Marion Bartoli is the new Wimbledon champion

Marion Bartoli fell to her knees as she won her first grand slam title with victory over Sabine Lisicki, who had beaten Serena Willliams earlier in the tournament.

The German broke down in tears during the match as she felt her hopes slipping away. But she still had the backing of fans on Centre Court who applauded her efforts as Bartoli ran across the court and climbed into the player’s box in keeping with Wimbledon tradition.

Straight sets

The match concluded in straight sets as 28-year-old Bartoli powered through, winning 6-1, 6-4.

The number 15 seed made a remarkable progression through this year’s championships where she has yet to lose a set. Bartoli’s performance is all the more astonishing because she has not made it past the third round of any tournament this year.

A long partnership with her father Walter as her coach came to an end in February and Bartoli has told how she struggled to cope without him.

The women’s final came as British men’s hopeful Andy Murray was gearing up for his own shot at the title when he plays Novak Djokovic on Centre Court on Sunday.

The Scot, who spent an hour practising at the All England Club on Saturday stormed through a tense and controversial encounter with 6ft 8in Jerzy Janowicz to claim his place in the final.