Tennis: Five most unexpected Grand Slam finals in the Open Era

15th seed Marion Bartoli of France (R) will take on 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the final of ladies singles event of Wimbledon 2013. (Getty Images)

Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki will go head-to-head in the final of ladies singles event of Wimbledon 2013 on Saturday. It is match-up few would have expected but then sport is always a step ahead and loves to throw up a few surprises.

Just when we thought that Serena Williams was beginning to put daylight between herself and her opponents, she was trumped by an inspired performance from Lisicki, who defeated the world number one in the fourth round in three keenly contested sets.

It has been a long battle for Lisicki. She suffered a career-threatening left ankle injury at Indian Wells in 2010 but fought hard to make a comeback. The journey that she began then will culminate on Saturday as she steps out to the Centre Court to play her first Grand Slam final.

Her counterpart, 28-year-old Marion Bartoli, has had a bit more experience in that regard. She was defeated in straight sets by Venus Williams six years ago and will do her very best to come out on the right side of the contest this time.

While the match-up between the 23rd seed Lisicki and 15th seed Bartoli maybe an unexpected one, it hardly matches up to the most surprising Grand Slam finals in the history of tennis. These unexpected match-ups have either delivered future stars or one-time-wonders but they have always entertained.

Here is a list of the most unexpected contests that we have seen at the Grand Slam finals over the years:

Boris Becker of Germany places the trophy on his head in to celebrate his first Wimbledon title in 1985. (Getty Images)

1. Boris Becker (GER) beat Kevin Curren (US) 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, Wimbledon 1985

Boris Becker won six Grand Slam titles in his career but his visit to the Wimbledon as a 17-year-old remains the most memorable. He became the first unseeded player to win the event, and still retains the feat of being the youngest player to win the Wimbledon.

His thunderous serve, powerful ground-strokes and agile play at the net was to treat to watch. His opponent’s journey to the final, however, was greater feat in a sense. Kevin Curren became the only player to defeat John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in the same event and the irony of it was that he fell at the last hurdle, where few expected him to.

The match was tightly contested and once the first two sets had been shared, it stood in balance. Becker pulled through a tie-break in the third set and that left Curren drained as he stormed through the fourth set to win the title.

Richard Krajicek holds the men’s singles trophy after defeating Malivai Washington in straight sets in the final of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club in London, England in 1996. (Getty Images)

2. Richard Krajicek (NED) beat MaliVai Washington (US) 6-3 6-4 6-3, Wimbledon 1996

Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Becker, Michael Stich; the list of names that participated at the event and yet it was a final played between to unseeded players. Richard Krajicek was the heavy favourite to win the final in spite of MaliVai Washington’s heroic rampage to the final.

Washington, the first black man to reach a Wimbledon final since Arthur Ashe in 1975, was the underdog that the crowds at Wimbledon love. He scraped through a number of five setters before the final only to succumb to Krajicek in three straight sets.

Krajicek, on the other hand, defeated defending champion Sampras that year; the only loss Sampras suffered at Wimbledon from 1993 to 2000.

This edition of Wimbledon would not only be remembered for this unexpected final but also for the impromptu singing performances that were spurred by many rain interruptions and Wimbledon’s first streaker (yes, you might want to Google that).

Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil kisses the French Open Trophy after victory against Sergi Bruguera of Spain at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France in 1997. (Getty Images)

3. Gustavo Kuerten (BRA) beat Sergi Bruguera (ESP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 French Open 1997

Gustavo Kuerten became the first Brazilian to win a Grand Slam event and he did it as the lowest ranked player in the history of the clay court event.

He achieved the feat the hard way, as he had to defeat three defending champions on his way to the achievement, including Sergi Bruguera, who had won the title twice before. At 23, he stunned the world with his simple technique and hard hitting. The Grand Slam was also first major title as a tennis professional.

”I never won a title; that’s why I don’t know how to open Champagne,” he said after receiving the title from none other than Bjon Borg.

Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva pose with their trophies after Anastasia beat Elena in the women’s final of the 2004 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

4. Anastasia Myskina (RUS) beat Elena Dementieva (RUS) 6-1, 6-2 French Open 2004

It was a great pity that the all-Russian final – that would see the crowning of the first winner of a Grand Slam – last for less than an hour.

The ninth-seed Elena Dementieva was a bundle of nerves on the day suffering an embarrassing defeat as she served double fault after double fault. The two women were childhood pals and competing in a Grand Slam final together must have been a special personal achievement for them.

Anastasia Myskina did much of the giant killing in the tournament as she led a wave of upsets, beating Venus Williams and 2001 champion Jennifer Capriati en route to the title. This match marked the rise of Russian tennis in many ways.

Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur pose with their trophies after their women’s singles final of the 2010 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

5. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) beat Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 French Open 2010

It was a dream-come-true for the Italian veteran, who became the second oldest first-time Grand Slam winner in the Open era by defeating Australian Samantha Stosur in a match that took an hour and forty minutes.

Francesca Schiavone, a seasoned campaigner, was not the clear favourite in the final as Stosur looked the more powerful player throughout the tournament. Stosur defeated three world number 1′s – past and present – in the course of the tournament.

However, it was not meant to be.

Schiavone was the crowd’s favourite on the night and through much of the second set, failed to contain her emotions. The victory made her the first Italian to win a Grand Slam event since Adriano Panatta won the clay court slam in 1976.