Serena survives Watson, Kvitova conquers Venus in first week finishes

Welcome to Wimbledon Rewind, where wtatennis.com will take a look back at some of the most memorable matches from the past two decades at the All England Club. From notorious upsets, statement victories to great escapes, rewind the clock and check out our list of the Top 8 third-round matches, laid out in chronological order. 

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1999: [SE] Mirjana Lucic def. [4] Monica Seles 7-6(4), 7-6(4)

Among Mirjana Lucic's list of achievements as a precocious teenager was a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon in 1999, and her biggest victory came in the round of 32. 

Facing off against World No.4 Monica Seles in a hard-hitting encounter from the baseline, the 17-year-old Lucic, who'd burst onto the scene two years prior, who held her nerve to win a pair of tiebreaks.

In photos: Artists of the upset: First-week shocks at Wimbledon since 1999

Ranked World No.134 at the time, the win over Seles was Lucic's first win over a player ranked in the world's Top 5 - though her second would not come for another 15 years.

20003: [WC] Maria Sharapova def. [11] Jelena Dokic 6-4, 6-4

A year before she'd become an international sensation by lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish, 16-year-old Maria Sharapova showed off what was to come by reaching the fourth round in her Wimbledon main draw debut.

Having been bounced out in the first round of both the Australian Open and French Open, Sharapova sealed her first victory at a Grand Slam with an opening round victory over American Ashley Harkleroad, and took her momentum into the second week. 

In the round of 32, the future World No.1 and five-time major champion earned her first-ever win over a Top 20 player when she beat former semifinalist Jelena Dokic in the third round.

The 77-minute victory saw Sharapova dominate throughout, though her run was ultimately ended in three sets by compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in the next round. 

2006: [18] Ai Sugiyama def. [12] Martina Hingis 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

At the 2006 Championships, this one was all about the number six.

The scene? For the first time in six years, 1997 Wimbledon champion Martina Hingis made her long-awaited return to Centre Court, in the midst of her first comeback season after a nearly two-year retirement.

Having reached the quarterfinals at the first two majors of 2006, Hingis looked as though she'd hardly missed a beat. And on this day, she was set to come up against Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama, a 2004 quarterfinalist seeded No.18, whom she had beaten six times between the years 1996 and 2001.

From 3-0 down in the final set, Sugiyama won six of the last seven games to seal her first-ever victory against the former World No.1 and future Hall of Famer - reaching the round of 16 at a major for the 11th and final time in her ulta-consistent career. 

2013: Laura Robson def. Marina Erakovic 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

British hopes rested on left-hander Laura Robson in the summer of 2013, where the then-19-year-old was riding high after a breakthrough run to the round of 16 at Wimbledon at the prior year's US Open.

The 2008 winner in the girls' singles, Robson scored a statement victory over No.10 seed Maria Kirilenko in the first round, but had her most dramatic match in the round of 32 against New Zealand's Marina Erakovic.

In a match of opportunity for the two unseeded players, Erakovic moved to the brink of victory after dominating the first set and serving for the match at 6-1, 5-4. With her back against the wall, however, Robson dug deep - and with support from a partisan crowd on No.2 Court, rallied for a stunning victory. 

With her round of 16 showing, Robson rose to a career-high World No.27, making her the first British woman to reach the Top 30 since Jo Durie in 1987.

Robson's run, coupled with Andy Murray's performance, also marked the first time that the home nation was represented in the second week of both the men's and women's singles draws since 1998. 

2014: [25] Alizé Cornet def. [1] Serena Williams 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

Ask Alizé Cornet for her relationship with grass courts before the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, and the former World No.11 would've told you it was complicated.

After a stunning victory over top seed Serena Williams in the third round six years ago, where she kissed the court after winning, it was less so. 

"I just cannot believe it, a few years ago I couldn't play on grass, I was so bad," Cornet said after the match.

""I think it's very symbolic because it means now I love you grass and I didn't before... It's the best victory for me in a Slam. I was really looking for this second week, now I have it. It deserved a kiss, I think."

Utilizing all of her court craft and guile, Cornet carved out one of the upsets of the year in a match that was halted by rain early - before the No.1 Court had a retractable roof overhead. Behind 28 winners and 18 unforced errors, the Frenchwoman handed Williams her earliest defeat at Wimbledon since 2005. 

Cornet's effort at Wimbledon was not the only time she'd shock the all-time great in 2014, however. In all, Cornet beat Williams three times that season, with victories in Dubai and Wuhan (via retirement) also on her ledger. 

2014: [6] Petra Kvitova def. [30] Venus Williams 5–7, 7–6 (2), 7–5

En route to winning her second Wimbledon crown in 2014, Petra Kvitova was largely dominant, losing just one set - and she did so during a modern-day classic.

All eyes were on the Centre Court meeting between the No.6 seed and No.30 and five-time champion Venus Williams, and the two Wimbledon champions lived up to their billing.

Both women proved dominant on serve over the course of the match, which lasted two-and-a-half hours and captivated Centre Court. When all was said and done, the two players combined for over 100 winners, but just two breaks of serve in the match.

Though Venus broke at 6–5 to win the first set, Kvitova broke at 6–5 to win the third - on her lone break point opportunity of the second or third sets. 

Four rounds later, Kvitova was crowned Wimbledon champion once more, with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory over Canada's Eugenie Bouchard to claim the title. 

2015: [1] Serena Williams def. Heather Watson 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

Serena Williams has won her share of dramatic matches at Grand Slams over the course of her legendary career, but a comeback victory over British No.1 Heather Watson - and a partisan Centre Court crowd that was desperately trying to will the Guernsey native over the line - ranks as one of the best.

Having won the first two Grand Slams of 2015, Williams arrived at Wimbledon as the consensus top seed and heavy favorite, but was given all she could handle by Watson - who was not only unseeded, but had slipped outside of the Top 50 after reaching a career-high of World No.38 in January.

From a set down, Watson dug deep. The then-World No.59 won six straight games from 3-3 in the second set to set herself up for a stunner, and was a point away from a 4-0 lead.

Nonetheless, when she toed the line to serve for the match at 5-4 in the final set, Williams' championship caliber shone through. The Brit never arrived at match point, only getting as close as deuce, before Williams rallied to cap off the two hour, 15-minute victory. 

2018: Hsieh Su-wei def. [1] Simona Halep 3-6, 6-4, 7-5

Hsieh Su-wei wrote herself into Wimbledon history in 2018 not only by beating World No.1 and reigning French Open champion Simona Halep.

In a thrilling comeback, Hsieh won five straight games from 5-2 down in the final set, saving a match point in the process, to earn her first career win over a World No.1. 

Read the match report: Hsieh saves match point, shocks Halep at Wimbledon

In a nearly two-and-a-half-hour thriller on No.1 Court, Hsieh showed off all of the trick shots, volleys and crisp angles in her repertoire to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon for the first time at age 32.