WTA final at the Tashkent Open in October, which she lost 2-6 6-4 7-6 to the fellow teenager Sorana Cîrstea of Romania.
2009
Lisicki started her year at the Hopman Cup in Perth where she defeated Australia's Casey Dellacqua 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 in her first singles match but lost the other two to Meghann Shaughnessy in three sets and Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets.
At the Australian Open, Lisicki defeated the 30th seed Aleksandra Wozniak in the opening round before losing to Aussie Samantha Stosur in straight sets. She then took part in Germany's 3-2 win over Switzerland in their Fed Cup World Group II tie, defeating Timea Bacsinszky but losing to Patty Schnyder.
At the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Lisicki reached the semi-finals, defeating no.
3 seed Lucie Safarova on the way before losing to eventual winner Victoria Azarenka, 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(1). Lisicki took part in the first Premier Mandatory tournaments of the year in North America.
At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, she lost in the first round to Elena Vesnina. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, she lost in the second round to 26th seed Iveta Benesova.
During the clay-court season, Lisicki lost in the second round of the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach to eventual finalist and no.
On the green clay at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, Lisicki won her first WTA Tour title without dropping a set, defeating the 5th seed Caroline Wozniacki in the final, 6–2, 6–4. She then took part in Germany's Fed Cup World Group play-off win against China.
16 Zheng Jie in the first singles rubber, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4, and partenered Anna-Lena Grönefeld to win the decisive doubles rubber.
Lisicki defeated Patty Schnyder in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart before losing in the second round to 3rd seed Jelena Jankovic, 7–5, 5–7, 6–3. She advanced to the quarter-finals at the Estoril Open in Portugal where she lost to compatriot Anna-Lena Grönefeld, retiring when 6–2 down.
At the French Open, Lisicki lost to Lucie Safarova in the first round, 6–2, 1–6, 6–1.
On her first match on grass at the AEGON International in Eastbourne, Lisicki lost to Samantha Stosur in the first round, 6–2, 6–1. 1s Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
Lisicki defeated #32 Anna Chakvetadze in the first round of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships by a score of 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.
She defeated Patricia Mayr in the second round by a score of 6-2, 6-4. In 3rd round action, she defeated the recent Roland Garros champion and No.