Jamie V Andy: Murray Brothers Set for First Tour Clash

Less than a month ago Jamie and Andy Murray teamed up to win the doubles rubber of their Davis Cup quarterfinal clash against France, eventually sending Great Britain into the semi-finals for the first time in 34 years. Wednesday, though, they are divided, as the Murray brothers are pitted against each other for the first time on tour in the second round of the Rogers Cup.

Older brother Jamie, 29, is currently in the form of his life alongside Australian partner John Peers after reaching the Wimbledon final and backing that up with his second title of the year at...

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Daniel Evans: British 'Bad Boy' On Road To Recovery

Twelve months ago, Daniel Evans was hot property in the tennis world. On the cusp of conquering the top 100 ranking barrier and with a run to the third round of the US Open in his back pocket, Evans' reputation was on the rise. British fans were particularly excited by a player arguably boasting the most natural ability since a certain Andrew Murray burst onto the scene.

Fast forward eleven months to the start of this year's Wimbledon and you would have found the Birmingham-born Brit languishing at #752 in the World having played the main draw of just four....

Find the rest of the article at http://lastwordonsports.com/2015/07/29/daniel-evans-british-bad-boy-on-road-to-recovery/.

7 Things We Learnt From the First Week of Wimbledon

As we take a well-earned breather after an eventful opening week of Wimbledon there is just enough time to reflect on the goings-on at SW19.

Men's tennis has it's entertainers.

With big servers prominent at the top of the game, it was great to see the showmen take centre stage in the opening week. There was constant one-upmanship between Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils and Dustin Brown as the three sought to produce shots of increasingly unique flair and originality.

Whilst only Kyrgios remains in the draw, both Monfils and Brown created first week fireworks before their departure. Brown made himself a household name with a sensational four set victory over Rafael Nadal as well as claiming the unofficial title of best locks in tennis. Similarly Gael Monfils' athletic shot selection reduced his opponent and friend Gilles Simon to laughter with a ridiculous forehand [below] in their third round encounter.

There are Brits other than Murray.

Okay, so as is usual, Andy Murray is the only Brit to make it to the second week in the singles draw. But for the first time in recent memory there were signs that he may not be alone for much longer. Both Heather Watson and James Ward came within a matter of points of making it through to the fourth round, the former almost defeating world number one Serena Williams after a hugely valiant effort. Local lad, Ward, also came close in the third round, eventually falling to Canadian Vasek Pospisil in five sets.

They were not the only success stories though, as Liam Broady kick-started the week with an epic five set victory over Marinko Matosevic before recently converted Brit, Aliaz Bedene, followed suit into the second round where both their journey's ended. It was the most successful Wimbledon in years for British wildcards and gives hope that it is not long until Murray has a friend in the top 30.

Wimbledon's All-White Policy has gone mad.

Kyrgios sporting his controversial headband.

There is tradition, and then there is madness. One of the more controversial talking points from the opening week is the extreme nature of the All England Club's all-white dress code. Both Eugenie Bouchard and Nick Kyrgios found themselves with rapped knuckles after falling foul of the extensive rules.

Bouchard found herself in trouble after a black bra strap emerged during her first round defeat whilst, more bizarrely, Kyrgios was told to turn the official Wimbledon headband, inside out for violating colour rules. So just to emphasise, Kyrgios was not allowed to wear the official Wimbledon headband during an official Wimbledon match. Brilliant.

Anyone is beatable in the WTA... Except Serena.

The first week saw the disappearance of a number of the biggest names in women's tennis as the grass claimed its early victims. One of the biggest shocks was Simona Halep's first round loss to Jana Cepelova. This year's form player, Carla Suarez Navarro swiftly followed whilst she was joined by Ana Ivanovic and Ekaterina Makarova who both exited in round two.

The third round saw the most notable upset as defending champion Petra Kvitova, so comfortable in her opening two rounds, left the court in tears after a tough three-set defeat to Jelena Jankovic.

Serena though. Well, she keeps just being Serena. Not only did she have to battle an inspired Heather Watson but she had to battle a packed-out Centre Court crowd in her gritty third round victory over the British number one. Can anyone actually stop her collecting her third grand slam of the year? I don't think so.

Nick Kyrgios is the Real Deal.

Since exploding onto the tennis scene in last year's Wimbledon through his defeat of Rafa, few have questioned the talents of the tenacious Aussie. One of the pitfalls though, of having a grand slam run as a teenager, is backing it up and injuries during the year have seen question marks as to whether he can last at the top level.

Not only is Kyrgios backing it up, but he is bringing character and interest to a sport with too many robotic personalities. His on-court personal rows and inventive style have made him a fan favourite, but more importantly, a real danger to the big guns in this draw. He has already dismantled big serving Milos Raonic and Richard Gasquet is next in his line of fire. John Newcombe may be right about not writing Kyrgios off too early.

