• Azarenka had won 26 matches in a row from start of season
• Marion Bartoli wins Miami quarter-final 6-3, 6-3
Victoria Azarenka's 26-match winning streak finally came to an end on Wednesday when the world No1 lost 6-3, 6-3 to France's Marion Bartoli at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
Bartoli, the No7 seed, moves into the semi-finals where she will face Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-1.
Azarenka's winning streak was the best start to a WTA Tour season since Martina Hingis won 37 in a row in 1997.
The Belarusian's impressive run included wins in her past four tournaments, Sydney, the Australian Open, Doha and Indian Wells, but it was clear the run had taken a toll.
Bartoli played with aggression and confidence from the outset to take the game to Azarenka, who appeared short of inspiration and heavy on her feet. She said: "Physically I was just not able to do anything today. It was just not possible. You know, I'm a human, not a super woman. I wish I could be but I'm not. But Marion really played really well today, and she deserves the win. What else can I say?"
The Frenchwoman produced a superb cross-court return to break and go 4-3 up in the second set, the decisive blow which finished off Azarenka's resistance.
"I just went out on the court full of belief in myself," said a delighted Bartoli, who raised her arms aloft in delight at beating the top seed.
"I'm working extremely hard, and I'm just happy that everything is paying off right now and I'm able to play some great tennis," she added.