Fastest serve of a tennis ball (female)

Sabine Lisicki (Germany) clocked 131 mph (210.8 km/h) on a speed gun while serving in the first set of a first-round match against Ana Ivanovic at the Bank of the West Classic tournament at Stanford University, California, USA, on 29 July 2014. A 129-mph (207.6-km/h) serve by Venus Williams (USA), recorded in a second-round match against Ashley Harkleroad at the 2007 US Open, was previously the fastest serve by a woman on the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) tour, although Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (Netherlands) sent down a 130-mph (209.2-km/h) serve in qualifying for the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2006 that wasn't recognized by the WTA because it happened outside of the main draw.

The game-winning point, which Ivanovic got her racket to but sent the return wide, put Lisicki 6-5 up in the first set, but Ivanovic went on to win the match 7-6, 6-1.

The Bank of the West Classic, the longest-running female-only tennis tournament in the world, celebrated its 44th event in 2014. The tournament is held at the Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford University.

After setting the record, the defeated Lisicki tweeted: "Well...at least I broke the world record for fastest serve on @WTA ... #131mph #history #record."

Trivia: "Boom Boom" - nickname given to Sabine Lisicki (by former professional tennis player/coach Brad Gilbert) in tribute to her powerful serve

By comparison, Samuel Groth (Australia) holds the male record for the fastest serve - 163.4 mph (262.9 km/h) during a second-round match at an ATP Challenger tournament in Busan, South Korea, on 9 May 2012.