Wimbledon 2011 Results: Live Updates from Ladies' Quarterfinals

Wimbledon 2011 Results Put Unlikely Players in Semifinals

The women's bracket of 2011 Wimbledon has been quite unpredictable. It all began when the No. 2 seed Kim Clijsters withdrew from the tournament because of an injury.

Then a whirlwind of surprises took place on Monday.

Defending champion Serena Williams was defeated in straight sets by to Marion Bartoli of France, 6-3, 7-6 (6). She had a fantastic run at Wimbledon, considering she hadn't truly competed in a year.

Serena had two foot injuries following the 2010 Wimbledon that sidelined her for quite a while. Then in February doctors found a blood clot in her lungs. Many wondered if she would be ready to defend her title. She put up a good fight, but came up short.

Then Venus Williams fell in straight sets to Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria,  6-2, 6-3. She was ranked No. 23 for the tournament. Not many expected her to reach the finals, but she was thought to be a lock for the quarterfinals.

It's always a shock when the Williams sisters depart early from Wimbledon. However, the biggest shock of all on Monday was when No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki lost to Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5. It was a huge surprise, as she lost the match after dominating the first set.

Wozniacki should have cruised along, but once again she fell flat on her face on the big stage. I picked her to win her first ever Grand Slam this year, but she failed.

The surprise upsets yesterday set the stage for Maria Sharapova to win another Grand Slam. She is now the clear-cut favorite left in women's bracket.

Sharapova has beaten Cibulkova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. The Slovakian wasn't able to handle the powerful serve from Sharapova. 

Sharpaova is now set to face Sabine Lisicki, who upset No. 9 seed  Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-1. One would think that Sharapova has it easy now, but you never know, especially in the women's bracket. 

This just seems to be Sharapova's year. The 2004 Wimbledon winner is cruising along this year, and thanks to big upsets, she should be playing in the finals. 

If she does reach the finals, then Sharapova will likely face Victoria Azarenka. The 21-year-old from Belarus is the No. 4 seed and she takes on Tamira Paszek later today.

The other quarterfinal match today is currently taking place. The No. 8 seed Petra Kvitova beat Pironkova in the first set 6-3, and right now she leads the second set 1-0. 

The 2011 Wimbledon Grand Slam is there for the taking for Sharapova. Will she make the most of it?