Stosur is bracing for a torrid encounter on Wednesday against the former finalist and owner of the fastest record serve in women’s tennis history.

Stosur launched her 14th Wimbledon campaign with a straight-sets victory over little-known Pole Magda Linette, Australia’s top-ranked player safely progressing with a trouble-free 7-5 6-3 win. But her “reward” is a dubious one.

Lisicki made the semi-finals in 2011, the quarters on three other occasions and looked in ominous touch on the London grass in dispatching rising American Shelby Rogers 6-1 6-3 in less than an hour. The German also surged past Stosur en route to the 2013 title match at the All England Club.

The grasscourt specialist has dipped to 81st in the rankings after only once managing to string two wins together in a miserable 2016 season punctuated by her bitter break-up with her comedian boyfriend.

But having also partnered Lisicki to the 2011 Wimbledon doubles final, Stosur knows full well what is coming her way.

“No doubt this is a tournament she feels very comfortable at no matter what she’s been doing in the lead-up,” said Australia’s 14th seed.

“I’m sure when she walks through the gates here she probably feels like she’s No.1 in the world.

“You have to be aware of that and know she has a very big serve, she plays big and hits the ball hard.

“She absolutely plays aggressive. If she’s on that day, you have got to be really willing to fight fire with fire and go after it and not kind of feel like you’re going to get dictated to.”

Despite her forgettable season to date, Lisicki looked ominous in making quick work of Rogers, 6-1 6-3.

“I really liked this place from the beginning. In this place you feel the history. It’s just a magical place,” Lisicki said.

“When I come here, I just feel really special to have the opportunity to play.”

Apart from firing down a 210kph rocket in Stanford in 2014, Lisicki last year crunched a world-record 27 aces in a grasscourt match in Birmingham and knows her showdown with Stosur will likely be decided on her racquet.

“When you serve well on this surface, it’s a big advantage, yeah,” said the 26-year-old.

Meanwhile, Sam Groth is in desperate fight to make the US Open main draw after his grand slam troubles continued with a tough first-round Wimbledon loss.

Groth will tumble to 130th in the world after falling 6-4 6-3 7-5 to Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori in another luckless major campaign following losses to Rafael Nadal in Paris and Andy Murray in Melbourne.

Following outstanding performances in 2015, Groth rued being unable to capitalise on a rib injury that Nishikori sought treatment for mid-match.

“It was always going to be a tough ask,” Groth said.

“If I had have been able to get that third set, I felt like I was starting to swing that momentum a little bit.

“It might have been a different match if I’d have been able to break at 2-1, love-40 in the first set as well… especially knowing that he may have been under a little bit of an injury cloud, if I could have maybe built for 3-1 and held for 4-1, then maybe his rib gets a little bit sorer than it maybe was.”

“But it was not to be.”

-AAP