Bouchard isn't having a blip, she's having a crisis.

Bouchard suffered her 12th defeat in 14 matches.

In contrast to Kyrgios' success, Eugenie Bouchard has had a year to completely forget exacerbated by her terrible first round loss to unknown 117th ranked Duan Ying-Ying. Bouchard has been desperately seeking a tournament to turn around a turgid year but the grass of SW19, where she reached the final last year, has not been it.

Bouchard has now lost 12 of her past 14 matches and seems to be suffering from what is commonly referred to in football as a case of second-season-syndrome after her outstanding breakthrough year in 2014. The Canadian looks a shadow of the player she was 12 months ago and some serious self-evaluation needs to occur before the return to the hard court.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Why, oh why did the BBC opt to revamp their highlights coverage into the terrible 'Wimbledon 2day'? When I came in from work on Monday I wanted to sit down and enjoy the highlights of the day. Instead I was treated to amateurish conversation between the out-of-her-depth Clare Balding and an awkward member of an awkward crowd among a couple of legends and a smattering of actual tennis.

The BBC have done their best to evolve the show as the week has gone on but the lack of actual tennis on show is the particular disappointment for what was formerly an excellent highlights show. I believe Balding is an excellent presenter but I am not sure she is the right person for this job and wonder whether, much like Leyton Hewitt, she won't be back at Wimbledon next year.

Sports Ladder (6th - 12th October)

Sports Ladder returns after a long period away and will now be more focused on its inital objective which was to look at who has moved up and down a ladder of public opinion. Before the break it had descended into simply finding which sportsman or woman had a good week and who had a bad week but my aim is to change it back to its original format. Enjoy!


UP - Jules Bianchi / Marussia - A touching start to this weeks ladder as the thoughts and prayers of the Formula 1 community are firmly behind a speedy recovery for Jules Bianchi. Following his accident in Japan a week ago, the Frenchman remains in a critical condition. Hamilton dedicating his Russian GP win and Marussia opting not to replace Bianchi at the weekend are just two examples of the compassion shown from the paddock this week.

UP - Roy Keane - The Irishman will have divided opinion with the release of his autobiography but no one can deny the boldness of the former Manchester United captain in voicing his concerns about Sir Alex Ferguson. Standing up to the former United manager is something few have dared to do so in that sense you have to admire his courage. That said, Keane never was one to shy away from conflict.

UP - Wade and Thornton - It's pretty rare that you get to see a nine-dart-finish in darts, especially on television. James Wade and Robert Thornton had other ideas this week though, as they both knocked down 501 with just nine darts. Wade stepped up first before Thornton replied to send the World Grand Prix crowd into raptures. Wade went on to win the match but realistically, darts was the winner.

UP - Simone Biles - Britain re-fell in love with gymnastics over the summer after the success of Claudia Fragapane and the rest of the team at the Commonwealth Games. However, it was a different teenage sweetheart who stole the show at the World Championships with America's Simone Biles sweeping up an outstanding four gold medals including the best all-rounder. British gymnasts may be the best in the Commonwealth, but the World is still yet to be conquered.

UP - Bayern Munich - The German champions have long been known to treat their fans with the utmost respect and this shows no signs of changing if this week is anything to go by. With Munich's Champions League match with CSKA held behind closed doors, 55 fans rented a room in a nearby skyscraper to watch the match. Munich refunded all 55 of these fans, much to the shock of most English fans who have never seen such generosity from their club.

DOWN - Umberto Gandini - Bitter, is the only word to describe the comments made by AC Milan Chairman Gandini this week. His suggestion that big clubs in Europe should have a wildcard if they don't qualify is quite frankly ridiculous. An alternative would be to play better football and run the club more intelligently so that then you can qualify legitimately like the rest of the teams. Unsurprisingly my opinion of him has decisively dropped this week.

DOWN - Justin Gatlin - Lord Coe this week questioned the decision to nominate Justin Gatlin for World Athlete of the Year after the sprinter has served out two seperate doping bans and I would have to agree. It is one thing letting ex-sprinters race again but to nominate them for awards is certainly a contentious decision. All this week has done though is re-highlight the ongoing drugs problem in athletics.

DOWN - Andy Murray - I think it's fair to say that 2014 has been a year to forget for Britain's number one. Murray has won just one tournament and reached just four tournament semi-finals all year. This week was no different as he tumbled out of China to David Ferrer. Murray seems to be suffering psychologically as he cannot seem to close out matches at the moment and the up-and-coming tennis stars are ready to pounce on the wayward Brit. 2015 cannot come quickly enough.

DOWN - England's Bowlers - Whether you like him or not, there is no question that Kevin Pietersen is one of England's best batsman in recent years. He has always been a bit of an outcast in the England camp though and this week's revelations about his treatment by some of England's bowlers perhaps proves why. With Steve Harmison backing up Pietersen's claims about bullying, it looks like some of the bowlers may have been knocked for six by the claims.

DOWN - Ben Flower - There is no better way to endear yourself to the public than to punch an opponent in the Grand Final of this seasons Rugby League. Flower took just two minutes to launch two punches on opponent Lance Hohaia, earn himself a red card and ultimately cost Wigan the game and the trophy. So literally an example of letting me down, letting the kids down, letting the team down, but most importantly letting himself down. At least an eight game ban awaits.

Sports Ladder (4th - 10th August)

UP - Rory McIlroy - Not a bad week for the young Northern Irishman as he effectively creates an own era for himself. The returning world number one has always had the talent to be the best golfer in the world but has never strung together a run long enough to claim this title. However, after his third consecutive tournament victory, two of these being majors, McIlroy has set himself aside from the rest of the golfing world and become the very best. We are now well and truly in the McIlroy era.

UP - Arsenal - 'Specialists in failure?' Jose Mourinho will be eating his words this week as Arsenal brushed Manchester City aside to win their second trophy in less than three months. It was a commanding display against the League Champions from a side who have been the laughing stock of the top end of the Premier League for so long.. As cliched as it sounds, that FA Cup victory really may open the floodgates for Arsenal and I see them as genuine title champions this year, not just contenders. Wenger certainly knows what he is doing.


UP - England Cricket - We won again! Two weeks in a row! Actual legitimate victories! This time by a whole innings! Insane! No more words are even needed!

UP - Venus Williams - This week must have felt so very pleasing for the eldest Williams sister. For years she has disappeared, cowering in the shadow of her dominant younger sister. Serena has been the number one ranked player ranked female for well over a year now whilst Venus has toiled with injuries and dropped well down in the rankings. However, this week Venus claimed her first triumph over her sister since 2009 and made the final of the Rogers Cup in the process. Unfortunately she lost but we'll ignore that part.

UP - Howard Webb - Referees get a lot of bad press. Most weeks on Match of the Day they are hounded by Linekar and the gang as well as most of the neutrals for poor errors all over the park. This week though, Manchester United, the Premier League mourned the loss of one of its greatest assets in Howard Webb. The veteran became the first of Louis Van Gaal's summer clear out  referee retired from his 25-year career to spend more time with his family. All jokes aside, Webb will be sorely missed.

DOWN - Mark Robins - Football sackings have become a bit of a joke in recent years. Managers fired before Christmas, given no time at all to implement their ideas and no time to at least try and implement some sort of recovery. Mark Robins decided that getting fired ten games into a season was too mainstream though, opting for the more ridiculous choice of leaving after ONE game of the new season. Huddersfield were spanked 4-0 by a rampant Bournemouth side which left Robins out of a job. My head was buried so deep in my hands at this ridiculous news.

DOWN - Andy Murray - After failing to retain his Wimbledon title it looks like Murray doesn't fancy retaining his Sports Personality of the Year award either. Another quarter-final exit in this weeks Toronto Masters sees the Brit make absolutely no ground on his rivals and continue to languish in a mediocre ninth in the world rankings. Despite the appointment of Amelie Mauresmo as his coach, little has changed for the Brit and it looks to be his worst year for a very long time on the court.

DOWN - Legia Warsaw - Picture the scene. 6-1 up on aggregate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Absolutely cruising. No way for the opposition to come back. So naturally the thing to do is bring on a player who is potentially ineligible to play with just three minutes to go. Another head-in-hands football moment as Warsaw saw themselves thrown out of the Champions League for this rookie mistake. Never underestimate the importance of paperwork.

DOWN - Bernie Ecclestone - The big, or should I say, little man at the head of Formula One made a bit of a tit of himself this week when he decided that the best way to sort out a bribery trial would simply be to buy his way out with an effectively legal form of bribery. Ecclestone was on trial for bribing a company he favoured to buy a stake in F1 and got out of the trial by paying a 100 million Euro buy-out. If that doesn't scream 'guilty' then I really don't know what does.

DOWN - Tiger Woods - Topping this weeks Sports Ladder was Rory McIlroy and his new era so it seemed only fitting to put his predecessor rock bottom after another week to forget. On a generous Valhalla course, Woods looked barely a shadow of his best, finishing on Friday after failing to make the cut by six shots. Plagued with injuries and still not looking focused after his off-the-course personal problems, the era of the legendary Tiger Woods is well and truly over.

Sports Ladder (6th - 12th May)

UP - Manchester City - Well I suppose through gritted teeth I should probably congratulate Manchester City on their second Premier League title. Okay, so clearly I didn't want them to win but they did, and in some style it has to be said. Pellegrini has turned out to be a marvelous appointment, playing fast, attractive football but perhaps more importantly settling down a chaotic dressing room from the start of the season. With investment likely over the summer they will obviously be back in the hunt again next year.

UP - Michael Sam - It shouldn't have to be a story but alas it is one, and due to the nature of it's importance one I shall cover. Michael Sam this week became the first openly homosexual player to be successfully drafted into the NFL (American Football for those of you that don't follow StarSpangledHammer). He was the 249th pick of this years draft and will join up with the St. Louis Rams for this season, also becoming the first homosexual player to play a game should he start.

UP - Martin Kaymer - Well after looking like a really dangerous player a few years ago, German golfer Martin Kaymer has somewhat faded into the rough. This week, however he came back into the limelight with his first PGA Tour victory in four years with a one shot victory in tough conditions at the Players Championship. Kaymer will now be pushing on to try and secure a Ryder Cup spot. Also rising up the ladder is sports photography. I mean what a photo!

UP - Rebekah Tiler - What were you doing when you were 15? Well, whatever it was I bet it wasn't the same as Miss Tiler. This week Rebecca Tiler became the youngest ever winner of a British weightlifting title with her victory in the 69kg class. In fact, Tiler managed to lift a whopping 205kg which is not only nearly three times my weight, but also enough to have won her both the 75kg and 75+kg categories at the British championships. Certainly beats my 10kg dumbbells.

UP - Laura Trott - There is nothing in sport we love more than an absolute fighter. Now we know Laura Trott is a sensational athlete but this week really showcased her grit and determination. Okay, so she finished the Tour of Britain in 55th, but after a huge fall on the third stage the Olympic star did well just to pull herself back onto the bike. Clearly in agony not only did she finish the stage but she then repeated the feat the next day to finish the race. Now that, is true British fighting spirit.

DOWN - Ronnie O'Sullivan - Ronnie O'Sullivan really did have a stinker of a weekend. Despite feeling in the form of his life, the master managed to squander a 10-5 lead to lose the World Championship to Mark Selby 18-14 in an enthralling final. However, Ronnie was then involved in a car accident whilst travelling home from his final loss on the M1. Luckily both himself and his son, who was also in the car were absolutely fine, but it will be a week to forget for the former champion.

DOWN - Liverpool - You don't win anything by squandering a three goal advantage in football. Liverpool found that out the brutal way this week as they tossed aside a three goal lead against Crystal Palace to draw 3-3 and throw away any chance they had of really applying pressure to Manchester City. Ultimately it wouldn't have mattered as City would have won on goal difference but that result epitomised Liverpool in recent weeks. Threw the bottle in right at the end.

DOWN - Atletico Madrid - Atletico have had a simply sublime season, there can be no doubting that. Front runners heading into the final day of the Liga BBVA title race and into a Champions League final for the first time since 1997, also setting up the first final between two sides from the same city ever. But, their's team performances were let down this week by racist actions from their fans. They were heard directing monkey chants at Papakouly Diop of Levante. Modern football should certainly have outgrown this behaviour by now and it's so disappointing to still see it in the higher echelons of the game. Kick racism out of football.

DOWN - Michael Jackson - It's amazing the influence a dead popstar can have on the sporting world isn't it? Well according to Mohammed Al Fayed, the old chairman of Fulham, the removal of the Michael Jackson statue outside of Craven Cottage was the main reason they got relegated. That seems like a pretty 'dangerous' suggestion considering how 'bad' Fulham were and how (smooth) criminal their defending was throughout most of the season. Don't worry, I'll beat it after those terrible puns.

DOWN - Andy Murray - Right after I cover another disappointing week for the British tennis number one. So who did he lose to this time? Well this time it was the turn of the Colombian Santiago Giraldo to take a major scalp as he convincingly beat the Brit in two sets in the Madrid third round. Murray is rapidly running out of time to find form ahead of, first the French Open and then his Wimbledon defence. He needs to get a coach in and sharpish because he seems to be lacking direction at present.

Early Round Losers Rewarded With Wimbledon Prize Increase

Wimbledon prize money will this year eclipse twenty-five million pounds for the first time followign this week's announcement that it would increase by 10.8 percent on last year's total.

Whilst both the men's and women's singles champions will receive 1.76 million pounds each, a 10 percent increase on last year, it is the early round losers who benefit the most this year.

All competitors to lose before the third round, including qualifying, will receive a prize money increase of 12.5 percent in order to try and increase financial aid for those who most require it in the tennis environment.

Wimbledon chairman Philip Brook said , "We've placed emphasis on the large group of players who need our help the most, those players who lose in qualifying and in the early rounds of the championships. We also had an eye to being competitive internationally, and we do keep our watch on what is going on in other tennis events and in particular the other Grand Slams."

This follows on from a sensational rise in recent years, with the prize money for the majority of singles players who lose in the opening three rounds rising over 100 percent over the last three years. This has a particular emphasis on first-round losers, each earning 27,000 pounds.

The rise in prize money on the lawns of Wimbledon coincides with a general Grand Slam prize money increase following players demands.

Andy Murray Set For Coach Discussion

Andy Murray is set to sit down with his whole team for the rest of the week and begin discussions on who should be his next coach as he seeks to have someone in place before the French Open.

Murray's decision to hire a new coach comes after the split with previous coach Ivan Lendl. The partnership had been in full flow for over two years and in that time the Scot had won both his Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal.

But last months the pair brought an end to their glorious relationship as Lendl was no longer able to commit to Murray's schedule as he sought to compete more regularly on the senior tour.

Murray's partnership with a high-profile former player also paved the way for a new trend in tennis coaching, as Stefan Edberg returned to coach Roger Federer and Boris Becker likewise to work alongside Novak Djokovic.

However, Murray is not necessarily looking to repeat the trend that he started, telling BBC Sport, "There's a lot of factors you need to look at and I would hope I would have someone in place by the French Open, but I don't want to rush it. I don't want to get someone just because they've won a lot of tournaments or were great players."

Murray went on to say, "[A new coach] needs to be the right fit for you and they need to get on well with your team too, because otherwise it's very hard to make it work. It's going to be an exciting few weeks because getting a new coach can make big differences, as you saw with Ivan."

Murray was speaking at the press launch of this years AEGON Championship at the Queen's club after returning from the weekend's narrow Davis Cup loss to Italy.

Published on SEaT Capital.

GB's Italian Job Falls Short

Despite entering the final day in control of the tie, Great Britain collapsed to lose 3-2 to Italy in the quarter-finals of this year's Davis Cup in Naples.

An excellent second day had seen Andy Murray claim both a delayed singles rudder and the doubles rudder alongside Colin Fleming to give GB a commanding 2-1 lead heading into the final pair of singles matches, after James Ward had lost his opening match on a rain-interrupted day one.

However with Murray unable to topple clay-expert Fabio Fognini and James Ward suffering a similar fate to Andreas Seppi, the Italians completed the comeback moving into the semi-finals to face Switzerland. Switzerland staged a comeback of their own, also overturning a 2-1 deficit on the final day against Kazakhstan.

The opening tie sa James Ward take on Fabio Fognini in what looked on paper to be an easy match for the Italian. However, some spilled rainwater on the court left Fognini notably rattled and Ward caused him plenty of problems in the early couple of sets, losing the first 6-4 but recovering to even the match up with a 6-2 victory in the second.

However, as the court dried up Fognini began to take control, seizing the next two sets 6-4 and 6-1 to give Italy the opening rubber. The rain delay in the morning meant barely two sets of the second match was able to be played, Murray winning 6-4 5-5 when play was stopped due to bad light.

Murray came out early on the Saturday knowing he would most likely play in the doubles later that day so dispatched Andreas Seppi hastily, taking the second set 7-5 before claiming the third 6-3 to even up the contest.

The Scot was then called upon the partner Colin Fleming and a commanding performance from the pair meant they won 6-3 6-2 3-6 7-5 against Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli giving Britain a dominant lead going into the final day.

Murray had been unable to train for much of the week with a stomach bug, and it seemed as though this started catching up with him as he played first on Sunday. The Scot never really got going against a rampant Fognini and the Italian cleared up in three sets, winning 6-3 6-3 6-4.

Andreas Seppi then won it for Italy with a dominant singles performance over a nervous looking James Ward, winning 6-4 6-3 6-4. Whilst Italy will take on Switzerland, the other semi-final will see the Czech Republic do battle with France in September.

Published on SEaT Capital.

GB Davis Cup Squad Announced

Leon Smith has announced his GB Team to face Italy in Naples on the 4-6 April.

After victory against America in the opening round of the World Cup Group stage, Smith's team take part in the quarter-finals of the highest stage of the Davis Cup for the first time since 1986.

The team chose to travel to Naples are Andy Murray, Dan Evans, James Ward and Colin Fleming, with Ross Hutchins also travelling as the reserve player.

Evans returns to the squad in place of Kyle Edmund after last competing against Croatia in September 2013 whilst Hutchins also rejoins in place of Dominic Inglot after his comeback from Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Captain Leon Smith told the LTA, "We have selected our top three singles players for the squad who between them have the most Davis Cup experience which is what we need for this tie. Obviously we are delighted that Andy is playing, and both Dan and James have enjoyed impressive Davis Cup wins over the last few years."

"We also have strong options in doubles. Andy and Colin have enjoyed success together before, having reached the final in Montreal last August and also winning their last Davis Cup doubles rudder against Croatia in September. Ross Hutchins could be brought into the final four depending on what options we feel are best for the tie. Both Colin and Ross also have a lot of Davis Cup experience between them."
The team will compete on clay courts at the Tennis Club Napoli over the course of next weekend as they seek to defeat Italy and claim a spot in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Murray Progresses Despite Poor Start

Andy Murray began his attempt to retain the Sony Open in Miami with a flustering three-set victory against the Australian Matthew Ebden in the Second Round in his first match after splitting with coach Ivan Lendl.

Murray continued his recent trend of sluggish first sets, conceding the first 6-3 before fighting back to win the next two 6-0 and 6-1.

It was another disappointing start from Murray who has failed to beat a top twenty ranked player since his Wimbledon title last year. The Scot seems yet to have fully recovered from the back surgery that kepy him out during the end of the 2013 season.

As is customary in recent months, Murray started slowly, quickly finding himself a break down as he began his Miami defence. The Scot was unable to hit back and found himself a set down as Ebden claimed the first set 6-3.

This sparked a despondent Murray into life, flying out of the traps in the second set to quickly claim a double break and lead 4-0. Ebden had no reply to a resurgent Murray and found himself suffering a beagel in the second set as Murray drew level at one set of piece.

Yet Murray was broken in the first game of the third set to supposedly snatch the momentum from his grasp. However the Scot refused to give in without a fight, breaking back instantly before breaking again to claim a 3-1 lead.

From there the match was never in doubt, the current Wimbledon Champion romping home 6-1 in the third set to advance to the third round. However, Murray's celebrations lacked any sort of joy as he seemed more relieved to have got over the line in a match he made more difficult than it should have been..

In the next round Murray will clash with 32nd seed Feliciano Lopez, after the left-handed Spaniard overcame rising star Jiri Vesely 6-2 7-6.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Ward Endures Narrow Indian Wells Defeat

Britain's number three James Ward fell just short of a spectacular upset against the World number 37 Feliciano Lopez as he narrowly lost 6-3 2-6 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Open second round.

Ward was initially knocked out in the final round of qualifying, succumbing to Paul-Henri Mathieu. But the late withdrawal of Juan Martin Del Potro with a wrist injury meant that Ward was able to claim a lucky loser spot early on Sunday morning, automatically moving him into the second round.

Ward was certainly he remained in Indian Wells over the weekend, telling the Guardian, "I took a gamble on staying here rather than going to Dallas [for this week's Challenger tournament] and it paid off, and it nearly paid off, and it nearly paid off even better."

The Brit will consider himself unlucky not to have advanced to the third round after looking the better player for much of the match. However, his inability to capitalize on a host of break points, converting just one of his ten he created for himself, left him wondering what might have been.

Flying out of the traps, Ward proved a constant problem to a shaky looking Lopez, eventually converting his seventh break point to take a 4-2 lead in the first set courtesy of a mishit overhead. The first set continued on serve as Ward eventually wrapped it up 6-3

Lopez responded in the second set with an early break to lead 3-0. Ward was notably struggling to cope with the left-handed Spaniard and was broken again before the end of the second set, losing it 6-2.

In a nervy final set, both players had few chances to break the other but it was Lopez who converted one of his two break points, going on to eventually beat the baffling Brit 6-4 in the Final set.

Ward though will take heart from another fine display against an established tour regular after defeating Sam Querrey in the Davis Cup and upsetting World Number 60 Teymuraz Gabashvili two weeks ago in Dubai.

His loss leaves Andy Murray as the sole British survivor in the singles side of the tournament. Murray will take on rising star Jiri Vesely in the third round as he seeks to recover from a slow start to the 2014 season.

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Watson Advances To Face Radwanska

Heather Watson continued her fine form in 2014 with another victory over 16-year-old tennis prodigy Belinda Bencic.

Bencic, already in the top 150 players in the world despite her age, was ultimately no match for a resurgent Heather Watson, who ground out a 7-5 6-4 victory to progress to the second round of the BNP Paribas Open as Indian Wells.

Her victory sets up a second round clash with Agnieszka Radwanska who has convincingly beaten her on two previous occasions. However Watson was sure her improving form and tactical awareness would make this match more competitive, telling the BBC, "I'm not going to give away my tactics, but i'm not going to go in playing the same way I did the other two times."

Watson came through two round of qualifying to reach the main draw at Indian Wells defeating 86th seed Virginie Razzano and 103rd seed Teliana Pereira in comfortable straight sets to prove her current ranking of 134th does not justify her quality.

Elsewhere it was disappointment for James Ward who fell in the final round of qualifying to the veteran Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2 6-3, failing to capitalise on a number of chances to break the Frenchman.

With Daniel Cox and Johanna Konta also failing to make it through qualifying, this leaves just Heather Watson and Andy Murray left in the main draw, both competing in the second round later this week.

Murray will play either Lukas Rosol or qualifier Dusan Lajovic courtesy of a bye into the second round, as he seeks to win his first title of 2014 after a slow start to the year.

Despite having only two Brits in the singles, representation in the doubles is more impressive, with no less than four pairs including British players in the Mens draw. Andy Murray will play alongside Wimbledon 2012 Men's Double champion Jonathan Marray as they take on Juan Monaco and Gael Monfils in the opening round.

Elsewhere Dominic Inglot and Treat Huey will play Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi whilst Andy's brother Jamie will partner John Peers as they take on Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Finally Ross Hutchins continues his comeback after battling caner last year as he and partner Colin Fleming take on Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Dimitrov and Delbonis Rise To Career Highs

Victories in Mexico and Brazil respectively have seen both Grigor Dimitrov and Federico Delbonis rise to new career high rankings this week.

Dimitrov, dubbed 'Baby Fed' due to his similarities to Roger Federer, claimed only his second ATP title, overcoming the big-serving South African Kevin Anderson 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(5) to move up six places to a career high 16th in the World. On his way back into the top 20, Dimitrov passed his fellow finalist Kevin Anderson, who also rose to a career high 18th following his strong display in Mexico.

In Brazil, young Argentinian Federico Delbonis claimed his maiden ATP title with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over the veteran Paolo Lorenzi. Delbonis upset a number of established tour players on route to the final, including Nicolas Almagro, Thomaz Bellucci and Filippo Volandri as he moves up seventeen places to 44th in the World.

Elsewhere in the men's rankings 5th to 7th are separated by just 20 points as a first round retirement meant Juan Martin Del Potro dropped two places to seventh. Both Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray climb one position to overtake him. Despite winning the Dubai title, Roger Federer remains in 8th although he now has a gap of over 1,500 points to Richard Gasguet in 9th.

James Ward claimed valuable rankings points by progressing into the Second Round of the Dubai Championships, enabling him to move up seventeen places to 160th in the World. Elsewhere it was a quiet week for the Brits, as few of the top players played and Laura Robson continues her recovery from a wrist injury sustained at the Australian Open.

The women's tour, unlike the men's, was unusually quiet as most of the top seeds chose to prepare for the upcoming Indian Wells tournament with a week of rest. The Acapulco champion Dominika Cibulkova rose to a career high 11th following her runner-up spot at this year's Australian Open. Beaten Acapulco finalist Christina McHale was this weeks big mover, rising fifteen places to 55th.

The other tournament saw a repeat of January's Hobart final, as Klara Zakopolova clashed once again with youngster Gabrine Muguruza. Muguruza won at Hobart but Zakopolova got her revenge, successfully defeating Muguruza to lift the Florianopolis title, her first WTA title since 2005. Her victory ensures she crept inside the top 30 at 29th whilst Muguruza rose four places to 32nd.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Stuttering Murray Scrapes Into Quarters

Andy Murray survived a second round scare in Rotterdam as he narrowly beat young Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-4 3-6 6-3.

After breezing through his opening round match 6-3 6-3 against Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Murray struggled against the World number 113.

He started strongly, breaking twice to take a 3-0 lead in the opening set. The tenacious youngster then broke back, giving Murray only a single break advantage. This was all he needed though, taking the opening set 6-4.

Much to Murray's annoyance, Thiem refused to go quietly, the 20-year-old swinging freely as he pegged Murray back. The frustration showed after Thiem got the desired break, Murray smashing his racket into his foot. The Austrian showed no sign of nerves as he took the second set 6-3.

Murray rediscovered his rhythm in the third set, battling to break early. From there it was simply a matter of holding serve, as the Scot eventually ground out a 6-3 victory to progress to the quarter-finals.

Playing in his first tournament since his Australian Open defeat to Roger Federer, Murray is aiming to replicate his Rotterdam experience in 2009 when he overcame Rafael Nadal in the final. In order to do that though he will have to overcome Marin Cilic in the next round.

Fresh off the back of claiming his 10th ATP Tour title last week in Zagreb, Cilic is in imperious form, unbeaten in seven matches and seeking vengeance after his Queen's final loss to Murray last year.

Cilic overcame fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-4 on his way to the quarter-final.

Published on SEaT Capital.

GB Advance To Davis Cup Quarters

Andy Murray's four set victory over Sam Querrey ensured Great Britain reached the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup for the first time since 1986.

GB needed only four rubbers to finish the tie, winning the three singles matches to hold an unassailable 3-1 lead.

By defeating America, Leon Smith's men have now ensured they will take part in the World Group First Round again next year and avoid the possibility of a play-off.

The tie started strongly as Britain won both of the opening singles rubbers. Andy Murray put Britain into the lead with a convincing win over debutant Donald Young. Young was drafted in to replace the injured John Isner but proved no competition for Murray. The Scot wrapped the match up quickly, winning 6-1 6-2 6-3.

The second rubber proved to be pivotal, as the 175th ranked James Ward upset America's Sam Querrey in a five set thriller. Ward battled back from two sets to one down and a break down to eventually win the final set 6-1.

The American team gave themselves a chance with victory in the doubles on Saturday. The Bryan brothers overcame Colin Fleming and debutant Dominic Inglot in a four setter. The American pair grabbed the opening two sets before Fleming and Inglot pulled one back. However, the British pair could not repeat the comeback of Ward, losing the final set 6-1.

This left Andy Murray the task of overcoming Sam Querrey, one he accomplished with relative ease. The first two sets were shared as each player won a tie-break but Murray stepped  up a gear in the third winning it comfortably 6-1. He then needed just one break of serve to claim the fourth set and book Great Britain's place in the quarter-finals.

The victory means that the British team will now face Italy in the quarter-finals after they overcame a dogged Argentinian side to claim a 3-1 victory.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Sports Ladder (20th - 27th January)

UP - Stan Wawrinka and Li Na - It's a funny old game tennis. Going into the tournament as the 8th and 4th seeds respectively and yet few would have bet on either of these two winning, such is the dominance of players like Djokovic, Nadal, Williams and Azarenka. So it was certainly refreshing to see two 'surprise' victors at this years Australian Open, especially Wawrinka who beat Djokovic and Nadal on route to becoming the first man outside the 'Big Four' to win a Slam since DelPo in 2009.


UP - IBF - Groves vs Froch. It's the rematch that everyone wants to see and thankfully the IBF have stepped in to say that a rematch must occur within 90 days due to "inappropriate stoppage" by referee Howard Foster. Foster controversially ended the match with Groves in the ninth round after Groves was well ahead on points.  Froch needs it to defend his title and Groves will want revenge after the last bout. Fiery.


UP - David Moyes - Is last week the turning point for Moyes' season? Okay so they may have lost the worst penalty shoot-out in the history of football. But finally Moyes has signed a player which fans can be happy about. Somehow Moyes has managed to secure the signing of Juan Mata. Admittedly not a position they really needed more players after Rooney and Kagawa but an excellent signing nonetheless.


UP - France Handball - Hipster choice of the week. On Sunday France celebrated winning the European Handball Championship with a crushing 41-32 over Denmark to cement their reputation as the greatest handball team in history. It may not be a heavily followed sport over in the UK but there can be little doubt that it is a fast-paced and exciting one that certainly deserves more coverage.


UP - UoN - I delayed this weeks ladder by one day so I could hopefully include the University of Nottingham (my Uni) beating Nottingham Trent in the opening event of this years Varsity; the ice-hockey. At 3-0 down within 8 minutes I was on the verge of publishing what I already had but something told me not to. A stunning 4 goal comeback from Uni led to a 4-3 victory for the second year running. Looks like I made the right choice in waiting.


DOWN - Gareth Bale - The initial media buzz around Gareth Bale has slowly died down despite the Welshman having an excellent season so far. However this week Bale was the victim of a poor tackle in a match against Granada, resulting in a full-blooded boot to the balls. Luckily he has not suffered any lasting damage but is being rested for tonight's Copa Del Rey quarter-final. Click on the image on the right to wince at the tackle.


DOWN - Formula One Cars - Its slowly returning after the Christmas break and this week saw the reveal of the new generation of Formula One cars. And what an ugly bunch most of them are. The new 'anteater' nosecone is simply horrible as it protrudes from the front of the car. Luckily some teams have avoided using them but it looks like they are set to stay for now.


DOWN - Bowls - Now I know bowls can be considered a bit of a dull sport, but the videos that emerged from this weeks Indoor World Championships were a little bit embarrassing to say the least. The first shows the compare attempting to get a rather perplexed crowd clapping along to Happy by Pharrell Williams whilst the second shows 'Barry from Eastenders' singing to the crowd. Very strange.


DOWN - Andy Murray - Whilst Andy Murray did not necessarily play badly on his return from injury, his quarter-final loss to Roger Federer at the Australian Open has left him nearly 10,000 rankings points away from world number one. However, with Wawrinka winning in Melbourne it gets even worse as Murray drops to sixth in the world, his lowest ranking position since 2008.


DOWN - Manchester United Penalties - I briefly mentioned them earlier but they were so bad they need to be spoken about again. The very fact that the penalty shoot-out finished 2-1 to Sunderland after ten penalties shows how truly shocking they all were but Manchester United's were something else. Jones, Welbeck, Januzaj and Rafael all missed with Fletcher the only saving grace.