5 Players Who Could Prevent Serena Williams from Reaching the US Open Final

In case by some miracle you have managed to miss it, Serena Williams might be about to create history. Her Wimbledon crown saw her pocket her second so-called 'Serena Slam' but now her attention is fully focused on becoming just the fourth female players to complete the calender Grand Slam.

The younger Williams sister is just six victories away from her 22nd Grand Slam title which will put her level with Steffi Graf and just two behind Margaret Court who has won the most Grand Slam titles of all time.

A number of shocks on the opening day...

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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 (June 29th - July 6th)

UP - Surprise Packages - So the semi-finals are decided and we have a heavyweight bunch with Brazil against Germany and Argentina versus Holland but it really was the performance of certain 'minnow' teams that captured the imagination of the public. Costa Rica were the last to fall after an outstanding qualification from a 'group of death' but there was some sensational stuff from Colombia, USA and Algeria to name just a few. If we could have some of that passion for our England boys in four years then that would be fantastic.

UP - Susie Wolff - Okay, so it only lasted one racing lap. Okay, so it was a bit disappointing that the car suffered an oil pressure issue. Besides that it was great to see Susie Wolff become the first female driver to step into a Formula One car on a race weekend in twenty-two years. So the actual practice session was a disaster as she suffered a technical issue beyond her control and finished second last in the session. Yet Susie will get another chance in Hoffenheim and I for one look forward to seeing her get a proper crack of the whip.

UP - Nick Kyrgios - If you had not heard of the tenacious Australian before this week then you will have now. Kyrgios, who I met just last month at the AEGON Trophy in Nottingham, took the tennis world by storm as he blew apart Rafael Nadal on route to his first Wimbledon quarter-final at just nineteen years old. He may have lost to Milos Raonic but the youngster certainly proved why many are considering him to be the next big tennis sensation.

UP - Jordanne Whiley - Whilst British eyes were fixed on Andy Murray this week, (well until Wednesday at least), there was another Brit who walked away with a title as Jordanne Whiley and her partner Yui Kamiji won their third Grand Slam Wheelchair Doubles title of the year, meaning they need just the the US Open to complete the set. The pair have been playing some magnificent stuff over the last 12 months or so and now sit proudly at the top of the global rankings.

UP - Aberystwyth Town - With the World Cup coming towards a sparkling end it will not be long before we return to the regularity of everyday football. For some however, that has already started and I couldn't help but chuckle at the sly dig made by Aberystwyth Town to Manchester United when they messaged the Red Devils saying 'we are all off to Europe... are you?'. Unquestionably funny but perhaps United will have the last laugh as Aberystwyth were only travelling to Derry and lost 4-0 in the first leg.

DOWN - Massimo Cellino - So it's official, we have another Vincent Tan on our hands. We all knew from his time at Cagliari that Cellino was a little bit bonkers but he stepped it up this week by refusing to allow Paddy Kenny to join the first team because his birthday is on the 17 May. Seventeen is considered an unlucky number in Italy and Cellino's deep suspicion of it has now left Kenny looking for a new club. People like this should not be allowed to own football clubs.

DOWN - Mark Cavendish - Poor Mark. You wait your whole life to cycle the most prestigious event on the cycling calender right past your own doorstep but the Manxman had it taken away from him when he unfortunately crashed barely 200 metres from the end of the first stage. The resulting shoulder injury has ruled Cavendish out of the rest of the Tour after he was just a little too desperate to wear that coveted yellow jersey at home.

DOWN - Luis Suarez - Why? Just why? I cannot help but laugh at the calamity that is Luis Suarez. He has the potential to be one of the absolute best players in the world but is constantly impeded by his vampirical tendencies. I'm not sure what was worse though, the fact he bit someone for the third time in his career or his excuse that he tripped and fell teeth first into Chiellini's shoulder. I'm concerned that if he does it again he will emerge from the ban in the 'twilight' of his career. Terrible vampire joke quote ticked.

DOWN - Serena Williams - Well it looks like the Queen of women's tennis has now well and truly lost her grip on the thrown. Suffering her third early exit in Grand Slams this year Serena will now have a monumental job on her hands to retain her US Open title. Luckily her grip on the number one ranking is well in tact as Li Na also lost early but others are catching fast and it may only be a matter of time before Serena loses in tennis' game of thrones.

