Tennis: Five most unexpected Grand Slam finals in the Open Era

15th seed Marion Bartoli of France (R) will take on 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the final of ladies singles event of Wimbledon 2013. (Getty Images)

Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki will go head-to-head in the final of ladies singles event of Wimbledon 2013 on Saturday. It is match-up few would have expected but then sport is always a step ahead and loves to throw up a few surprises.

Just when we thought that Serena Williams was beginning to put daylight between herself and her opponents, she was trumped by an inspired performance from Lisicki, who defeated the world number one in the fourth round in three keenly contested sets.

It has been a long battle for Lisicki. She suffered a career-threatening left ankle injury at Indian Wells in 2010 but fought hard to make a comeback. The journey that she began then will culminate on Saturday as she steps out to the Centre Court to play her first Grand Slam final.

Her counterpart, 28-year-old Marion Bartoli, has had a bit more experience in that regard. She was defeated in straight sets by Venus Williams six years ago and will do her very best to come out on the right side of the contest this time.

While the match-up between the 23rd seed Lisicki and 15th seed Bartoli maybe an unexpected one, it hardly matches up to the most surprising Grand Slam finals in the history of tennis. These unexpected match-ups have either delivered future stars or one-time-wonders but they have always entertained.

Here is a list of the most unexpected contests that we have seen at the Grand Slam finals over the years: