The silver Porsche parked behind the baseline was in sight when Sabine Lisicki downshifted into the passing lane. She slid into a full-stretch stab backhand, then dashed to her right as she ran down Li Na’s forehand swing volley. Eyes widening with opportunity, Lisicki drove a pin-point forehand pass cross-court, leaving Li looking like a lost hitchhiker stranded at the edge of the autobahn.
That match-altering shot gave Lisicki the decisive break and a 6-5 second-set lead, bringing the crowd to its feet and Li to her knees. Shortly after, the 155th-ranked German's comeback was complete, having roared back from a 3-5 deficit to detour the sixth-ranked Li, 6-4, 7-5. It was Lisicki’s fifth career Top 10 win, setting up a showdown with either fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka or German Fed Cup teammate Julia Goerges.
A left ankle injury sidelined Lisicki for five months last season, causing the former world No. 22 to plummet to No. 179. In a bid to revive her ranking, the 2009 Charleston champ dropped down to the Challenger level earlier this season. She is starting to see the rewards of her work, beating Nadia Petrova en route to the third round of Miami and sweeping 12th-ranked Marion Bartoli in reaching the Charleston round of 16. And now this, her first-ever trip to the Stuttgart quarterfinals.
The wild card spent much of this match terrorizing Li’s second serve. Lisicki, who alternated aggressive inside-out returns with ripping returns down the line, converted five of 17 break-point chances (Li was three of five). Li fought off two break points in the ninth game, but Lisicki lashed an inside-out forehand return winner to break for 5-4. She collected the first set in 49 minutes with another inside-out forehand smack—her 16th winner of the set.
Most players work on their slide to prepare for clay. Li came to the slow stuff seeking to stop a skid. The 29-year-old Chinese failed to win a match in four consecutive tournaments after her trip to the Australian Open finals. She's most comfortable on faster surfaces—Roland Garros is the only major where she has yet to reach the quarterfinals—and perhaps because she hits flatter than Lisicki, sometimes tried to end points prematurely with down-the-line drives. Li broke in the second set for 5-3 when Lisicki steered a forehand wide of the sideline, but ultimately ran into a pothole.
Clad in mix-and-match Nike apparel and white adidas shoes, Lisicki wears a gold horseshoe around her neck but manufactured her own good fortune with relentless hustle. She may not be as quick as Li around the court, but Lisicki looked more comfortable sliding into her shots and played with more variety. She revved her competitive engine when it mattered most and will try to sustain her pace on the comeback road in a challenging quarterfinal.
—Richard Pagliaro