DOWN - Match Fixing - Whichever direction you turn your head in the sporting world there seems to be problems with match fixing at the moment. Lou Vincent, the self-proclaimed cricketing cheat, was littered on the back page of the papers this week for his confession and then we were treated to a number of stories about match-fixing at the World Cup. As if that wasn't enough, there is now an investigation into Aberdeen in the Europa League. It has become an epidemic that needs to be killed sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer - This was written before the finish of the Wimbledon Men's Final and before I have watched the British Grand Prix so that's why neither are mentioned.

April Fools? Serena Suffers Shock Exit

Just three days after claiming a record seventh Sony Open title, Serena Williams underwent a shock 6-4 6-4 defeat to the young Slovak Jana Cepelova.

As number one in the world, Williams received a bye to the second round however that was as far as the defending champion managed to progress, looking jaded in her second round defeat.

Whilst the big talking point will be the disappointing performance of Williams, plenty of credit must go to the plucky 20-year-old Cepelova, as she held her nerve to claim her first ever victory over a top-15 ranked player.

Williams will have found herself turning back to her first set against Li Na at the weekend as she quickly went 5-0 down to Cepelova within just 18 minutes, silencing the Charleston crowd.

It looked as though it would be a repeat of her escapades in the Sony Open final as she reeled off the next four games to get a foothold in the first set. However, despite the shift in momentum Cepelova was able to regroup, serving out the set to claim it 6-4.

The second set was a much tighter affair with the pair trading blows from the baseline and just the one break from Cepelova was needed to see out the match, the 78th ranked player hitting an audacious winner to claim victory.

Cepelova will move on to face the winner of Petra Cetkovska and Elena Vesnina in the third round whilst Williams claims she is looking for a break from tennis, telling USA Today, "I'm really just dead. I need some weeks off where I don't think about tennis and kind of regroup. I've had a long couple of years, and I'm really a little fatigued."

Williams Beats Li For Miami Title

Serena Williams retained her Sony Open title with a 7-5 6-1 victory over world number two Li Na.

Williams recovered from a double break in the first set at 5-2 to win eleven of the next twelve games on her way to her second title of 2014 after victory at Brisbane in January.

The victory ensured Williams moves ahead of Agassi in titles won in Miami after claiming her seventh title, twelve years after her first in 2002.

After her slow start, Williams was quick to praise her opponent, telling BBC Sport, "It was a really important victory, especially against Li Na. She started so well and if it hadn't been for the fans I don't think I could have pulled through."

"At 5-2 down in the first set, I felt I had nothing to lose. I started to relax and, when I relax, I play my best tennis."

Williams was unusually sluggish in the opening stages of the final, being broken in the first game by a fearless looking Li. However, the Chinese second seed was not done there, breaking again to find herself 5-2 up.

At this point Williams relaxed, swinging freely and taking the next five consecutive games to claim the opening set 7-5.

In the second set Williams raised her game significantly, completely shutting out Li and racing to a 5-1 lead. It was representative of her second set display that it took the world number one just one match point to claim victory.

This continued her run of fifteen consecutive victories against top-10 ranked opponents as she now turns her attention to the Family Circle Cup in Charleston this week.

As with the women's final the world one and two will contest the men's final later today after both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic received walkovers in their semi-finals.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Murray Falls in Rankings Shake-Up

As the curtain falls on this years Australian Open we have been treated to the first winner since Juan Martin Del Potro's US Open in 2009 who isn't one of the so-called 'Big Four'; Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Perhaps more interestingly though, Stanislas Wawrinka's maiden Grand Slam title has well and truly splintered the dominance held between these four over the last five or six years as the updated rankings were released today. His victory moves him up to a career-high ranking of third and he becomes the highest seeded Swiss player, a feat previously held by Roger Federer since 2001. Meanwhile, Federer tumbles to eighth, his lowest ranking in twelve years.

Nadal and Djokovic maintain their place occupying the top two spots but Nadal's runner-up spot has meant a gap of nearly 4,000 points has opened up between the pair. Despite a disappointing second-round defeat, Del Potro moves up to fourth whilst David Ferrer drops two places to fifth.

However, it was a hugely unsuccessful tournament for the British trio of Andy Murray, Laura Robson and Heather Watson. Murray's quarter-final loss to Roger Federer means he falls to sixth, his lowest ranking since 2008. With no Grand Slam's or Masters tournaments until March, it seems unlikely that he will begin climbing again for a number of months.

In the women's rankings, first-round losses for Robson and Watson meant neither were able to defend significant ranking points earned the year before. Robson slips ten places from 48th to 58th whilst Watson, who missed a large section of last season through glandular fever, tumbles to 161st, her worst ranking in a number of years.

Elsewhere in the women's draw, Australian Open victor Li Na moves up to third in the rankings, only eleven points away from number two seed Victoria Azarenka. Serena Williams holds onto top spot whilst Maria Sharapova falls to fifth.

The big mover was beaten finalist Dominika Cibulkova, who leaps eleven places to thirteenth. Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard continues her ascendancy, breaking into the top twenty for the first time after reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne. Sloane Stevens falls five places to eighteenth whilst Venus Williams tumbles to 49th.

Published on SEaT Capital.

Sports Ladder (13th Jan - 19th Jan)

UP - Ronnie O'Sullivan - Not only did Ronnie O'Sullivan claim his fifth Masters title this week, but he did it in such style. Leading 7-1 after the first session against defending champion Mark Selby, O'Sullivan finished him off, eventually winning 10-4. Brutal from Ronnie who only dropped seven frames throughout the entire tournament. Absolutely no pot luck about it.

UP - Australian Open - Where to begin? It's been an eventful week down under. Ridiculous weather ranging from a four day extreme heatwave to freak lightning storms. Seeds have toppled early in Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Juan Martin Del Potro and Caroline Wozniacki. Fedberg is proving to be a dangerous partnership. Oh, and Murray is quietly going about his business. Roll on the second week.

UP - Lizzy Yarnold - Yarnold is one of a number of British hopefuls who will soon be departing to Sochi to take part in the Winter Olympics. Normally we are happy to celebrate just getting one medal but this time there is a genuine chance of a number of medals. Yarnold in the Skeleton, Christie in speed-skating, and both curling teams are notable prospects in amongst a whole host of others.

UP - Hyde - Hyde fans were celebrating their first victory in 30 matches this week as they claimed a 2-0 victory against Welling United. Their last victory came all the way back in April and such a poor run of results has left them eighteen points adrift of safety. With just seven points and one win all season, it seems extremely unlikely that they will avoid the drop but you never know! Stranger things have happened.

UP - Jamaican Bobsleigh Team - This is a story with so much history. After Jamaican qualification to the 1988 Games led to the film Cool Runnings, it looks like Jamaica will be back, qualifying for the first time in 12 years. Courtesy of an issue with the Dutch team not meeting their National qualifying standard, it looks as though the two man team will qualify for Sochi. Then, they just need to raise the money to actually get there. Nothing warms the soul like a Caribbean country competing at the Winter Olympics..

DOWN - Alexis Ruano - I'm still wincing despite reading this story on Friday. Whilst a Messi wondergoal and a Neymar ankle injury stole the headlines, Alexis Ruano certainly came out of that game badly. After what seemed like a routine coming together Ruano was carried off on a stretcher. It was later revealed that the Getafe player suffered 'broken veins' in his testicle leading to it swelling up to an enormous size. I'm squirming just typing this.

DOWN - Jermain Defoe - Jermain Defoe's transfer to MLS side Toronto has been on the cards for months and this week it finally became official. However a combination of an overenthusiastic promotion video and a geographical nightmare has made the transfer a bit of a joke this week. The video [below] is hugely entertaining but it was Defoe stating that he was "happy to be in the USA" which stole the headlines. Who wants to tell Jermain that Toronto is actually in Canada?

DOWN - Rory McIlroy - Poor Rory. Just when he thinks he's back in form he's slapped with an unfortunate but required two stroke penalty meaning he ultimately finished just one shot behind. He claimed a moral victory as he literally hit the fewest shots despite not winning. Nevertheless, it was a strong showing from McIlroy who looked to be back to his best. Perhaps his upcoming marriage has given him a new lease of life?

DOWN - England Cricket - It just won't stop. The English men's cricketing collapse continued this week as they lost the ODI series 3-0 with two matches still to play. The second match was tight but the other two were feeble efforts and Captain Cook really needs to reassess the situation down under. At least the women are showing us how its done, closing in on an Ashes victory to show the men up.

DOWN - Serena Williams - The Queen has been dethroned! Well, technically she wasn't actually the Queen of Melbourne, just the Queen of tennis. Regardless, her loss this morning to Ana Ivanovic was by far the biggest shock of the tournament so far and has blown the women's draw wide open. Azarenka will now be the odds on favourite to claim a consecutive Aussie Open title.