Kim Clijsters waved goodbye to Wimbledon on Monday after she was thrashed 6-1, 6-1 by German eighth seed Angelique Kerber at a windswept and chilly All England Club on Monday.
The Belgian, who will be retiring for a second time after this year's US Open, looked like a pale shadow of the player who has won four major titles. She struggled to get her serve into gear and committed a string of unforced errors.
Kerber was in sparkling form and totally dominated the exchanges against crowd favourite Clijsters, who was suffering from an abdominal injury in the leadup to Wimbledon.
Clijsters survived two match points at 5-0 down in the second set but it was a last throw of the dice against the fiercely determined Kerber who served out for victory.
At least one German player is guaranteed a place in the semi-finals after Kerber booked a last-eight date with compatriot Sabine Lisicki.
