June 27, 2011 -- Updated 1608 GMT (0008 HKT)
Former world number one Serena Williams crashed out to Marion Bartoli on Court No. 1 at Wimbledon.
(CNN) -- Defending champion Serena Williams has been dumped out of Wimbledon after a straight sets defeat to France's Marion Bartoli.
The 13-time Grand Slam champion, from America, has been out of action for almost a year through injury and health problems and was beaten 6-3 7-6 (8-6) in just under two hours on Court No. 1.
It is the earliest Williams -- a former world number one -- has exited a major competition in six years.
On a bad day for the Williams family, Serena's sister Venus was also dumped out of the competition after losing to Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova for the second successive year.
Serena faltered in the opening set, surrendering her serve in the seventh game, and though she rescued three set points to force Bartoli to serve again, the ninth seed held firm.
The second set was a tense affair, both players serving forcefully until Bartoli broke in the 11th game to lead 6-5. Williams, though, responded with an immediate break of her own to force a tie break.
Bartoli raced into a commanding lead but Williams dug deep to save four match points before Bartoli finally secured her place in the quarterfinals at the fifth time of asking.
"Beating Serena here is like a dream come true," Bartoli told reporters. "She's been out for a year but she is still one of the greatest champions in the history of women's tennis.
"It was not easy mentally to hang on after she managed to save the match points but I did so I'm very happy."
Bartoli will now face German wildcard Sabine Lisicki in the last eight, after she beat Petra Cetkovska of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7-3) 6-1.
Current world number one Caroline Wozniacki, from Denmark, was also dumped out as she lost 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 to Dominika Cibulkova from Slovakia.
Fifth seed Maria Sharapova also claimed her place in the quarters after she dispatched China's Shuai Peng 6-4 6-2 and she was joined by number four seed Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, who took just 64 minutes to beat Russian Nadia Petrova.
Eighth seed Petra Kvitova, from the Czech Republic, eased through against Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer 6-0 6-2 while unseeded Tamira Paszek, from Austria, beat Russia's Ksenia Pervak 6-2 2-6 6-3.
Credit: CNN (www.cnn.com)
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