Wimbledon 2011: Marion Bartoli and 7 Up-and-Comers Who Impressed at All-England

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Marion Bartoli was one of many rising stars who impressed at Wimbledon last week.

As much as we love to watch champions like Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams, it's great to see them taken down by up-and-comers like Bartoli.

Sometimes top players lose to unknowns who never are heard from again, like Julie Coin who beat World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the second round of the 2008 US Open.

Other times the upset is a marked changing of the guard, like when 15th seeded Roger Federer upset four-time defending champion Pete Sampras in 2001 Wimbledon.

Here are eight up-and-comers who may be a flash in the pan or could be here to stay. 

Adrian Mannarino

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Adrian Mannarino emerged victorious from a five set thriller against Irishman Conor Niland only to run into Roger Federer in the second round.

The 16-time champ steamrolled Mannarino, but not much was expected of the 23-year-old Frenchman.

Mannarino is certainly on the rise, as he has broken into the top 50 for the first time in his career this past month.

Tamira Paszek

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Tamira Paszek upset No. 6 Francesca Schiavone in a third round thriller by taking the final set 11-9. 

She advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to World No. 4 Victoria Azarenka.

The 20-year-old Austrian reached as high as 35th in the world back in 2007 when she advanced to the fourth round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, but fell considerably after failing to advance past the second round in 14 straight majors since.

Paszek's quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon was her best performance at a major yet, and could be the turning point in the young Austrian's career.

Robin Haase

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Robin Haase took down the 21st seed Fernando Verdasco in the second round, but lost to eventual quarterfinalist Mardy Fish in the third round in four sets.

The 24-year-old Dutchman is currently ranked 53rd in the world, and is primed to break into the top 50 for the first time in his career.

Haase made some noise in Wimbledon last year, when he upset James Blake in straight sets in the first round. He lost narrowly to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the second round 7–5 2–6 6–3 0–6 3–6 in a match that was much closer than anybody expected.

Ryan Harrison

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Ryan Harrison put up a spirited fight in his second round match against David Ferrer, which he pushed to five sets.

The 19-year-old Harrison held a 2-1 set lead at one point, but the wily Ferrer out-grinded the young American.

Not short on confidence, Harrison was quoted saying that he thought he could win Wimbledon because his "forehand is as good as anyone's if [he's] hitting it well." 

The problem is that his groundstrokes aren't consistent enough yet.

Harrison will have a chance to show off in front of his home crowd at the US Open next month.

Marion Bartoli

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Marion Bartoli shocked the WTA with a huge upset over defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round.

Bartoli has been in and around the top ten since 2007, when she made the Wimbledon final, but has been unable to sustain her success.

In 2011 though Bartoli seems to have hit her stride. She made the semis at the French and topped one of the all-time greats of women's tennis to reach the quarters at Wimbledon.

Bartoli will look to have a strong showing at the US Open to finish the season on a good note. 

Sabine Lisicki

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Wild card Sabine Lisicki impressed by beating third seeded Li Na in a hard fought second round match.

She then topped Marion Bartoli in the quarters to reach the first semifinals of her career.

Lisicki is only the second woman in Wimbledon history to reach the semis as a wild card.

With more performances like the one last month, the 21-year-old German won't be needing wild card bids to make majors anymore.

Of note: Lisicki teamed up with Aussie Sam Stosur to reach the finals on the doubles side.

Bernard Tomic

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Bernard Tomic took down Robin Soderling in convincing fashion in their third round matchup, winning in straight sets.

He proceeded to reach the quarters, where he lost to his mentor Novak Djokovic in a tough four set match.

Tomic impressively took a set off Djokovic, and would not go down quietly in the fourth—the World No. 1 had to wait until five-all to earn his break chance, which he converted to eventually win 7-5.

Tellingly Djokovic applauded the teen's effort after they shook hands at the net and encouraged the crowd to do the same.

The Aussie native is still just 18 years old, and is one of the bright young stars in men's tennis today.

Petra Kvitova

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21-year-old Petra Kvitova became the first tennis player born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam event when she beat Maria Sharapova in the final last Sunday.

Almost as surprising as Kvitova's victory was the ease with which she topped Sharapova, winning in straight sets.

Despite being in the top 10, Petra Kvitova was not a well-known name two weeks ago. She certainly has made a splash with her first ever Grand Slam title, and looks to be around for the long haul.