German sends Serena packing

Passive Williams the latest star to bite the dust at Wimbledon

For 34 matches over 4 months, on hard clay or grass courts, Serena Williams was unbeaten - and, in the minds of many, unbeatable.

So it was apt, somehow, that the longest winning streak in women's tennis since 2000 would end at this memorably unpredictable edition of Wimbledon, where up is down, where seedings and pedigree mean nothing whatsoever, where even five-time champion Williams looked lost at the start and, most surprisingly of all, the finish of her fourth-round match.