Sabine Lisicki weathers storm as Marion Bartoli strolls into Wimbledon final

The 24th seed Lisicki will face France's 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up, in tomorrow's title match looking to become Germany's first champion at a major since Steffi Graf beat Martina Hingis to claim the 1999 French Open.

Graf was also the last German to reach a final at a major when she was runner-up to Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon that same year.

But 23-year-old Lisicki, the smiling darling of the All England Club crowd, did it the hard way.

She was a set and a break ahead before an astonishing collapse put her 0-3 down in the decider with errors flying off both sides.

But Lisicki, who put out five-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, mounted an astonishing and memorable fightback against a player who made the semi-final having spent three hours more on court.

She finished with nine aces and 60 winners which compensated for the 46 unforced errors she sent down, a worthwhile price for her all-out assault.

Sabine Lisicki of Germany reacts after defeating Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during their Women's singles semifinal match.

"It's unbelievable. The last few games were so exciting. We were both fighting and it was a real battle,'' said Lisicki, who had made the semi-finals in 2011.

"Even when I was down 3-0 in the final set, I still believed that I could win, no matter what the score was.''

Lisicki believes it will be destiny if she becomes the first German champion at Wimbledon since Graf in 1996.

"I had a tough draw, but I think it made me ready for each and every single match that I had to play the next round,'' she said.

"You know, having Francesca Schiavone in the first round and Elena Vesnina, the Eastbourne champion, all those matches were different challenges. They made me ready to play against Serena, as well.

Germany's Sabine Lisicki returns against Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska during their women's singles semi-final match.

"I just keep going from there. I gained so much confidence.''

Radwanska defended her abrupt, cool handshake with Lisicki at the net.

"What should I do? Dance?,'' she said, aware that with Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka out of the tournament, a golden opportunity for a maiden Grand Slam title had passed her by.

Earlier, Bartoli stormed into her second Wimbledon final, the French 15th seed crushing Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens 6-1 6-2 in their semi-final.

Bartoli was beaten by Venus Williams in her only previous Grand Slam final appearance at Wimbledon in 2007, but she finally has another chance to win a first major title after demolishing Flipkens in just 62 minutes on Centre Court.

Agnieszka Radwanska offers a cursory handshake following her defeat by Sabine Lisicki.

"I just can't believe it, I played so well today," Bartoli said.

"It feels so great. Kirsten had an amazing run and played some unbelievable matches. She was a bit injured today and that must be hard in the semi-finals of Wimbledon.

"I gave her a hug because I wanted to show her respect."

Bartoli said she is playing better and better, having made the final without dropping a set.

"I saw the ball like a football. I was hitting it really cleanly, my footwork was sharp, my passing shots and lobs worked perfectly."

Bartoli, tormented by injuries and illness in recent months, has enjoyed one of the best spells of her career over the last two weeks.

France's Marion Bartoli celebrates beating Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets.

Flipkens looked drained by her three-set win over Petra Kvitova in the previous round and Bartoli made her pay, hitting 23 winners compared to just 10 from the Belgian 20th seed.

Bartoli failed to even make the last 16 at the Australian and French Opens this year and this was her first Grand Slam last four appearance since Roland Garros in 2011.

But she had stunned another Belgian, Justine Henin, in her previous Wimbledon semi-final six years ago and once again she produced a superb display on the big occasion.

Bartoli, now coached by 2006 Wimbledon winner Amelie Mauresmo instead of her father Walter, used her piercing returns and accurate ground-strokes to overwhelm Flipkens, who was making her Grand Slam semi-final debut aged 27.

Flipkens, a former junior Wimbledon champion, had seen her ranking plummet to 262 after blood clots contracted during a flight from Thailand left her sidelined for several months last year.

She didn't even qualify for Wimbledon 12 months ago.

Marion Bartoli of France plays a forehand during the Ladies Singles semi final match against Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium.