WTA Backspin by Todd Spiker

It's championship eve, do you know where your finalists are?

*SHARAPOVA vs. HALEP head-to-head*
2012 Beijing 1st Rd. (hard - SHARAPOVA 7-5/7-5
2012 Indian Wells 3rd Rd. (hard) - SHARAPOVA 6-3/6-4
2014 Madrid Final (clay) - SHARAPOVA 1-6/6-2/6-3
2014 Roland Garros Final (clay) - ??

To be continued...

=DAY 13 NOTES=
...while there have been eight different women's singles finalists at the last four slams, a fourth straight different major champion will be crowned tomorrow, and if it happens to be Simona Halep the Romanian will become the eight different woman in the last eight years to life the Coupe de Suzanne Lenglen, things couldn't be more opposite on the men's side.

Even while Stan Wawrinka's AO title run shook things up a bit, and the NextGen ATP stars are knocking on the door, the return to the RG final after wins today by Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic maintains the hegemony at the top of the men's game by a very select group of three. Or four. Or even two, of late. Some things are now assured, as after Sunday...

Federer/Nadal/Djokovic will have won 33 of 37 slam titles, and 35 of 40. Throw in Murray and it's 35/37, and 37/40. This is the 37th straight slam in which at least one of the Federer/Nadal/Djokovic trio has appeared. While Djokovic is trying to join Federer and Nadal with a Career Grand Slam, Nadal is trying to match the Open era slam record (Borg at Wimbledon 1976-80, and Federer at Wimbledon 2003-07 and the U.S. Open 2004-08) with a five-peat at Roland Garros. His current four-year run is his second in Paris, as the Spaniard won four straight before his only career loss at RG to Robin Soderling in 2009. The Nadal/Djokovic match-up is already atop the all-time ATP list, as this will be their 42nd meeting. It'll be their 22nd match-up in a final, another record (two more than #2 Federer/Nadal), and their seventh grand slam final clash puts the combination just one behind the all-time record of eight held by... you guessed it, Federer/Nadal once again.

...speaking of holding form, the women's doubles final will pit top-ranked Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, looking for their second slam crown, against #2-seeded Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, the '12 RG champs who are seeking their fifth major title, all having come since 2012. The reigning AO champs, the Italians could get half-way to a true Grand Slam for '14 with the win, making them the only people in any of the women's or men's competitions with such an opportunity at the half-way point of the slam season. The only major crown they've yet to win is Wimbledon.

...#1-seeded Ivana Jorovic defeated #10 Francoise Abanda of Canada in the junior singles semifinals, giving her a chance this weekend to become the first girl representing Serbia to grab a junior slam. Jelena Jankovic won at Wimbledon 2001, but was still representing Yugoslavia at the time. Jorovic will face #8-seed Darya Kasatkina, who defeated Czech Marketa Vondrousova. Kasatkina will try to become the first Russian to win the RG girls title since Nadia Petrova in 1998, and to give the NextGen Hordettes their second straight slam girls title in 2014, after Elizaveta Kulichkova (pictured below on the right, with Kasatkina on the left) won in Melbourne in January.

The last time two different Russian girls won back-to-back junior slams was 2002, when Vera Dushevina took Wimbledon and Maria Kirilenko followed up by winning the U.S. Open. Over the 2006-07 seasons, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova pulled off the feat all by herself, winning in New York and then at the Australian Open the following season.

When girls, Russian and otherwise, were representing the Soviet Union, Elena Granatourova (RG) and Marina Kroshina (WI) accomplished the feat, as did Natasha Chmyreva (WI/US) in '75, and Natalia (later Natasha) Zvereva won THREE in 1987, sweeping the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles. A year later, Zvereva (who was born in Belarus) reached the women's final at Roland Garros, losing to Steffi Graf 6-0/6-0 in maybe the most painful to watch final in grand slam history.

Speaking of Zvereva, who went on to become a Hall of Fame doubles player with Gigi Fernandez, she's been in Paris this week playing the Legends event. Here she is today with Jana Novotna:

...in junior doubles, Vondrousova and CiCi Bellis, the latter of which has managed to salvage a disappointing Roland Garros in singles, reached the final. They'll face off with the all-Swarmette (and all-Iona) pair of Ioana Ducu & Ioana Loredana Rosca.

...meanwhile, the Wheelchair competition has crowned its champions. Top-seeded Yui Kamiji of Japan, the AO runner-up, defeated Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands to claim her first slam singles title. One has to wonder if we might be witnessing the birth of the "new Esther Vergeer," as Kamiji is just 20, and today she also added the RG doubles crown (w/ 21-year old Brit Jordanne Whiley) to the one she won in Melbourne five months ago, also with Whiley.

Shingo Kuneida made it a sweep of the WC singles for Japan, as he won his fifth RG singles title, and sixteenth overall for his career. The 30-year old also won the AO this year.

...and, finally, answering the question, "What do tennis players do between Roland Garros and Wimbledon when they're not playing tennis?," at least if your name is Donna Vekic, you play some cricket with a Serb...

And you head to the television studio to dispense some wisdom...

Not only on tennis, but the upcoming World Cup. Not surprising, Vekic predicts Croatia to defeat host Brazil 2-1 in the opening match next week.

=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS vs. #4 Simona Halep/ROU

=MEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) vs. #2 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA)

=MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#12 Granollers/M.Lopez (ESP/ESP) vs. #11 Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin (FRA/FRA)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
Groenefeld/Rojer (GER/NED) def. #8 Goerges/Zimonjic (GER/SRB) 4-6/6-2 (10-7)

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Ivana Jorovic/SRB vs. #8 Darya Kasatkina/RUS

=BOYS SINGLES FINAL=
#7 Jaume Antoni Munar Clar/ESP vs. #4 Andrey Rublev/RUS

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
#7 CiCi Bellis/Marketa Vondrousova (USA/CZE) Ioana Ducu/Ioana Loredana Rosca (ROU/ROU)

=BOYS DOUBLES FINAL=
Benjamin Bonzi/Quentin Halys (FRA/FRA) vs. Lucas Miedler/Akira Santillan (AUT/AUS)

=WOMEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Aniek Van Koot/NED 7-6(7)/6-4

=MEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Shingo Kunieda/JPN def. #2 Stephane Houdet/FRA 6-4/6-1

=WOMEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR) def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED) 7-6(3) 3-6 (10-8)

=MEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Joachim Gerard/Stephane Houdet (BEL/FRA) def. Gustavo Fernandez/Nicolas Peifer (ARG/FRA) 4-6 6-3 (11-9)

*2014 WTA CONSECUTIVE DOUBLES FINALS*
4...ERRANI/VINCI, May-active (2-1)
3...Peng Shuai, February (3-0)

*ROLAND GARROS GIRLS FINALS - since 1998*
1998 Nadia Petrova/RUS def. Jelena Dokic/AUS
1999 Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP def. Stephanie Foretz/FRA
2000 Virginie Razzano/FRA def. Maria-Emilia Salerni/ARG
2001 Kaia Kanepi/EST def. Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
2002 Angelique Widjaja/INA def. Ashley Harkleroad/USA
2003 Anna-Lena Groenefeld/GER def. Vera Dushevina/RUS
2004 Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL def. Madalina Gojnea/ROU
2005 Agnes Szavay/HUN def. Raluca Olaru/ROU
2006 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
2007 Alize Cornet/FRA def. Mariana Duque-Marino/COL
2008 Simona Halep/ROU def. Elena Bogdan/ROU
2009 Kristina Mladenovic/FRA def. Daria Gavrilova/RUS
2010 Elina Svitolina/UKR def. Ons Jabeur/TUN
2011 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. Monica Puig/PUR
2012 Annika Beck/GER def. Anna Schmiedlova/SVK
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Antonia Lottner/GER
2014 Ivana Jorovic/SRB vs. Darya Kasatkina/RUS

*RG "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2006 Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2007 Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
2008 Anabel Medina-Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP/ESP
2009 Virginia Ruano Pascual, ESP
2010 Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
2011 Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka, CZE/CZE
2012 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2013 Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2014 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, GER

**ALL-TIME RG MATCH WINS -- MEN**
65...RAFAEL NADAL*
61...Roger Federer*
56...Guillermo Vilas
53...Ivan Lendl
51...Andre Agassi
49...Bjorn Borg
--
NOTE: Djokovic (42)

**SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE MEN**
24...Roger Federer, SUI (17-7)
20...RAFAEL NADAL, ESP (13-6)
13...NOVAK DJOKOVIC, SRB (6-6)
7...Andy Murray, GBR (2-5)
4...Lleyton Hewitt, AUS (2-2)

TOP QUALIFIER:Grace Min/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#4 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#18 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: Cagla Buyukakcay/TUR d. Alberta Brianti/ITA 6-3/5-7/10-8
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd: (WC) Taylor Townsend/USA d. #20 Alize Cornet/FRA 6-4/4-6/6-4
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd: #27 Svetlana Kuznetsova d. #5 Petra Kvitova 6-7(3)/6-1/9-7
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Aga Radwanska/POL (def. Sh.Zhang/CHN)
FIRST SEED OUT:#25 Kaia Kanepi/EST (lost 1st Rd. to Niculescu/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:The French
REVELATION LADIES:The Spaniards
NATION OF POOR SOULS:The Chinese (0-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Kiki Bertens/NED (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Pauline Parmentier/FRA (4th Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING:Pauline Parmentier/FRA (4th Rd.)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY:Simona Halep/ROU
IT "Spaniard":Garbine Muguruza/ESP
COMEBACK PLAYER:Andrea Petkovic/GER
CRASH & BURN:#1 Serena Williams/USA (DC, lost 2nd Rd./Muguruza) & #2 Li Na/CHN (lost 1st Rd./Mladenovic - 1st AO champ out early since 2000)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#27 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS (3rd Rd.: Kvitova up 3-1 in 3rd, twice served for match; Kuznetsova wins 9-7)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Kristina Mladenovic/FRA (last player alive in singles, doubles & mixed)
DOUBLES STAR:Anna-Lena Groenefeld/GER
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:Medina-Garrigues lost in second round of qualifying to Smitkova/CZE (ends streak of 41 con. appearances in slam main draws)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominees: D.Kasatkina/RUS, I.Jorovic/SRB

All for Day 13. More tomorrow.

We can't stop the arrival of the future, nor can we rewrite the events of the past. And over the last two weeks in Paris, no one could find a way to stop Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros, either. Not the older, nor the younger. Not one player's destiny, nor the impatience of another to experience ultimate grand slam success, could divert the 27-year old Russian from once again -- for a fifth time -- having the tournament of a lifetime.

Try as she might -- and she did try with all she had at her disposal, managing to come closer to succeeding than any other woman over the past two weeks -- Romania's Simona Halep could not grasp Sharapova by the ankle and pull her back down to earth as she was in the process of once again rising above her opponent, the crowd and the court just as this year's women's singles final reached a critical stage in the deciding set. Lifting her game to a different level at the most crucial moment yet again, Sharapova emerged with a 6-4/6-7(5)/6-4 victory in a three-hour battle against a 22-year old who was appearing in the first major final of her career. After the first three-set RG final in thirteen years, nine-time slam finalist Sharapova offered up the judgment that it was the "toughest grand slam final" in which she's ever played.

No one dared argue with her verdict, either.

At the start of the match, a slam final featuring a Romanian for the first time in thirty-four years, Halep did what many of Sharapova's eventually vanquished challengers have done -- she jumped to an early lead. When a Sharapova shot bounced off the net cord, Halep went up 30/15 on the Russian's serve in the first game of the match. A double-fault wasted a game point, then another handed the Romanian an early break chance. When Sharapova took a swing at a Halep return and shot a backhand long, the first break of the day was attained. A game later, Halep moved Sharapova from side the side, opening up the court, as she has so often at this slam, for a backhand winner up the line to reach game point. A forehand put-away of a sitter put her up 2-0. While the bevy of close supporters in the stands, many sporting red t-shirts that read, "Allez Simona!", already having no doubt, Halep's quick start put to rest any lingering doubts that the Romanian might feel the pressure of her first grand slam final as so many have in the past, leading to disastrous results. She wouldn't, but Sharapova also wasn't going to allow Halep to do to her what she's done to so many others as she's climbed from outside the Top 50 to a Romanian-best ever ranking of #4 in the world over the past year.

Halep's coach, Wim Fissette, had said yesterday of his charge's match prospects, "If she goes backwards in the court, she will have no chance. Maria will kill her." Of course, factored into that equation was what Sharapova chose to do. Determined to not be led around the court like Halep's other foes, or even how Genie Bouchard pushed the Russian wide and then hit controlling shots behind her during the first half of their semifinal two days ago, Sharapova used her forehand to prevent Halep from comfortably directing the rallies, keeping her from creating many of the angles and develop the point construction that makes the Romanian's game so pleasant to watch. In game #4, Sharapova's running shot up the line got her her first break point of the game, then another forehand winner off a ball that had bounced high off the net gave her her fourth. She finally converted it when a Halep shot went wide to bring the match even at 2-2. Sharapova already had nine forehand winners.

It took Sharapova ten minutes to do it but, overcoming a double-fault that had given Halep a break point, the Russian held for 3-2. A game later, after Halep approached a sliced forehand from Sharapova that had landed at the service "T" and sent a shot back at the Russian rather than down the line for a winner, Sharapova lofted a perfectly-placed lob winner over Halep to go up 30/15. What followed was a Halep error and a Sharapova backhand down the line to get the break and her fourth straight game, then her fifth when Halep committed an error on game point that gave Sharapova the hold for a 5-2 advantage.

While Halep was playing well, Sharapova's groundstokes weren't allowing her to move her around the court effectively enough for the in-point aggression that has turned jump-started her career to become a real factor in the rallies. Rather than angled shots that opened the court for Halep winners, it was Sharapova's forehand that was controlling the action. Serving for the set at 5-3, though, it was the Russian's serve that prevented a routine finish. A double-fault gave Halep a 40/15 lead, and then a wide forehand gave her the break for 5-4. It only delayed the inevitable, though, as the Russian's groundstrokes got her into the lead a game later and on her second set point Halep's forehand went wide as Sharapova won 6-4, becoming the first woman to take a set off Halep at this slam.

With no three-set women's finals in Paris since Jennifer Capriati and Kim Clijsters' 12-10 final set clash in 2001, one wondered if history was going to repeat itself. Halep only got 51% of her first serves in during the opening set, and only won 39% of her second serves. Sharapova opened the 2nd set with a love hold, then the pressure of her groundstrokes forced Halep, having already been forced to save two break points in game #2, to go for more on her second serve. She double-faulted to gave Sharapova a third chance. A backhand error put the Russian up 2-0, and for a moment Halep seemed down, as Sharapova's hitting-through strokes, often sent back with topspin, were continuing to prevent the Romanian from doing what she wanted, needed, to do to win. Sharapova's offense had become her best defense against Halep's game, but was she going to go out quietly?

Umm, no.

A game later, Halep grabbed a 30/love lead on Sharapova's serve, then reached break point after her defensive get kept a point alive and Sharapova, as she's often done since her shoulder surgery, chose to let the ball bounce rather than end the rally with an overhead. A high forehand return was promptly hit behind Sharapova for a winner by Halep, who got things back on serve a point later at 2-1. It all seemed to give Halep's confidence a shot in the arm, as she finally began to move Sharapova around the court a game later. She went up 40/love, then held by getting back several bit Sharapova shots until the Russian finally threw in an error that made things 2-2. Sharapova double-faulted three times in the next game, falling down 15/40 at one point, but somehow managed to hold for 3-2, then three games later Halep saved two break points to finish off the fifth straight hold of serve in the set to knot things at 4-4.

As the set went down the stretch, the five holds were immediately followed by four straight breaks of serve to force a tie-break. Halep opened the TB by firing groundstrokes up the middle until Sharapova sprayed a forehand wide. It set the tone for the rest of the TB, as all of the twelve points that were eventually played ended via an error. The server dropped the first four points, as things stood at 2-2. Halep couldn't get back a big Sharapova forehand and the Russian maintained a mini-break at 4-2, then 5-3. But when Sharapova shot her response to a Halep backhand wide, the Romanian got back on serve. Serving down 5-4, Halep held back-to-back points via Sharapova shots that went long, reaching set point at 6-5. A wide Sharapova backhand handed the 7-5 TB to the Romanian, flipping the script on the previous three-setters featuring the Russian at this Roland Garros, as it was she who'd failed to win the big points to end things in two sets, losing the final four points after having been just two points from victory.

While Halep's 8-1 three-set record this season was wonderful, Sharapova's ridiculously strong 19-match three-set win streak on clay has to be one of the scarier stats on tour at the moment. For anyone facing the Russian, that is. After a long break between sets as Sharapova left the court, the Russian opened the 3rd set with a break of serve, but Halep got it back a game later when Sharapova pushed her backhand response to a drop shot wide to put the score at 1-1, with breaks of serve coming in six straight games. Then, after Halep overcame a love/30 deficit to hold with a forehand winner for 2-1, she began to vary the speed of her groundstrokes, smartly taking away some of the pace that Sharapova's own shots feed upon. The Romanian held break points for 3-1, but couldn't secure either of her chances. A game later, Sharapova's great defense gave her a 40/love lead on Halep's serve, then the break put her up 3-2. Sharapova quickly held for 4-2.

In previous matches, this would be "the moment it all changed." But it wasn't here. Not quite, anyway. Though her efforts would prove to be in vain, 2008 RG Girls champ Halep proved she's a cut above most, if not all, of her young contemporaries. Halep held serve, then carved out a break point a game later. Sharapova's double-fault leveled things at 4-4 as the match hit the three-hour mark and the rallies that were absent early on began to drive the action.

But this Roland Garros has been Sharapova's to win ever since Serena Williams was eliminated from her half of the draw early in the first week, and even Halep didn't have enough today to change that. The Russian, as is her wont, took her game up one more level... and her opponent could not follow her there. The Russian took a 40/love lead on the Romanian's serve in game #9, securing the break with a crosscourt backhand winner to lead 5-4 and serve for the title. She went up 30/love there with a swing volley winner, then 40/love when Halep's backhand return went wide. Sharapova served wide on match point, and Halep couldn't keep her return inside the lines.

Moving toward the net on the point, Sharapova saw the ball land out. After having shouted her lungs out all week celebrating her accomplishments, this time she quietly -- almost daintily -- dropped her racket and fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands and burying it in her lap. Though surely most people had, at least on some level, expected to possibly see this moment on the final weekend of this Roland Garros, Sharapova obviously wasn't one of them.

But that's what makes Sharapova such a great champion, isn't it? She takes nothing for granted. She didn't when she won her first slam crown as a 17-year old at Wimbledon nearly ten years. She didn't today when she became the first Russian player -- male or female -- to win the same slam more than once. And if reaches this same moment again in the future, she won't then, either.

Of course, being who she is, quiet will never do. After shaking Halep's hand, the still-wound-up Sharapova fell to her knees a second time, this time with her racket in hand... and she celebrated in far less quiet manner.

While disappointed, Halep took the loss in stride, obviously not wanted to put a dent in the confident mindset that has accompanied her climb up the WTA ladder. It's been thirty-six years since a Romanian woman (Virginia Ruzici, Halep's manager, in Paris in '78) won a major title, but it's easy to see a near future where Halep will get another opportunity to end the drought. With a 13-3 record in her last three slams, her career arrow seems to be only just starting to point upward.

Sharapova, after so many people -- few of them REALLY paying attention -- have openly wondered why someone with so much going on in her lucrative off-court life would choose to put herself through so much training in order to continue to play tennis, did her level best at this tournament to prove precisely why she does so. The best competitor in the world of tennis loves the sport. And she loves to win. Everything that goes into making that happen as often as possible is just part of the process.

Left by her injured and/or upset generational contemporaries to block the door being charged by the army of NextGen would-be-stars looking to make a name for themselves, Sharapova personally eliminated twentysomethings Garbine Muguruza, Bouchard and Halep -- all in three-setters -- in her final three matches at this slam. She might have taught them all a few things about what it'll take to become a real champion one day, too. Not to mention to still be able to call themselves that a full decade later.

It's been quite a career that Sharapova has put together. And, really, it's a testament to her -- both the teenage and current versions -- that she's been able to do it. She's always seemed different from the rest, equally capable of being both a superstar AND a champion. All these years after everyone first saw such traits in her, she's been all that and, as she's often shown, quite a bit more, too.

=DAY 14 NOTES=
...the junior champions have been crowned.

Darya Kasatkina, 17, took the three-set girls final over top-seeded Serb Ivana Jorovic, 6-7(5)/6-2/6-3. The Hordette becomes the first Russian to win the RG junior title (Russia's Andrey Rublev joined her in the winner's circle, by the way, winning the boys crown) since Nadia Petrova in 1998. Kasatkina is the second Hordette to lift a slam trophy this year, after Elizaveta Kulichkova won in Melbourne. Both used their winning occasions to end their junior careers on an extremely high note. The last time two different Russian girls won back-to-back slam titles was 2002.

While Halep lost in the women's singles final, a pair of Swarmettes did take the junior doubles. The Ioanas -- Ducu and Loredana Rosca -- defeated CiCi Bellis & Marketa Vondrousova in an 11-9 match tie-break. Other all-Swarmette junior slam title-winning teams have included Ruxandra Dragomir & Irina Spirlea at Roland Garros in 1990, and Mihaela Buzarnescu & Raluca Olaru at the U.S. Open in 2006.

...meanwhile, some familiar faces won the Legends competition:

...elsewhere, the grass season has already begun. Qualifying is underway in Birmingham, and Kristyna Pliskova just won a challenger event in Nottingham. And here we go.

..."YOU'RE KILLING ME, MARY. KILLIN' ME." FROM DAY 14:

-- during NBC's coverage, without mentioning any names when highlighting Halep's strong play in the final set, Mary Carillo essentially called Gael Monfils a "chowder head" for his usual "I'll-get-out-your-way-now" exit from the men's draw. Have no fear, though, commentator/sleuth Ted Robinson figured out her intentions and said his name out loud. Carillo didn't correct him.

...and, finally...

No, not that. This.

I'll be foregoing Backspin tradition and not posting a stand-alone "Clay Court Awards" this week, and will instead tread into unchartered waters and combine the clay/Fed Cup/grass seasons into one 2nd Quarter BSA report following Wimbledon. In its replacement, I'll post a quick update of the updated "Ms. Backspin" rankings.

It should be interesting. As of right now, I'm not sure there's a "clear-cut" Player of the Year five months into the season, and there's at least three -- and maybe four, or more if you consider doubles and Fed Cup team candidates -- who could put on a back-half of 2014 rush and grade out as the top player(s) of the season. Remember, at this point three seasons ago, no one was thinking they'd be touting Petra Kvitova as the tour Player of the Year that she ultimately became for 2011.

=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. #4 Simona Halep/ROU 6-4/6-7(5)/6-4

=MEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP vs. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) vs. #2 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA)

=MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#11 Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin (FRA/FRA) def. #12 Granollers/M.Lopez (ESP/ESP) 6-3/7-6(1)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
Groenefeld/Rojer (GER/NED) def. #8 Goerges/Zimonjic (GER/SRB) 4-6/6-2 (10-7)

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#8 Darya Kasatkina/RUS def. #1 Ivana Jorovic/SRB 6-7(5)/6-2/6-3

=BOYS SINGLES FINAL=
#4 Andrey Rublev/RUS def. #7 Jaume Antoni Munar Clar/ESP 6-2/7-5

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
Ioana Ducu/Ioana Loredana Rosca (ROU/ROU) def. #7 CiCi Bellis/Marketa Vondrousova (USA/CZE) 6-1/5-7 (11-9)

=BOYS DOUBLES FINAL=
Benjamin Bonzi/Quentin Halys (FRA/FRA) def. Lucas Miedler/Akira Santillan (AUT/AUS) 6-3/6-3

=WOMEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Aniek Van Koot/NED 7-6(7)/6-4

=MEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Shingo Kunieda/JPN def. #2 Stephane Houdet/FRA 6-4/6-1

=WOMEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR) def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED) 7-6(3) 3-6 (10-8)

=MEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Joachim Gerard/Stephane Houdet (BEL/FRA) def. Gustavo Fernandez/Nicolas Peifer (ARG/FRA) 4-6 6-3 (11-9)

*CAREER SLAM SINGLES TITLES - ACTIVE*
17...Serena Williams, USA
7...Venus Williams, USA
5...MARIA SHARAPOVA, RUS
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2...Li Na, CHN

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
21...Serena Williams (17-4)
14...Venus Williams (7-7)
9...MARIA SHARAPOVA (5-4)
4...Svetlana Kuznetsova (2-2)
4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4...Li Na (2-2)
3...Ana Ivanovic (1-2)

*CAREER SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE*
32 - Serena Williams (17-13-2)
22 - Venus Williams (7-13-2)
11 - Lisa Raymond (0-6-5)
10 - Cara Black (0-5-5)
7 - Liezel Huber (0-5-2)
6 - Katarina Srebotnik (0-1-5)
5 - MARIA SHARAPOVA (5-0-0)
5 - Samantha Stosur (1-2-2)
--
NOTE: doubles finalists Errani & Vinci both have 4

*SLAM FINALS IN THE 2010's - 2010-14*
7...Serena Williams (6-1)
5...MARIA SHARAPOVA (2-3)
4...Victoria Azarenka (2-2)
4...Li Na (2-2)
2...Kim Clijsters (2-0)
2...Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
2...Samantha Stosur (1-1)
2...Vera Zvonareva (0-2)
1...Marion Bartoli (1-0)
1...Sara Errani (0-1)
1...Petra Kvitova (1-0)
1...Dominika Cibulkova (0-1)
1...SIMONA HALEP (0-1)
1...Justine Henin (0-1)
1...Sabine Lisicki (0-1)
1...Aga Radwanska (0-1)

*CAREER CLAY COURT TITLES- ACTIVE*
11 - Serena Williams
10 - MARIA SHARAPOVA
10 - Anabel Medina-Garrigues

*ROLAND GARROS GIRLS FINALS - since 1998*
1998 Nadia Petrova/RUS def. Jelena Dokic/AUS
1999 Lourdes Dominguez-Lino/ESP def. Stephanie Foretz/FRA
2000 Virginie Razzano/FRA def. Maria-Emilia Salerni/ARG
2001 Kaia Kanepi/EST def. Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
2002 Angelique Widjaja/INA def. Ashley Harkleroad/USA
2003 Anna-Lena Groenefeld/GER def. Vera Dushevina/RUS
2004 Sesil Karatantcheva/BUL def. Madalina Gojnea/ROU
2005 Agnes Szavay/HUN def. Raluca Olaru/ROU
2006 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
2007 Alize Cornet/FRA def. Mariana Duque-Marino/COL
2008 Simona Halep/ROU def. Elena Bogdan/ROU
2009 Kristina Mladenovic/FRA def. Daria Gavrilova/RUS
2010 Elina Svitolina/UKR def. Ons Jabeur/TUN
2011 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. Monica Puig/PUR
2012 Annika Beck/GER def. Anna Schmiedlova/SVK
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Antonia Lottner/GER
2014 Darya Kasatkina/RUS def. Ivana Jorovic/SRB

*RG "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2007 Mariana Duque-Marino, COL
2008 Simona Halep, ROU & Elena Bogdan, ROU
2009 Daria Gavrilova, RUS
2010 Elina Svitolina, UKR
2011 Monica Puig, PUR
2012 Anna Schmiedlova, SVK
2013 Belinda Bencic, SUI
2014 Darya Kasatkina, RUS

**RECENT GIRLS SLAM CHAMPIONS**
[2010]
AO: Karolina Pliskova, CZE
RG: Elina Svitolina, UKR
WI: Kristyna Pliskova, CZE
US: Daria Gavrilova, RUS
[2011]
AO: An-Sophie Mestach, BEL
RG: Ons Jabeur, TUN
WI: Ashleigh Barty, AUS
AO: Grace Min, USA
[2012]
AO: Taylor Townsend, USA
RG: Annika Beck, GER
WI: Eugenie Bouchard, CAN
US: Samantha Crawford, USA
[2013]
AO: Ana Konjuh, CRO
RG: Belinda Bencic, SUI
WI: Belinda Bencic, SUI
US: Ana Konjuh, CRO
[2014]
AO: Elizaveta Kulichkova, RUS
RG: Darya Kasatkina, RUS

**SOVIET/RUSSIAN JUNIOR SLAM WINNERS*
[USSR]
1965 Wimbledon - Olga Morozova
1971 Roland Garros - Elena Granatourova
1971 Wimbledon - Marina Kroshina
1975 Wimbledon - Natasha Chmyreva
1975 US Open - Natasha Chmyreva
1976 Wimbledon - Natasha Chmyreva
1986 Wimbledon - Natalia Zvereva
1987 Roland Garros - Natalia Zvereva
1987 Wimbledon - Natalia Zvereva
1987 US Open - Natalia Zvereva
[Russia]
1998 Roland Garros - Nadia Petrova
1999 Wimbledon - Lina Krasnoroutskaya
2002 Wimbledon - Vera Dushevina
2002 US Open - Maria Kirilenko
2006 Australian Open - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2006 US Open - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2007 Australian Open - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2009 Australian Open - Ksenia Pervak
2010 US Open - Daria Gavrilova
2014 Australian Open - Elizaveta Kulichkova
2014 Roland Garros - Darya Kasatkina

*RECENT RG CHAMPIONS*
[Women's Singles]
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2009 Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2011 Li Na, CHN
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Maria Sharapova, RUS
[Men's Doubles]
2003 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
2004 Xavier Malisse & Olivier Rochus
2005 Jonas Bjorkman & Max Mirnyi
2006 Jonas Bjorkman & Max Mirnyi
2007 Mark Knowles & Daniel Nestor
2008 Pablo Cuevas & Luis Horna
2009 Lukas Dlouhy & Leander Paes
2010 Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic
2011 Max Mirnyi & Daniel Nestor
2012 Max Mirnyi & Daniel Nestor
2013 Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan
2014 Julien Benneteau & Edouard Roger-Vasselin
[Girl's Doubles]
1999 Flavia Pennetta & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2000 Maria Jose Martinez (Sanchez) & Anabel Medina (Garrigues), ESP/ESP
2001 Petra Cetkovska & Renata Voracova, CZE/CZE
2002 Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Barbora Strycova, GER/CZE
2003 Marta Fraga & Adriana Gonzales, ESP/ESP
2004 Katerina Bohmova & Michaella Krajicek, CZE/NED
2005 Victoria Azarenka & Agnes Szavay, BLR/HUN
2006 Sharon Fichman & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, CAN/RUS
2007 Ksenia Milevskaya & Urszula Radwanska, BLR/POL
2008 Polona Hercog & Jessica Moore, SLO/AUS
2009 Elena Bogdan & Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, ROU/THA
2010 Timea Babos & Sloane Stephens, HUN/USA
2011 Irina Khromacheva & Maryna Zanevska, RUS/UKR
2012 Daria Gavrilova & Irina Khromacheva, RUS/RUS
2013 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Ioana Ducu & Ioana Loredana Rosca, ROU/ROU

*RUSSIANS IN SLAM FINALS*
1974 Wimbledon - Chris Evert def. OLGA MOROZOVA
1974 US Open - Chris Evert def. OLGA MOROZOVA
1988 Roland Garros - Steffi Graf def. NATALIA ZVEREVA
2004 Roland Garros - ANASTASIA MYSKINA def. ELENA DEMENTIEVA
2004 Wimbledon - MARIA SHARAPOVA def. Serena Williams
2004 US Open - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA def. ELENA DEMENTIEVA
2006 Roland Garros - Justine Henin-Hardenne def. SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
2006 US Open - MARIA SHARAPOVA def. Justine Henin-Hardenne
2007 Australian Open - Serena Williams def. MARIA SHARAPOVA
2007 US Open - Justine Henin def. SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA
2008 Australian Open - MARIA SHARAPOVA def. Ana Ivanovic
2008 Roland Garros - Ana Ivanovic def. DINARA SAFINA
2009 Australian Open - Serena Williams def. DINARA SAFINA
2009 Roland Garros - SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA def. DINARA SAFINA
2010 Wimbledon - Serena Williams def. VERA ZVONAREVA
2010 US Open - Kim Clijsters def. VERA ZVONAREVA
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova def. MARIA SHARAPOVA
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka def. MARIA SHARAPOVA
2012 Roland Garros - MARIA SHARAPOVA def. Sara Errani
2013 Roland Garros - Serena Williams def. MARIA SHARAPOVA
2014 Roland Garros - MARIA SHARAPOVA def. Simona Halep

TOP QUALIFIER:Grace Min/USA
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#4 Simona Halep/ROU
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#18 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F):#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q2: Cagla Buyukakcay/TUR d. Alberta Brianti/ITA 6-3/5-7/10-8
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):2nd Rd: (WC) Taylor Townsend/USA d. #20 Alize Cornet/FRA 6-4/4-6/6-4
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):3rd Rd: #27 Svetlana Kuznetsova d. #5 Petra Kvitova 6-7(3)/6-1/9-7
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.):Final: #7 Maria Sharapova/RUS d. #4 Simona Halep/ROU 6-4/6-7(5)/6-4
=============================
FIRST VICTORY:Aga Radwanska/POL (def. Sh.Zhang/CHN)
FIRST SEED OUT:#25 Kaia Kanepi/EST (lost 1st Rd. to Niculescu/ROU)
UPSET QUEENS:The French
REVELATION LADIES:The Spaniards
NATION OF POOR SOULS:The Chinese (0-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Kiki Bertens/NED (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Pauline Parmentier/FRA (4th Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING:Pauline Parmentier/FRA (4th Rd.)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY:Simona Halep/ROU
IT "Spaniard":Garbine Muguruza/ESP
COMEBACK PLAYER:Andrea Petkovic/GER
CRASH & BURN:#1 Serena Williams/USA (DC, lost 2nd Rd./Muguruza) & #2 Li Na/CHN (lost 1st Rd./Mladenovic - 1st AO champ out early since 2000)
ZOMBIE QUEEN:#27 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS (3rd Rd.: Kvitova up 3-1 in 3rd, twice served for match; Kuznetsova wins 9-7)
JOIE DE VIVRE:Kristina Mladenovic/FRA (last player alive in singles, doubles & mixed)
DOUBLES STAR:Anna-Lena Groenefeld/GER
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:Medina-Garrigues lost in second round of qualifying to Smitkova/CZE (ends streak of 41 con. appearances in slam main draws)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT:Darya Kasatkina/RUS

All for Day 14. More tomorrow.

It might not be too long before Rafa Nadal isn't looking up at anyone. At all.

There were no "Game of Thrones" swords, battle axes or giants crushing a man's skull with his bare hands in the Roland Garros men's final, but there was enough to make George R.R. Martin, if not proud, at least nodding his head in approval.

I mean, we had Novak Djokovic's vomiting and looking ill down the stretch, but also seemingly within a few points of turning around the match in the 4th set. The Serb was in search of not only a return to the #1 ranking, but also an elusive Career Grand Slam. For a fleeting moment, it looked as if it might happen, too, as Nadal either blinked and felt the moment, as he admitted, or was slowed down by a twinge in his ailing back, which he didn't admit (even if not admitting an injury might qualify as a first for the Spaniard) as he continued down his path toward not-so-quietly building a Greatest of All-Time case for himself with his fourteenth career grand slam victory today. The win ties Nadal with Pete Sampras on the career ATP list, and he's just sixty-seven days older than all-time leader (w/ 17) Roger Federer was when he won his own #14 major title in Paris in 2009.

You remember THAT Roland Garros. It was the ONE that Nadal hasn't won over the last decade, courtesy of an upset at the hands of Swede Robin Soderling (who, by the way, currently seems to be considering messing with his "legacy" by whispering of a possible comeback from his three-year absence following a severe bout with mono). I'm just sayin'... it's a little eerie. In a way.

What was also eerie about today's Roland Garros men's final was how history threatened to change on the slightest twists and turns. In the 1st set, Djokovic came out playing well in his third match-up against Nadal in their past three trips to Paris, looking to finally get his first RG win over the Spaniard after putting up a 4-2 record against him on clay in their last six non-RG match-ups on the surface. The Serb's inside-out forehand winner gave him a chance to serve out the opening set. After saving a break point, an opposite court forehand forced a Nadal long error and the set was his at 6-3. In the 2nd, Djokovic threatened to go up two sets to none, staying on serve mid-way through. But after failing to secure a game point, he was broken by Nadal to fall behind 4-2. He got the break back a game later, only to get broken in the final game of the set to lose it 7-5.

By the time the 4th set was half-way finished, a less-than-100% Djokovic had experienced stomach upset in the oppressive heat, not helped by the grinding nature of any match-up with Nadal, and seemed to be THIS CLOSE to giving in to the inevitable: Nadal winning a fifth straight RG crown, and his ninth title there in his career. In the sixth game of the set, the Serb seemed in control of his service game, only to see it crumble in the matter of a minute or two around his ankles. Nadal got the break to go up 4-2, and it seemed smart for the crowd to make dinner reservations for the night in Paris.

But then Nadal flinched, whether it was because of the moment or his back, it doesn't really matter. What did matter was that a double-fault put him down 15/30. Rafa grimaced and gritted his teeth. After badly missing an overhead from the backcourt, he seemed to hunch over in some pain. Djojkovic got the break to get to 4-3, and suddenly the Serb's history of reaching into the jaws of defeat and pulling out a victory were resurrected. If Nadal lost the set, what would he have left for the 5th? What would Djokovic, who'd already (literally) left part of himself all over the terre battue. The rest of the set was a dirty, grimy affair filled with dread and the threat of violence, or at least as close to it as we get on the tennis court when two straight-up monster competitors dig in and battle each other in another of their not-graceful-but-always-crazy-intense matches.

With the Spaniard seemingly on the edge of a potential disaster, Djokovic got to deuce on Nadal's serve. After one point, Nadal's foot slipped out from under him and he nearly hyper-extended his knee. Meanwhile, Djokovic, like a caged tiger, waited to return serve. But Nadal found his game again, pulling things together to hold for 5-4 as the match clock ticked to 3:30. Seeing the finish line, Rafa got a second wind.

Djokovic went up 30/love on serve, but Nadal's backhand passing shot -- off his back foot while positioned behind the baseline -- got things even at 30-all. As Nadal's feet, nestled in special shoes with "8" on the heel, restlessly looked for a chance to explode toward a ball, it was apparent that Rafa was suddenly "right" again. Djokovic knew it, too. Normally, that'd be a challenge he'd savor... but, in his current condition, he didn't seem to relish the notion quite as much today. His moment to turn history's path in his direction was gone, having flown away almost as quickly as it'd suddenly appeared a few games earlier. A long Djokovic shot gave Nadal a match point, then an anticlimactic double-fault ended the 3-6/7-5/6-2/6-4 match.

Nadal's win makes him the first man in the Open era to win Roland Garros five straight times, tying the men's slam record jointly held by trophy presenter Bjorn Borg (at Wimbledon) and Roger Federer (Wimbledon/U.S.). A year from now, Rafa could rise to a level never seen before with a tenth title at a single slam, a record sixth straight championship in Paris and the extension of his match winning streak in Paris to a new men's record. His 35-match RG run is six behind Borg's SW19 stretch from 1976-81.

When it was over, all that was left was "the bite," something that's become a Rafa tradition in Paris. So much so that one wonders when it'll end. If ever.

Remember, Pat Cash's climb into the Centre Court Player's Box at Wimbledon changed the way that grand slam wins are celebrated back in 1987. It's become the Aussie's lasting legacy, even if some may not even realize that he began what has become a post-final "given" in the twenty-seven years that have followed. I guess we'll know if someone else ever wins this title... will he bite the handle of the Coupe des Mousquetaires?

Of course, someone not named Nadal would have to win at Roland Garros for that moment to arrive. And we still might have to wait a while for that to happen.

**Through Week 23, with 1Q POY ranking in parenthesis**
1. Maria Sharapova, RUS (HM)
...her 19-1 clay mark is front of mind, accounting for her big climb, and so is Li's lackluster clay season. So the Russian is tentatively in the lead heading into the summer. She's tied with Serena for the most titles (3) in 2014, but hasn't won four in a single season since 2006.
=============================
2. Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN (2)
...the #1-ranked doubles team, and the reigning champs at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Tour Championships. Their additional wins on hard court in Doha and Indian Wells tie the pair with Errani/Vinci for the most on tour in '14.
=============================
3. Li Na, CHN (1)
...Miami final aside, Li has sagged a bit since winning in Melbourne, but she's still #2 in the world. One wonders if another "mid-season boot camp" will soon get her ready to be fresh for the 4Q again this year.
=============================
4. Serena Williams, USA (3)
...she has three titles, but her season has been a disappointment. She may rebound in London, but maybe that won't come until NYC. Did anyone think in January that it could be possible for Serena to win no slams in 2014? Since the start of the 2001 season, excluding this year, she's only had three seasons (2004, '06 &'11) in which she didn't win a major title, and just one (2006) when she didn't reach a slam final. She's got zip of both half-way through this season.
=============================
5. Simona Halep, ROU (5)
...still moving in an upward direction, she's now the world #3. That she's only won one title so far in '14 is keeping her from climbing up this list right now, but finals in Madrid and Paris will surely help lift her come the year-end rankings.
=============================
6. Czech and German Fed Cup Teams (6/9)
...they'll battle it out come the fall for a title. It's become "old hat" for the Czechs, but it'll be an entirely new experience for this generation of Germans.
=============================
7. Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA (HM)
...they came a RG final win away today from being half-way to a Grand Slam. Still, they're tied for the season lead in titles (3) and are currently on a four-event final streak.
=============================
8. Eugenie Bouchard, CAN (13)
...hmmm, I hear that Genie, after reaching slam SF on hard court and clay, is saying that grass is her favorite surface. Well, she did win the SW19 girls title in 2012 and reached the 3rd Round at Wimbledon last year. I've been thinking of changing things up and making a "Serena Draw" pick for Wimbledon, as well as a "Non-Serena Draw" one. On the ten-year anniversary of Sharapova's breakout run to the title (I DID pick her to reach the final that Wimbledon), would I be tempting fate to go with the Canadian to get that far this time around? Maybe even facing a certain Pole looking for redemption in the final? Just some ideas two weeks out. Commence the Curse talk. Haha!
=============================
9. Andrea Petkovic, GER (-)
...a Charleston championship run, two great Fed Cup ties and now a Roland Garros semi? Let's hope nothing derails the Petko train.
=============================
10. Ana Ivanovic, SRB (15)
...she's got two titles and an AO win over Serena, but she's still looking for that "moment" that will officially carry her to the next level of achievement for 2014.
=============================
11. Dominika Cibulkova, SVK (4)
...the AO runner-up result is already getting more and more difficult to see in the rear-view mirror. She needs another "moment."
=============================
12. Flavia Pennetta, ITA (7)
...Indian Wells was great, but she hasn't advanced past the QF in any other event this season and didn't play Fed Cup.
=============================
13. Alize Cornet, FRA & Caroline Garcia, FRA (HM/-)
...they've been rising and falling together, winning titles in the same week, then leading the French Fed Cup team together. Their clay court seasons were equally disappointing, too, unfortunately. They should rebound, though.
=============================
14. Garbine Muguruza, ESP & Klara Koukalova, CZE (HM/8)
...Muguruza has reached two finals and won her first title, as well as made the AO 4th Round and RG QF (def. Serena along the way). Koukalova has reached three finals, winning one. She's got two doubles titles, too. I put them together because they're the only two women who've met in TWO singles finals in 2014, splitting Hobart and Florianopolis.
=============================
15. Yui Kamiji, JPN (-)
...why not? The just-turned-20 #1 wheelchair player in the world has grabbed three of the four slam singles/doubles titles contested so far in 2014, and was the RU in the AO women's singles. If she can claim half of the Wimbledon WC doubles (they don't play the singles competition on the lawns), I'm thinking Kamiji is going to find a way into Backspin's Wimbledon Awards list next month, too.
=============================

=DAY 15 NOTES=

...before the men's final, the women's doubles champions were decided as top-seeded Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai defeated #2 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci 6-4/6-1 to add a RG title to the slam crown they won at Wimbledon a year ago, previously the biggest prize in the longtime friends' points cache that pushed them both (at least briefly, in Hsieh's case) into the #1 doubles ranking.

...in Week 23's ITF action, Alexandra Dulgheru defeated Johanna Larsson in the latest $100K challenger event, this one on the clay in Marseille. It's the Swarmette's third career $100K title. Of some note, Bannerette Allie Kiick advanced to the semifinals in the event.

On the grass in Notthingham, Kristyna Pliskova knocked off Zarina Diyas. The $75K title is her fifth ITF singles win, and the biggest so far of the Czech's career. Her twin sister Karolina, of course, has ten ITF titles and a WTA tour-level event trophy from Kuala Lumpur, too.

...STORY ON DAY 15 THAT REALLY SHOULDN'T BE AS BIG A STORY AS IT IS... not in 2014:

-- Andy Murray officially named Amelie Mauresmo as his coach, at least for the upcoming grass court season.

...WHY THE BEST TROPHY PHOTOS ALWAYS COME AFTER THE ROLAND GARROS FINAL:

...and, finally...

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND (Premier $710K/grass outdoor)
13 Final: Hantuchova d. Vekic
13 Doubles Final: Barty/Dellacqua d. Black/Erakovic
14 Top Seeds: Ivanovic/Stosur
=============================
=QF=
#1 Ivanovic d. Ka.Pliskova
#8 Rybarikova d. #15 Riske
#11 Keys d. #4 Flipkens
Vekic d. #2 Stosur
=SF=
#8 Rybarikova d. #1 Ivanovic
#11 Keys d. Vekic
=FINAL=
#11 Keys d. #8 Rybarikova

...in a bit of bad-drawing, last year's finalists could meet in the 2nd Round this year. That is, if Vekic can get past Belinda Bencic in the 1st Round. Something to watch: qualifier -- and grass court loving -- Tamira Paszek lurks, but might have to go through both Caroline Garcia and AnaIvo just to reach the QF. Rybarikova lost to Keys in last year's Birmingham QF, but the Bannerette has improved greatly since then (she pushed Aga greatly at SW19 in '13, too).

Taking something of a flier by going with Keys making her name the latest added to the "21-and-under first-time champions" list that still includes no one named Sloane (who's in this draw, by the way), but maybe the change in surfaces will produce a better result for this picks section. A Backspinner can hope, right? Well, at least I picked Nadal to defeat Djokovic in the RG men's final, and Halep to be the women's runner-up. So that's something.

(Grasping at invisible straws.)

=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#7 Maria Sharapova/RUS def. #4 Simona Halep/ROU 6-4/6-7(5)/6-4

=MEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP def. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB 3-6/7-5/6-2/6-4

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) def. #2 Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) 6-4/6-1

=MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#11 Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin (FRA/FRA) def. #12 Granollers/M.Lopez (ESP/ESP) 6-3/7-6(1)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
Groenefeld/Rojer (GER/NED) def. #8 Goerges/Zimonjic (GER/SRB) 4-6/6-2 (10-7)

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#8 Darya Kasatkina/RUS def. #1 Ivana Jorovic/SRB 6-7(5)/6-2/6-3

=BOYS SINGLES FINAL=
#4 Andrey Rublev/RUS def. #7 Jaume Antoni Munar Clar/ESP 6-2/7-5

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
Ioana Ducu/Ioana Loredana Rosca (ROU/ROU) def. #7 CiCi Bellis/Marketa Vondrousova (USA/CZE) 6-1/5-7 (11-9)

=BOYS DOUBLES FINAL=
Benjamin Bonzi/Quentin Halys (FRA/FRA) def. Lucas Miedler/Akira Santillan (AUT/AUS) 6-3/6-3

=WOMEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN def. Aniek Van Koot/NED 7-6(7)/6-4

=MEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Shingo Kunieda/JPN def. #2 Stephane Houdet/FRA 6-4/6-1

=WOMEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR) def. #1 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED) 7-6(3) 3-6 (10-8)

=MEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Joachim Gerard/Stephane Houdet (BEL/FRA) def. Gustavo Fernandez/Nicolas Peifer (ARG/FRA) 4-6 6-3 (11-9)

*RECENT RG CHAMPIONS*
[Men's Singles]
2005 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2006 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2007 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2008 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2009 Roger Federer, SUI
2010 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2011 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2012 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2013 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2014 Rafael Nadal, ESP
[Women's Doubles]
2006 Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur
2007 Alicia Molik & Mara Santangelo
2008 Anabel Medina-Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual
2009 Anabel Medina-Garrigues & Virginia Ruano Pascual
2010 Serena Williams & Venus Williams
2011 Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka
2012 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci
2013 Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina
2014 Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN

*CAREER SLAM TITLES - MEN*
17...Roger Federer, SUI *
14...RAFAEL NADAL, ESP *
14...Pete Sampras, USA
12...Roy Emerson, USA
11...Bjorn Borg, SWE
11...Rod Laver, AUS

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - MEN*
24...Roger Federer (17-7) *
20...RAFAEL NADAL (14-6) *
19...Ivan Lendl (8-11)
18...Pete Sampras (14-4)
17...Rod Laver (11-6)
16...Bjorn Borg (11-5)
16...Ken Rosewall (8-8)

*CONSECUTIVE MATCHES WON AT A SLAM - MEN*
41...Bjorn Borg, Wimbledon 1976-81
40...Roger Federer, Wimbledon 2003-08
40...Roger Federer, US Open 2004-09
35...RAFAEL NADAL, Roland Garros 2010-14
31...Pete Sampras, Wimbledon 1993-96
31...Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros 2005-09

*TOTAL SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE MEN*
22...Bob Bryan, USA
18...Mike Bryan, USA
17...Roger Federer, SUI
14...RAFAEL NADAL, ESP
14...Leander Paes, IND
12...Mahesh Bhupathi, IND
12...Daniel Nestor, CAN

*CAREER ATP SINGLES TITLES*
109...Jimmy Connors
94...Ivan Lendl
78...Roger Federer *
77...John McEnroe
64...RAFAEL NADAL *
64...Bjorn Borg
64...Pete Sampras
62...Guillermo Vilas
60...Andre Agassi

All for now.

Before she was "Exquisite in the City." Before she ruled the day Down Under. Before she was the toast of Paris. Not once, but twice. Maria Sharapova was a teenage Supernovic star who forcefully took her place on the WTA stage on a patch of Centre Court grass at Wimbledon.

Ah, remember when.

All for now.

[The Season of the Hordettes, Pt.II]

If Anastasia Myskina's title run in Paris in June of 2004 was a tremor, then Maria Sharapova's win at Wimbledon was an earthquake that cracked the mantle of the earth and broke the tennis world into two distinct pieces: the Russians and the rest of the WTA.

Unlike with Myskina, though, we saw Sharapova coming. She arrived on the tennis scene as an immediate dual threat, both on and off court. She was a winner out of the gate, taking two singles titles and being named WTA "Newcomer of the Year" as a 16-year old in her first full season on tour in '03, while she additionally carried with her the promise of a Nike marketing campaign just waiting to happen. Sharapova was already a hot commodity with "star" written all over her before she, as I called it then, "went Supernova" at the All-England Club in the summer of '04. On the heels of the phenomenon that was the career of another blonde Russian, Anna Kournikova, Sharapova was seen as the "total package." Her looks could sell anything, but she also had the enticing ability to do what Kournikova never did -- become a true champion.

In 2003, Sharapova was already a photographic favorite

Maria was Kournikova 2.0 ...it was just a matter of when it was going to become official.

And then it did.

July 6, 2004 - "The Passion of the Supernova"

Maria Sharapova is a liar. Ever after she'd raised Wimbledon's championship plate above her head as the tournament's third youngest singles titlist, she still expressed disbelief about what had happened to her over the previous two weeks at the All-England Club. Don't believe it for a second... she's been preparing for the moment her entire life. In the end, the only thing that didn't work perfectly was her dad's mobile phone.

If the breakthrough Act I of the Russian Tennis Revolution in Paris was necessary, then Act II in England was simply cosmic.

su*per*no*va - n. - "a rare celestial phenomenon in which a star explodes, resulting in an extremely bright object."

In her 6-1/6-4 victory over two-time defending Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, the transcript of the 17-year old Sharapova's game day tactics was most assuredly not for the faint of heart -- it read that her goal was to essentially exchange hay-makers in the center of the proverbial ring with a heavyweight champ with knockout power... and hope to succeed in the face of her surely star-crossed fate. But the Siberian-born usurper of the Williams family's SW19 power base pulled off what would have seemed impossible even to those of us not surprised to see her game rise to so high a level over the English fortnight. Sharapova routinely dictated points, often backing Williams into an uncharacteristic corner (or at least plastering her to the baseline, when she wasn't racing to her left or right to chase down another potentially lethal winner that so recently had come flying off the Supernova's Prince racket). Judging by her actions, you might have sworn the teenager thought a Wimbledon title was her birthright. Well, maybe it was.

Down 2-4 in the second set, and with everyone expecting Serena to turn up her intensity as she had in the tight semifinal battle with Amelie Mauresmo two days earlier, Sharapova didn't accept the seeming reality that she'd have to play an additional set of tennis on a glorious Saturday afternoon. Instead, she broke Williams' serve and held her own. Then, she broke the American once again to take a 5-4 lead as Williams slipped at the baseline and watched her advantage fully transform into a deficit that she wasn't going to be able to turn back in her favor. Maybe I was seeing things, but I don't think so -- someone will have to do some convincing to get me to believe that that wasn't an invisible gremlin's hand I sensed reaching up from the earth to make sure everything went as planned.

It was a fitting bit of irony that the two biggest female stars at this year's Wimbledon were Sharapova and Martina Navratilova. At age 6, Sharapova made her "debut" by hitting balls at an exhibition with Navratilova, then a sprightly gal of a mere 36 years of age. The would-be Supernova was literally dancing in the shadow of a legend. Eleven years later, Martina was the headliner at the beginning of play, gaining the first victory of the women's draw. By the end, though, it was Yuri's one-time little girl who was casting her own shadow on the entire sport by gaining the last.

Oddly, some seemed to view what happened on Centre Court as a stunning shock that has somehow blindsided women's tennis, as if Sharapova's immense display of talent came without the required forewarning. Not Backspin. After about a year and a half of columns that have chronicled the wait for the inevitable to occur, it was more of a relief than a revelation when "The Supernova" officially went supernova. If the sport's lucky, she'll be burning intensely at a tennis complex near you around the world for most of the next decade.

"It's 'Maria Time' now." That's how the new Wimbledon ladies champ described things a short while ago.

Her time, indeed. As forecast here (and promised by Miss Sharapova), this is suddenly Maria's World... and we're just living in it. At the moment, she's busy pulling up a chair to the WTA's "big person's table," right next to the Belgians, Williamses, and a few stray Americans, Frenchwomen or Russian compatriots as the true contenders for the game's biggest honors (hey, she's already shot up the Backspin Player of the Year poll!). The Supernova's arrival as a dominant force could forecast a series of bad tidings as far as the on-court prospects of those players not currently present at that aforementioned head table are concerned. Actually, if Saturday's mix of Federer-esque shotmaking, Grafian power and a young Seles-like fearlessness was any indication, even a few of her new table mates might soon need a passport to go beyond a certain point. Kim Clijsters might never get that elusive slam crown now (pardon me if I don't break down in tears at that prospect).

Alas, celestial supernovae don't endure forever. They burn with spectacular brilliance, but last a relatively short time. But fresh off her greatest day, Sharapova's feet seem set firmly on the ground. That's good news for us, the Russian Revolution, teenage girls (and boys, teenage or otherwise), TV ratings and magazine sales... and even better news for tennis.

Plus, it also might begin to explain that pesky phone problem.

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS
S: Maria Sharapova d. Serena Williams 6-1/6-4
D: Black/Stubbs d. Huber/Sugiyama
M: Black/Black d. Molik/Woodbridge
GS: Katerina Bondarenko d. Ana Ivanovic 6-4/6-7/6-2
GD: Azarenka/Havartsova d. Erakovic/Niculescu

PLAYER AWARDS (WIMBLEDON, WEEK 2)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Maria Sharapova
...la belle dame sans merci (the beautiful lady without mercy).

======================
RISERS: Sharapova & Amelie Mauresmo
...the Supernova proved she was destiny's child; while Mauresmo has now advanced to the SF of her last two Wimbledons.
======================
SURPRISES: Paola Suarez & Cara Black
...Paola's quietly great season continued as she followed up her Roland Garros SF with a QF at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, amidst all the doubles chatter about Navratilova trying to grab sole possession of the Wimbledon career titles record and the Ruano-Pascual/Suarez team going for a fourth straight slam crown, it was Zimbabwe's Black who swept the doubles (w/ Rennae Stubbs) and mixed (w/ brother Wayne) events.
======================
VETERAN: Lindsay Davenport
...a SF result in both singles and mixed doubles, but far less than she was hoping for around Thursday.
======================
FRESH FACE: Katerina Bondarenko
...the junior champ, and maybe heading the next wave of Ukrainian upset queens?
======================
DOWN: Jennifer Capriati & Lindsay Davenport
..."Maybe if the press didn't talk about it so much, it would have been a better match." That was one of the Petulant One's more creative excuses for her throttling by Serena in the QF. She fired coach Heinz Gunthardt after she failed to show up in the Roland Garros SF against Myskina, so should Tom Gullikson start looking for additional work elsewhere? Davenport was up a set and a break against Sharapova in the SF with a feel-good Wimbledon finale that would send her into retirement with no regrets firmly in her sights... but then she let Sharapova hang around a little too long. The rest was history.
======================

MATCHES (4r-F)
1.Final - Sharapova d. S.Williams
...6-1/6-4. The Supernova looked as if she might shock the world two weeks ago, and she did just that.

======================
2.SF - S.Williams d. Mauresmo
...6-7/7-5/6-4. Mauresmo led 7-6/3-1 and was up 30/0 on Serena's serve.
======================
3.SF - Sharapova d. Davenport
...2-6/7-6/6-2. Davenport led 6-2/3-1, but the 'nova turned a tiny crack into an open door to history.
======================
4.QF - S.Williams d. Capriati
...6-1/6-1. The worst slam loss ever for Capriati. Serena peaked too early.
======================
5.QF - Sharapova d. Sugiyama
...5-7/7-5/6-1. Oh, how close we came to seeing destiny headed off at the pass in this one.
======================
6.4r - S.Williams d. Golovin
...6-2/6-1. Golovin's shorts were so small the crowd could almost see her Frussian Pastry.
======================
7.Jr.F - K.Bondarenko d. Ivanovic
...6-4/6-7/6-2. Credit these two for putting forth an additional effort in the final after their SF heriocs -- Bondarenko upset #1 seed Michaella Krajicek, while Ivanovic had to survive a 12-10 3rd set against Viktoria Azarenka.
======================
8.Doubles F - Black/Black d. Molik/Woodbridge
...the Black siblings saved six match points.
======================
9.Doubles SF - Black/Stubbs d. Ruano-Pascual/Suarez
...the dreams of an "unofficial" slam unceremoniously end.
======================
10.QF - Davenport d. Sprem
...lost amid the Supernova's explosion is that Sprem had her career breakthrough at SW19, as well.
======================

2Q GRASSCOURT AWARDS
==TOP PLAYER==
1.Maria Sharapova
2.Serena Williams
3.Amelie Mauresmo
4.Svetlana Kuznetsova
5.Paola Suarez

==RISERS==
1.Maria Sharapova
2.Svetlana Kuznetsova
3.Karolina Sprem
4.Daniela Hantuchova
5.Vera Zvonareva

==SURPRISES==
1.Cara Black
2.Virginie Razzano
3.Anabel Medina-Garrigues
4.Nuria Llagostera-Vives
5.Shenay Perry

==VETERANS==
1.Martina Navratilova
2.Lindsay Davenport
3.Paola Suarez
4.Mary Pierce
5.Amy Frazier

==FRESH FACES==
1.Tatiana Golovin
2.Gisela Dulko
3.Katerina Bondarenko

==DOWN==
1.Jelena Dokic
2.Venus Williams
3.Elena Dementieva

==BEST PERFORMANCES==
CHAMPION
Maria Sharapova (Wimbledon)
Maria Sharapova (Birmingham)
----------------------
NON-CHAMPION
Daniela Hantuchova (Eastbourne)
----------------------
DOUBLES
Cara Black (Wimbledon)
----------------------

==BEST MATCH==
Wimbledon SF - S.Williams d. Mauresmo
...6-7/7-5/6-4. Not the most important match, as it turned out, but it WAS the "best."

==BEST COMEBACK==
Wimbledon SF - Sharapova d. Davenport
...2-6/7-6/6-2. Davenport was up a set and a break, then Sharapova changed the rotation of the earth

Heart-fueled champions aren't built, they're born. When Sharapova was first gaining notice as the latest hard-hitting teenager to emerge from the Nick Bollettieri Academy at the start of the 2000's, there was the more-than-lingering thought that she might turn out to be more hype than heroine.

But Sharapova changed all that in one fell swoop in 2004.

Ten years later, the Russian has traveled both a brilliant and rocky road. But as we saw during her recent Roland Garros title run -- her second in Paris, to win her fifth major crown -- no player perseveres with more competitive fire than the Russian. The natural trait was there when she was 17. You didn't have to look very intently to see it, either. It was right on the surface. It still is.

It's why she's just as relevant at 27 as she was at 17, after a Hall of Fame career that still might have a few great chapters left to be written.

Sharapova, or should I say "The Supernova," was the first WTA phenomenon of the "Backspin era." On the heels of Kournikova's inability to combine off-court marketability with high-level on-court success (though Anna K. is perennially undersold as a player, as she WAS a slam semifinalist, Top 10 singles player and doubles #1, even if she didn't manage to win a tour singles title before injuries finally brought an early end to her career), Sharapova promised to be an upgrade to the original model. And she was, putting the appropriate championship spin on the formula and opening doors to barrier-crossing athletic respectability that had been long closed to her predecessor. By winning Wimbledon at just 17 in '04 -- she's still the youngest slam winner in the last sixteen years, since a 16-year old Martina Hingis won the U.S. Open in 1997 -- she established her generation's template for a tennis "starlet" who could also be the most famous female athlete in the world, yet still contend for major titles.

Being a star is one thing, but simultaneously maintaining the foundation of a champion is another. Since Sharapova perfected the combination, no one has managed to do it nearly as well.

Sharapova's opponent at Wimbledon on that history-making day in '04, Serena Williams, too, after some trial and error, came to fit the role of a tour-endorsed superstar/champion, but she usually had to create her own press -- or demand it with thrilling on-court dominance -- rather than have the higher-ups do the early groundwork work for her, likely because the people that make such decisions thought she presented "too strong" a physical presence... a notion just as ridiculous as the one that prevented Martina Navratilova from starring in a major American television commercial for over twenty years because she was gay (just as snide and/sexist remarks have accompanied both Amelie Mauresmo's rise as a top player in the late 1990's, and now as one of the first female coaches of a top male player, Andy Murray).

But while Sharapova had an "advantage" in some areas, she worked hard to bring both sides of her legacy together into one legendary career.

Almost from the start, the teenage Sharapova projected the multi-sided image of a player who could be the subject of a photoshoot one day, in a business meeting with high-paying sponsors the next, and then go out and win a major title the following weekend. It's a presence worth it's weight in gold for the WTA tour, and the powers-that-be are always trying to hype the next "one," sometimes to both the detriment of the player and, at times, even the tour's own reputation as an ATHLETIC organization. But, with Sharapova, the line never seemed to be crossed into exploitation... and that's because the woman who is Sharapova her never allowed it to be the case. With her, image wasn't the only thing, it was simply one of many. She stated emphatically at the start that she didn't want to be a "tennis babe," but had her sights set on being a winner. And unlike many who've come before and after her, she recognized the pitfalls and was ready for them all from Day One.

It's a trait not to be undersold. And, boy, it never is, either. Sharapova has used it to soar to great off-court heights in business endeavors, and will likely continue to do so long after her playing career is over.

But everything discussed here so far has just been surface niceties. It's Sharapova's actual tennis career that has given all the off-the-court extracurriculars -- from commercials to glamor shots to media-friendly promotional appearances -- added cultural weight, serving to give her a personal "importance" within-and-outside the sport that allows her standing to arguably rise above players with perhaps a few additional major titles. And as far as that career goes, it didn't take long to learn everything we needed to know about the seriousness of her desire to be more than a multimedia star.

In 2003, in her first full season on tour, Sharapova finished in the Top 50, reached the Wimbledon Round of 16 and won the first two titles of her career as a 16-year old. By the middle of the following season, she arrived at Wimbledon with her name flagged in the draw as one to watch. She'd just won a small grass event in Birmingham, and the buzz about her was starting to hit the mainstream. Few expected her to e-x-p-l-o-d-e onto the scene at the All-England Club that summer, though. I was lucky enough to actually pick the #15 seed to reach the final before the tournament began, but I surely didn't think my "wild card" selection might actually SURPASS my surprise prediction. But that's just what she did.

Down 6-2/3-1 in the '04 semifinals against Lindsay Davenport, Sharapova first showed the no-lead-is-safe fire that has since become commonplace in a career filled with comeback wins. After using a game plan in the final that was heavy on penetrating groundstrokes that pinned the flummoxed defending champ at the baseline, Sharapova quickly proved her SW19 arrival was no fluke as she backed up her result by once again defeating Serena in the final of the Season-Ending Championships, coming back from a 0-4 deficit in the 3rd set against an injured-but-desperate Williams who was putting everything she had into nearly every shot in an attempt to drag herself over the finish line with a flourish before she could physically go no further. She almost did it, too. But Sharapova gathered herself, didn't succumb to the pressure of the moment and an ailing-but-still-lethal opponent and claimed the final six games of the match.

In August 2005, she became the first Russian woman to grab the #1 ranking, and the fifth-youngest (18 years, 4 months) to do so in WTA history. A year later, she stepped into the spotlight seemingly made for her at the U.S. Open. Sporting what many dubbed her "little black dress" tennis outfit, she was "Exquisite in the City" in a way that only the Supernova could be, ruling the nighttime in round after round as la belle dame sans merci. After defeating world #1 Mauresmo in the SF (her first victory over the Frenchwoman), she ended a personal four-match losing streak against Justine Henin in the final, winning in straight sets 6-4/6-4.

Sharapova narrowly missed claiming the year-end #1 ranking for '06, coming in second (behind Henin, ahead of two-time slam winner Mauresmo) in a three-way battle for the spot at the SEC that November. Nevertheless, she again rose into the #1 position the following January. Then, one year later, she climbed yet another career mountain.

In Melbourne in '08, Sharapova won the Australian Open title in dominating fashion, not dropping a set and handily knocking off Ana Ivanovic in the final. In winning her third different slam of the 2000's, she joined only Serena and Henin in accomplishing the feat during the decade. With her game looking better than ever, the "Sharapova Scenario" that I once theorized about seemed a potential reality. She began the year on a 27-2 tear, and when Henin made her surprise retirement announcement in the spring it was Sharapova who inherited her #1 ranking. The Russian seemed a natural fit to fill what would later be called the "power vacuum" at the top of the Henin-less game. 2008 might have been the year of Sharapova's dreams.

As things turned out, she very nearly suffered the same shortened-career fate that Kournikova did, as the REST of the definition of a "supernova" -- the part which notes the short-lived nature of such a phenomenon -- threatened to become reality and cut short her tennis life. She was barely 21 years old in 2008 when her shoulder betrayed her. Or, maybe, I should say that the doctors who misdiagnosed her rotator cuff tear for months on end did so. Sharapova's story has been one of redemption and reclamation ever since. Out of the game for nearly ten months after shoulder surgery, Sharapova returned with a new service motion that protected her body but messed with her head. Double-faults often came in double-digit bunches, but she miraculously still managed to show a great deal of the old Supernovic spirit even though she was but a shadow of her old celestial self. Her '09 Roland Garros QF run showed that the heart and know-how were still there. Her season-ending title in Tokyo seemed to signal something of a rebirth, as her service troubles seemed mostly conquered, allowing her big match attributes to shine through. The win propelled her back into the Top 20, and that the title came in the same city in which she'd won her maiden tour crown in 2003, too, surely would seem to spookily hint at a potential return one day of the pre-shoulder surgery Sharapova.

It never quite happened. But while the old on-court Supernova didn't fully return, the true, stripped-down-to-her-competitive-essentials Sharapova emerged. She'd been there all along, of course, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Maria the Star, but now was the time for HER to shine. Without an always-reliable serve to depend upon, she was forced to remake and improve the rest of her game, becoming an overall better, more versatile player in the process. Intensive training improved her movement on court, and her longtime pounding "A"-game -- which had always been kick-started by her serve, with the momentum working its way down to the rest of her arsenal -- was added to with better defense and point construction. The "new" Sharapova, after she'd joked about being "a cow on ice" on clay in the past, suddenly became the most consistent and reliable clay courter on the WTA tour since Henin stepped away from the sport for good.

Because of the in-and-out nature of her post-surgery serve, the current Sharapova often has to scrape and claw for victories against players that she might have simply been able to blast off the court in her early career. Needed even more than ever before, Sharapova's desire, heart and competitiveness have come even more to the forefront of her game -- and persona -- in recent seasons. While the strength of her star power is still evident, the Russian is known as much now for the intangibles that her fight brings to the table as she is for all her "bright lights" attributes from her time on the world's stage.

Years ago, I wrote of Sharapova: "When Sharapova wins big titles, she often does it with the utmost of style, managing to tear out an opponent's heart, then smile for the cameras after the match, even as the still-warm blood of her defeated foe's most vital organ continued to drip down her arm." Or something like that. Either way, her fashionable tennis attire has never been stained by the "bloody" nature of her intense on-court battles.

It was a trait that served Sharapova well during her longer-than-originally-anticipated climb back to the top. Finally, in 2012, after a nearly four year-long battle, it all came together when she completed her Career Grand Slam with her first title at Roland Garros, a run after which she briefly regained the #1 ranking that she'd lost around the time she'd continued to play without the knowledge of the full extent of her rotator cuff injury in the summer of '08.

While many considered Sharapova's comeback "complete" after her '12 campaign, she did not. Naturally, though, she'd have to fall again before she could rise once more.

After injuring her hip at Wimbledon in '13, she missed the U.S. Open and the 4th Quarter of the season with shoulder bursitis. Once again, one wondered if the end might be near.

Umm, no. It's not over until Maria says it is.

Always and still a fabulous competitor, Sharapova might just be the one player on tour who never simply "gives away" matches. Even if she provides her opponent with occasional help (usually in the form of double-faults), the player on the other side of the net still has to BEAT her at some point. And, sometimes... well, usually, unless her opponent's name is Serena -- big match-turning points are extremely difficult to wrestle away from Sharapova. At the most recent Roland Garros, players young (Genie Bouchard, Garbine Muguruza), "old" (Sam Stosur) and somewhere in between (Simona Halep in the final) tried to put her away when an opportunity presented itself, but none of them ever could. Sharapova battled her way to her second RG crown, winning four straight three-set matches to end the tournament, ultimately winning what she dubbed the "toughest" grand slam final in which she'd ever played. The win marked her twentieth straight three-set match win on clay.

Staring into the light is rarely as dangerous as it is when that light is named Maria.

So, is this the moment when Sharapova will cease to "need" tennis in her life? Hmmm, far from it, it would seem. She's STILL too competitive to be satisfied, and will continue to look for more, more, more success. The player who solidified the Russian tennis revolution has turned out to be the one who has almost single-handedly sustained it into the 2010's, well past the prime time of most of her generational countrywoman, many of whom have either retired or fallen from slam contention. Since her first RG win, she's added "Olympic flagbearer" and Olympic medalist (a Silver on the All-England Club grass in London) to a career accomplishments list that already includes the roles of spokesperson, model, businesswoman, tennis ambassador, intense competitor, champion, "most famous face in the WTA" and even candy maker (Sugarpova!!).

After being burdened with the pressure of having so much talent as she emerged from the Bollettieri Academy, Sharapova has arguably outpaced some of the more optimistic scenarios that revolved around her future when she was just a kid. Having outgrown her "Supernova" beginnings, in so many ways, she's turned out to be much more than a sudden star that illuminated the sky, then faded to darkness.

While "The Supernova" is part of Sharapova's -- and Backspin's -- past, that's all right. By definition, a supernova is supposed to be a short-term thing, and, I admit, there is some sense of "relief" that the moniker I hung around Sharapova's neck a decade ago turned out to have an abbreviated lifespan, after all. It just feels more realistic, you know?

In so many ways, what's come afterward has been even better because of the struggle that Sharapova has had to endure in order to make it all a reality. The only thing, or person, Sharapova has so far failed to find a way to defeat over the last ten years is, well, Serena Williams. Since being defeated at Wimbledon and in the Tour Championships in 2004, the American has run off fifteen straight wins over Sharapova. When and if the losing streak ever ends, one has to believe that it will almost feel as good as winning that first Wimbledon over Williams did all those years ago.

Ah, but that's another potential future Capsule for another day, isn't it?

Currently on course for a ninth Top 10 season, Sharapova is sixteenth (and climbing) on the all-time WTA singles title list, with her thirty-two crowns amounting to twice as many wins as the second-ranking Russian in tour history. 79-23 for her career against her countrywoman, including a 25-2 run over a stretch covering a bit more than the last four years, her five major titles are now more than the other slam-winning Hordettes combined. After her title runs in 2014, Sharapova now stands fourth in WTA history with at least one title in twelve consecutive seasons, behind only players with names such as Navratilova, Evert and Graf.

With slam titles a full decade apart, nothing beats longevity when it comes to crafting a legendary career. And Sharapova, both "easily" and in hard-earned fashion, has certainly done that.

But as far as the Hordettes were concerned, the Supernovic turn at Wimbledon win only added to the Revolution's momentum in 2004. The Russian summer was not over.

There would be another.

**SHARAPOVA IN SLAM FINALS**
2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova def. Serena Williams
2006 US Open - Maria Sharapova def. Justine Henin-Hardenne
2007 Australian Open - Serena Williams def. Maria Sharapova
2008 Australian Open - Maria Sharapova def. Ana Ivanovic
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova def. Maria Sharapova
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka def. Maria Sharapova
2012 Roland Garros - Maria Sharapova def. Sara Errani
2013 Roland Garros - Serena Williams def. Maria Sharapova
2014 Roland Garros - Maria Sharapova def. Simona Halep

**CAREER SLAMS IN THE OPEN ERA**
Margaret Smith-Court
Chris Evert
Martina Navratilova
Steffi Graf
Serena Williams
Maria Sharapova

**CONSECUTIVE SEASONS WITH SINGLES TITLE**
21...Martina Navratilova, 1974-94
18...Chris Evert, 1971-88
14...Steffi Graf, 1986-99
12...Maria Sharapova, 2003-14
11...Evonne Goolagong, 1970-80
11...Virginia Wade, 1968-78

All for now.

NEXT UP: Sveta Shines in the City

Somewhat lost in the ongoing story of the 2014 season has been the sometimes-it-looks-like-something, but-then-sometimes-it-sorta-maybe-doesn't resurgence of Ana Ivanovic. This past week in Birmingham, the Serb was on the upswing yet again, winning her first grass court title and threatening to climb back into a Top 10 discussion from which she's been absent since her lone grand slam crown was officially in her rear view mirror.

Early in the week, AnaIvo was open to discussing why playing on grass isn't exactly her favorite activity. "It's a tough transition, not only in the body and the movement, but also in the mindset," she said. But as the tournament went along, and Ivanovic had still managed to avoid losing a set, the change was evident. "I have more confidence. It's about rhythm and getting ready for the next match. Now I have the flow."

It's seemingly always been about confidence with the '08 Roland Garros champion, a talent-rich player who'd already reached a pair of major finals before Justine Henin's sudden retirement and Maria Sharapova's shoulder injury thrust her into not only the grand slam winner's circle, but also the #1 ranking. She wasn't ready for either, or any of the things that went with them. Perhaps somewhat ironically, I titled the recap of her win "Affirmation Ana" at the time of her slam triumph, before the "true" inner Ana that sunk her upward progression had emerged.

Flashforward six years, and AnaIvo, at 26, is still trying to find her way. There have been signs of small progress over the seasons: a two-year post-RG title drought ended in 2010, a return to the Top 20 that halted a troubling slide, a title defense in 2011, and her overdue first slam QF result ('12 U.S.) since her winning run in Paris. But through the many coaching changes, and two steps forward and one step back dances, it's become very easy to see something good happening on the Serb's side of the net, but then quickly disregard it because, well, we've been down this road before and nothing much came of it. Why would this moment be any different?

In 2014, though, things seem to have changed. But not without the usual AnaIvo "mind games," of course.

Ivanovic's recent climb can probably rightly be traced back to the coaching relationship she began last summer. After a series of uncomfortable situations with the likes of big names coaches such as David Taylor, Sven Groeneveld, Craig Kardon, Heinz Gunthardt and Nigel Sears, AnaIvo seems to have finally found the "right fit" with a former Davis Cup player from Montenegro, Nemanja Kontic. Younger than her previous coaches, and without the same language barrier, Kontic and the current team that Ivanovic has surrounding her has allowed her game to improve and, most importantly, her mind to settle. With that has come a renewed confidence.

Ivanovic began the season with a Week 1 title in Auckland which ended another two-year drought, defeating Venus Williams in the final. In Melbourne, she upset world #1 Serena Williams in the Round of 16 to reach just her second slam QF since winning Roland Garros. Later, she won the first all-Serb WTA final, not over Jelena Jankovic, but Jovana Jaksic, giving her two titles in a season earlier than she'd ever done it. A Fed Cup win over Simona Halep soon followed. In Rome, Ivanovic ended her seven-match losing streak to Maria Sharapova, handing the Russian what would be her only clay court loss in twenty matches in '14 and becoming the only player other than Serena to defeat her on the surface over the last three seasons. She pushed a revenge-seeking Serena to three sets in the same tournament.

Of course, her win over Serena was immediately followed by a loss to teenager Genie Bouchard in Australia. After taking the 1st set against the Czech, she lost a head-scratching two-bagel match to Petra Kvitova in Miami, too. Her Monterrey title was overshadowed by dancing Andrea Petkovic's bigger win that same week in Charleston. When she faced Sharapova in a title match in Stuttgart, AnaIvo lost after having led 6-3/3-1 with a point for 4-1. And, in Paris, she was ousted in the 3rd Round by Lucie Safarova.

But, so far, the up's have more than outweighed the down's. And with her title run in Birmingham, the stats are backing up the notion that AnaIvo might, maybe, could, very well may be on the verge of being "back."

While the Birmingham field prevented Ivanovic from adding to her list of big-name wins, she ultimately won the tournament without dropping a set. In the final, after dropping her serve to open the match, the Serb won twelve of the final sixteen games to coast to a 6-3/6-2 victory over Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova. It's AnaIvo's 14th career title, tying her with Jennifer Capriati and Zina Garrison on the all-time WTA list, and moving her out of a tie with Aga Radwanska, Svetlana Kuznetsova and countrywoman Jelena Jankovic amongst active players. She's now 13-4 in non-slam finals, and has won eleven finals in straight sets.

But that's not all.

Ivanovic's grass title completes a career surface slam, and she'd never even reached a grass court final until this weekend. Her thirty-seven wins lead the WTA in 2014, as do her four finals, and she's tied with Serena and Sharapova with a tour-best three titles on the season. She and Williams are the only players with titles on multiple surfaces in '14, and Ivanovic is the only woman to reach finals at hard, clay and grass court tournaments. This is the first time since 2008 that she's won three titles in a season (she's never won four), and now her rise back into the Top 10 seems imminent in the near future, as well. It appears as if she'll be less than 100 points out at #11 on Monday, and a move up one spot would give AnaIvo her first appearance in the Top 10 since she fell out in June 2009, just as her '08 RG title points fell off her 12-month computer total.

Whew!

When I ranked Ivanovic at a conservative (wary, really) #10 on the most recent "Ms. Backspin" list for 2014, I noted that she was "still looking for that 'moment' that will officially carry her to the next level of achievement for 2014." Of course, I don't think her Birmingham title run fully fills that bill.

But AnaIvo is getting closer and closer.

*WEEK 24 CHAMPIONS*
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND (Premier $710K/Grass)
S: Ana Ivanovic/SRB def. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE 6-3/6-2
D: Kops-Jones/Spears (USA/USA) d. Barty/Dellacqua (AUS/AUS)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Ana Ivanovic/SRB

...Ivanovic's wins over Mona Barthel, Lauren Davis, Klara Koukalova, Zhang Shuai and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova didn't add to the Serb's list of 2014 triumphs over Top 20 (10 wins) and Top 10 (4) players, but they'll surely do.
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RISERS:Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears (USA/USA) and Zhang Shuai/CHN

...the veteran Bannerette doubles duo -- Kops-Jones is 31, Spears 32 -- completed a career surface slam as a pair in Birmingham, winning their ninth overall title together but first on grass (they've won seven hard court titles and one on clay, with their previous grass court best being a runner-up in this same Birmingham tournament in '09). It didn't come easy, as the Americans won a match tie-break (10-0) in the QF against the Chan sisters and again (10-8) in the SF vs. Black/Mirza. In the final, they saved three set points in the 1st against defending champs Barty/Dellacqua, who came in with a 12-1 grass record, but took the tie-break and went on to win in straight sets. Zhang, 25, reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles (w/ Caroline Garcia, lost to Barty/Dellacqua) in Birmingham. Her wins over Eleni Daniilidou, Shahar Peer, Petra Cetkovska and Sloane Stephens pushed the Chinese woman into her third SF of the season. Unfortunately for her, she's now 0-3 in those matches after losing to AnaIvo. She reached her only tour final when she won the title in Guangzhou last season.
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SURPRISES:Denisa Allertova/CZE & Zhu Lin/CHN
...Allertova (ranked #255) isn't the most talked-about Czech, while Zhu (#306) isn't the most discussed Chinese, either. But both are tied with a tour-leading four ITF singles titles this year after picking up wins this weekend. Allertova, 21, won her sixth straight singles final over the last three seasons in a $25K in Budapest, defeating Croat Adrijana Lekaj in a pair of tie-breaks in the final. Zhu, 20, won her fourth challenger of the season in the week's $10K tournament in Surakata, Indonesia with a win over Lavinia Tananta of Poland.
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VETERANS:Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE & Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN
...both vets -- 28-year old BZS and 43-year old KDK -- achieved new heights in Premier level events in Birmingham. Date-Krumm hadn't been as far as the QF in a Premier event since 2008, while Zahlavova-Strycova had never been that far. The Czech easily trumped her previous best, reaching her fourth career WTA final -- the first on grass -- after notching wins over Naomi Broady, Lucie Safarova, Timea Babos, '13 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens and Casey Dellacqua. In losing to Ivanovic, Zahlavova-Strycova failed to get the biggest win of her career (AnaIvo came in at #13, while the Czech's best wins are two victories over then-world #14's -- Petra Kvitova & Roberta Vinci) or pick up career title #2 to go with the one she won in Quebec City in 2011. Date-Krumm, a '96 Wimbledon semifinalist in the final year of her "first career," took out Paula Ormaechea, Monica Puig (saving two MP) and defending Birmingham champ Daniela Hantuchova on her way to the QF.
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COMEBACK:Casey Dellacqua/AUS
...heading into last week, the Aussie had already moved into the Top 50 during the '14 season after finishing last year down at #130, and in the new rankings the Aussie will be close to having jumped up 100 spots in less than six months. Dellacqua matched her career-best singles result by reaching just her second tour-level SF (w/ Dallas '12) in Birmingham after putting up impressive wins over Urszula Radwanska, Varvara Lepchenko, countrywoman Sam Stosur and Kimiko Date-Krumm. As half of the defending Birmingham doubles champion team with Ashleigh Barty, Dellacqua was part of a comeback from a set and 4-2 deficit in the 1st Round -- they saved 3 MP -- against Babos/Mladenovic, and the pair eventually reached the final with a chance to defend the very first title they shared last year (they recently followed up with a clay win in Strasbourg). After holding three set points in the 1st against Kops-Jones/Spears, though, they fell in two sets.
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FRESH FACES:Lauren Davis/USA & Belinda Bencic/SUI
...5-foot-2 Davis' heart is always bigger than her entire body, and she showed that once again in Birmingham, taking out qualifier/grass court specialist Tamira Paszek ('12 Eastbourne champ) and Vicky Duval en route to the 3rd Round. Meanwhile, although she didn't last very long in Birmingham, The New Swiss Miss still made headlines, upsetting '13 runner-up Donna Vekic in the 1st Round before coming up short in the 2nd Round against '13 champion Daniela Hantuchova. Both Davis and Bencic have won two matches to advance to the final qualifying round in Eastbourne, as well.
=============================
DOWN:Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
...yeah, I'm tempted to list all the people embarrassing themselves by carping about another Frenchwoman in the tennis news this past week (and it surely won't end, as Amelie Mauresmo is in something of a "no win" situation -- if new charge Andy Murray manages to defend his SW19 title, he'll simply have matched his previous result, and if he doesn't win again... well, you know certain people won't hesitate to note that the Scot will have had a worse result with Mauresmo than the one he had under the supervision of Ivan Lendl last year), but I'll keep it on the court and go with Kiki. The Mladenovic Magic from Paris didn't travel very well across the Channel. In singles, she dropped her 1st Round match to vet Shahar Peer, then she and Timea Babos fell in their opening doubles match to Barty/Dellacqua, too, despite being up a set and 4-2, and holding three MP in the match tie-break. She rebounded a bit in Eastbourne, getting a win over (still-grass-court-proficient) Eleni Daniilidou in qualifying, but she then lost in three sets in the next round to Coco Vandeweghe. In Eastbourne doubles, the Pastry and Michella Krajicek barely escaped their 1st Round encounter on Sunday against Irina-Camelia Begu & Vania King, taking a 10-8 match tie-break.
=============================
ITF PLAYER:Jarmila Gajdosova/AUS
...the 27-year old Aussie took the $50K grasscourt challenger in Nottingham, an event that was won by the late Elena Baltacha last year. Gajdosova (#223) made her way through qualifying, then had a highlight win over Andrea Hlavackova in the semis before defeating Timea Bacsinszky 6-2/6-2 in the final. It's Gajdosova's thirteenth career ITF singles win, but her first since 2010. She also grabbed the doubles title with Arina Rodionova. With the win, the Aussie claimed the final Wimbledon MD wild card into women's singles.
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JUNIOR STARS:Iryna Shymanovich/BLR & Ingrid Neel/USA
...Shymanovich won the biggest junior event of the week, a Grade 1 in Offenbach, Germany. But that came as the #1 seeded Belarusian won out over Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek (#15 seed) on clay. On grass in the Grade 4 International Grasscourt Championships in Haverford, Pennsylvania it was 15-year old Bannerette Neel, the #8 seed, who prevailed, defeating #3-seeded 16-year old Francesca DiLorenzo of the U.S. in a 7-6(8)/6-3 final.
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1. Birmingham Final - Ivanovic d. Zahlavova-Strycova
...6-3/6-2. So, the list of Czech '14 title winners doesn't include a Barbora. Of note, it still doesn't include a Petra, either.
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2. Birmingham 3rd Rd. - Stephens d. Riske 7-6(4)/2-6/6-1
Birmingham QF - Sh.Zhang d. Stephens 6-3/6-1
...Stephens saved five break points at 3-4 in the 1st against Riske and won in three set, but then went out quickly a round later. She reached the SF last January in Hobart and Melbourne, but hasn't done so again over the last seventeen months.
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3. Birmingham Doubles 1st Rd. - Barty/Dellacqua d. Babos/Mladenovic
...5-7/7-6(3) [12-10]. Babos/Mladenovic led 7-5/4-2, and held three MP against the defending champs/eventual RU.
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4. Birmingham 1st Rd. - Wozniak d. Watson
...2-6/7-5/6-4. A-Woz saved three MP and won here, but lost in the 3rd Round to Flipkens, who'll soon to be trying to back-up massive SF points from last year's Wimbledon. Hmmm, maybe that explains those shirtless photos in Bjorn Borg underwear with the elephant?

Well, then again... maybe not.
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5. Birmingham 3rd Rd. - Dellacqua d. Stosur
...2-6/6-2/6-2. Casey lasts longer in the draw than Sam. Are we back in Melbourne?
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6. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Date-Krumm d. Puig
...2-6/6-4/7-6(7). KDK was a match point down at 6-5 in the 3rd, then another in the tie-break after Puig had saved three MP. Finally, on MP #4, experience prevailed.
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7. $25K Padua ITA Final - Louisa Chirco d. Paula Cristina Goncalves
...6-2/1-6/7-6(3). The 18-year old Bannerette claimed her second career challenger title, her first since 2012.
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8. $25K Budapest Doubles Final - Jani/Khromacheva d. Jakupovic/Kramperova
...7-5/6-4. Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! Reka-Luca Jani! The 22-year old Hungarian picked up her eighteenth career ITF doubles title, and lost in the SF in a three-set singles match to eventual champ Denisa Allertova.

=============================

1. Birmingham 1st Rd. - Riske d. Lyudmyla Kichenok 7-6(3)/6-3
Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Riske d. Nadiya Kichenok 7-6(4)/6-1
...Alison won't likely be invited by the Kichenoks to a "Sister Act" movie marathon. Whoopie.
=============================
2. $10K Coatzacoalcos, MEX Doubles Final - Fuentes/Zacarius d. Maria Paulina Perez/Paula Andrea Perez
...6-2/6-2. The Mexican pair took out the 18-year old twins from Colombia. Marcela Zacarius, 20, also won her fourth career ITF singles title by defeating countrywoman Ximena Hermoso in the final.
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3. $10K Bol CRO Final - Nadia Podoroska d. Olga Ianchuk
...6-3/2-6/6-2/ The 17-year old Argentine won her circuit lead-tying fourth ITF crown of the season, this coming via a win over one half of the tennis-playing Ianchuk sisters.
=============================

...look who's back this week in Eastbourne.

Also, Sharapova wasn't the only one holding up a trophy at Wimbledon in 2004. Vika won the girls doubles with fellow Belarusian Olga Govortsova (who, what with the language differences, is still listed that year as "Volha Havartsova," including on the ITF's "Junior Honor Roll" champions list).

**2014 WTA TITLES**
3...Serena Williams, USA
3...Maria Sharapova, RUS
3...ANA IVANOVIC, SRB

**WTA TITLES - active**
60 - Serena Williams
45 - Venus Williams
32 - Maria Sharapova
21 - Caroline Wozniacki
17 - Victoria Azarenka
14 - ANA IVANOVIC
13 - Aga Radwanska
13 - Jelena Jankovic
13 - Svetlana Kuznetsova
13 - Nadia Petrova

**2014 WTA FINALS**
4...ANA IVANOVIC (3-1)
3...Serena Williams (3-0)
3...Maria Sharapova (3-0)
3...Li Na (2-1)
3...Simona Halep (1-2)
3...Dominika Cibulkova (1-2)
3...Klara Koukalova (1-2)
[2Q finals]
3...Maria Sharapova (3-0)
3...ANA IVANOVIC (2-1)
2...Simona Halep (0-2)

**2014 TITLES ON MULTIPLE SURFACES**
Serena Williams - Brisbane/Miami(H), Rome(C)
ANA IVANOVIC - Auckland/Monterrey(H), Birmingham(G)
[finals]
3 - ANA IVANOVIC, SRB - Hard,Clay,Grass
2 - Sara Errani, ITA - Hard,Clay
2 - Simona Halep, ROU - Hard,Clay
2 - Klara Koukalova, CZE - Hard,Clay
2 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE - Hard/Clay
2 - Serena Williams, USA - Hard,Clay

**2014 WIMBLEDON WILD CARDS**
Naomi Broady, GBR = 24; no Wimbledon MD wins in her career
Tara Moore, GBR = 21; no Wimbledon MD wins in her career; 2 con. Wimb. WC
Samantha Murray, GBR = 26; I sense a theme -- no Wimb. MD wins; 2 con. Wimb. WC
Kristyna Pliskova, CZE = 22; 2010 Wimbledon Girls champ
Taylor Townsend, USA = 18; 2013 Wimbledon Girls RU; Wimb. debut; 2 con. slam WC
Vera Zvonareva, RUS = 29; 2010 Finalist; last slam MD win was in 2012
Silvia Soler-Espinosa, ESP = 26; '14 first-time WTA finalist; RG 3rd Rd.
Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS = 27; 2nd 2014 slam WC; 2010 Wimb. 4th Rd.

**2014 ITF TITLES**
4...DENISA ALLERTOVA, CZE
4...MARIA PODOROSKA, ARG
4...Patricia Maria Tig, ROU
4...ZHU LIN, CHN

I guess Caro has a LOT of extra free time these days, huh? Yep, probably. Anyway, her Miami fun with Serena has now segued into the Dane making the rounds with other WTA stars:

If things work out perfectly, Wozniacki could play BOTH Vika and Aga in Eastbourne.

EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND (Premier $710K/Grass)
13 Final: Vesnina d. Hampton
13 Doubles Final: Petrova/Srebotnik d. Niculescu/Koukalova
14 Top Seeds: A.Radwanska/Kvitova
=============================
=SF=
#1 A.Radwanska d. Giorgi
#3 Jankovic d. #2 Kvitova
=FINAL=
#1 A.Radwanska d. #3 Jankovic

...Vika returns, but in what form is she coming to England? This is a dicey one to try to predict, as Aga could face '10 Eastbourne champ Makarova in the 2nd Round, while Azarenka is in the same quarter as Stephens, Wozniacki & Stosur. Defending champ Vesnina is in the same quarter as Hantuchova/Vinci (1st Rd. foes) and JJ/Keys (ditto). Meanwhile, Kvitova is sitting in the bottom half of the draw, along with Safarova (1st Rd.) and Pironkova. And I'm making these picks without yet having seen exactly where potential qualifier Bencic, again a possible upset-maker early on, might land if she reaches the main draw. So, I'll go with A-Rad for Wimbledon redemption purposes, I guess.

's-HERTOGENBOSCH, NETHERLANDS (Int'l $250K/Grass)
13 Final: Halep d. Flipkens
13 Doubles Final: Begu/Medina-Garrigues d. Cibulkova/Parra-Santonja
14 Top Seeds: Halep/Cibulkolva
=============================
=SF=
#1 Halep d. #6 Flipkens
#3 Bouchard d. Shvedova
=FINAL=
#3 Bouchard d. #1 Halep

...a possible preview of an "alternate universe" -- well, draw-without-Serena-late-into-the-second-week, at least -- Wimbledon final? Again, for SW19 purposes.

WIMBLEDON QUALIFYING

And, of course, it goes without saying. One year ago, Elena Baltacha was winning in Nottingham and accepting a wild card into what would be her last Wimbledon. Now, everyone will rally for the departed Bally.

All for now.

Main draw play doesn't begin until Monday, but that doesn't mean work wasn't to be done this week in the qualifying rounds.

Of course, that didn't mean Roland Garros "Last Qualifier Standing" Kiki Bertens didn't have time to take a moment to relax with her phone earlier in the week.

Maybe she took TOO long, actually. Bertens, who was the top-seeded woman in qualifying, lost her opening qualifying round match. Whoops.

Oh, well. Others did fair far better than she.

Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR (#104)

...MLDB's best moments tend to come at the slams. This is the third time the 21-year old has won a Backspin "Q-Player of the Week," having been honored before the U.S. Open in 2010 and '13. Last year at Wimbledon, remember, she upset Maria Sharapova in the 2nd Round en route winning the "It [Upstart]" Award, too. This week, as the #4 Q-seed, she won her three qualifying matches without dropping a set, putting up the best mark of the twelve qualifiers by never losing more than four games in six sets of play, two of which included a Q2 set wins over Czech Lucie Hradecka. This is Larcher de Brito's second consecutive slam qualifying run this year, as well as her second straight at SW19.
==============================================
RISERS:Lesia Tsurenko/UKR (#144) & Tereza Smitkova/CZE (#184)
...25-year old Tsurenko, a former Q-POW winner ('13 AO), reached the MD with wins over Eva Birnerova, Ayumi Morita and #6 Danka Kovinic. She reached the 2nd Round at last year's Wimbledon, but is just 1-5 in her last six slam MD matches. Smitkova, 19, made some noise in Paris with a qualifying win over vet Anabel Medina-Garrigues, but her Wimbledon run has put her into her very first slam MD after victories over Sofia Shapatava and Madison Brengle.
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SURPRISES:Paula Kania/POL (#175) & Andreea Mitu/ROU (#193)
...Kania, 21, reaches her first slam main draw with wins over #7 Claire Feuerstein and Shelby Rogers. 22-year old Mitu will also make her slam MD debut after impressive wins over Sachia Vickery, #12 Luksika Kumkhum and Irina Falconi. The Swarmette had failed to advance past the second qualifying round at six previous slams.
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VETERANS:Aleksandra Wozniak/CAN (#118) & Alla Kudryavtseva/RUS (#116)

...26-year old Wozniak qualifies at a second straight '14 slam and will play in her seventh Wimbledon main draw after wins over Renata Voracova, Mayo Hibi and Melanie Oudin. She has a career 3-6 mark at SW19. Kudryavtseva is another '14 qualifier with a Wimbledon win against Sharapova under her belt, having upset her countrywoman in the Round of 16 in 2008, then making headlines when everyone overreacted when she "criticized" Sharapova's outfit. Kudryavtseva, who has qualified at two '14 slams (AO), hasn't played in the Wimbledon MD since 2011.
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COMEBACKS:Tamira Paszek/AUT (#123) & Timea Bacsinszky/SUI (#86)

...one has to wonder if Paszek ditched Eastbourne qualifying on purpose earlier in the week, since a successful run there would have meant she'd have missed out on a chance to play to get into the tournament where she plays best. As it turns out, her Eastbourne Q3 loss to Hsieh Su-Wei on Monday allowed her to get a Wimbledon Q1 victory on Tuesday. The rest is history, as her wins over Katy Dunne, Alberta Brianti and Ons Jabeur gives the Austrian her second straight successful slam Q-run in 2014. Paszek reached the QF at Wimbledon in both 2011 and '12, but has only put up two 3rd Round-or-better results in her other twenty-three slam MD appearances. #3 Bacsinszky was the highest Q-seed to reach the main draw, as her Q3 win over #20 Veronica Cepede Royg -- the only final round match-up of seeded players -- gives the 25-year old a chance to win 1st Round matches at back-to-back slams. Before her win last month at Roland Garros, Bacsinszky hadn't won a slam MD match since 2010.
==============================================
FRESH FACES:Vicky Duval/USA (#115) & Anett Kontaveit/EST (#176)

...Duval, 18, reached her first slam MD away from the U.S. Open with her Q3 win over countrywoman Nicole Gibbs. Duval has just one slam win in her two appearances in New York, but it was big one -- last year's huge upset over Sam Stosur. Fellow 18-year old Kontaveit, who reached the Wimbledon Girls SF in 2012, will make her slam MD debut after some nice qualifying wins over #11 Zheng Saisai, Sesil Karatantcheva and Ashleigh Barty.
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JUNIOR Q-STAR:Ana Konjuh/CRO (#188/jr.#15)
...Konjuh hasn't had the tour level success of fellow two-time '13 junior slam winner Belinda Bencic, whose ranking automatically put her into the women's draw, but the 16-year old Croat -- the youngest player in the draw -- will join the Swiss teen there. In her second successful '14 slam qualifying run (w/ AO), Konjuh got wins over #14 Estrella Cabeza Candela, Laura Siegemund and Stephanie Vogt. She's still looking for her maiden slam MD victory.
==============================================
DOWN:Kiki Bertens/NED & Pauline Parmentier/FRA
...#1-seed Bertens and #2 Parmentier were both ejected from qualifying in the opening round. Bertens, the "Last Qualifier Standing" at Roland Garros, lost to Eri Hozumi, ending her two-year run in the Wimbledon main draw. Parmentier, both the "Last Wild Card Standing" and "Last Pastry Standing" in Paris, was taken down by Madison Brengle, ending her consecutive run of appearances in the SW19 MD at six years.
==============================================

=QUALIFYING MATCHES=
Q1:Melinda Czink d. Aleksandra Krunic 2-6/6-3/6-1
Q1:Stephanie Vogt d. #8 Vesna Dolonc 1-6/6-2/6-2
...Good Luck + Bad Luck = no Serbian qualifying luck at all
=============================
Q3:#23 Aleksandra Wozniak d. Melanie Oudin 6-4/6-3
....A-Woz admitted to being uneasy about facing Oudin, having injured her shoulder during warm-ups when she last played the Bannerette at Quebec City in 2012. She'd lost two previous matches to her, as well. She needn't have worried. The Canadian's comeback continues, while Oudin will have to work even harder to say the same.
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Q3:Tereza Smitkova d. Madison Brengle 6-3/3-6/6-1
....Smitkova ended AMG's long slam MD streak in Paris, then prevented Brengle from ending HER long slam MD drought. This loss means the Bannerette has failed to make it through qualifying at twenty-four straight slams, and is 0-for-27 in slam qualifying attempts since 2005. She has played in four slam main draws, in 2007-08 after three times receiving wild cards, but never has been able to get her first career match victory.
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Q3:Paula Kania d. Shelby Rogers 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
....the Pole had to go the distance -- especially in the 26-point TB to end the 1st set -- to claim the final qualifying berth late in the day on Thursday. On serve at 4-3 in the 3rd set, Kania got a break of serve in game #8 and won seven of the final nine points of the match to advance to next week.
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=Sisters and Slam Qualifying Just Do Not Mix...=
Q1 - #20 Veronica Cepede Royg d. Erika Sema 6-3/6-1
Q1 - Lucie Hradecka d. Anastasia Rodionova 6-2/3-6/6-1
Q1 - #24 Maryna Zanevska d. Kristina Kucova 6-4/4-6/6-3
Q1 - Nicole Gibbs d. #9 Nadiya Kichenok 7-6(8)/7-5
...after going 0-6 in the opening round of qualifying in Paris, sisters went 1-4 in the opening round of the Wimbledon Q-rounds, with only Lyudmyla Kichenok advancing.

=See?=
Q2 - Ashleigh Barty d. Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-3/7-5
...of course, Lyudmyla didn't last much longer. Of note, the sister qualifying drought is now over a year long, as the last sister to qualify at a slam was Zuzana Kucova at Roland Garros in 2013. If you extend things out to sister-in-laws, then Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (sister-in-law to Sandra Zahlavova) made it through all three Q-rounds at Wimbledon last year... but that'd be out-of-bounds to include her.

=In Doubles, though...=
Doubles Q1 - #1 Kichenok/Kichenok d. Ormaechea/Pereira 6-1/1-6/9-7
...redemption, by the skin of their Ukrainian teeth.

Doubles Q2 - #1 Kichenok/Kichenok d. (WC) Boulter/Dunne 6-1/6-4

...and then with the skinning of a pair of young Brits. Onto the doubles main draw -- which currently WILL include a certain five-time Wimbledon doubles title-winning pair of sisters -- they go.

Doubles Q2 - #5 Gajdosova/Ar.Rodionova d. #2 Beygelzimer/Jans-Ignacik 6-2/6-4
...obviously, slam doubles qualifying is much more "sister-friendly."

*WILD CARDS*
Naomi Broady, GBR = 24; no Wimbledon MD wins in her career
Tara Moore, GBR = 21; no Wimb.MD wins in her career; 2 con. Wimb.WC
Samantha Murray, GBR = 26; I sense a theme -- no Wimb.MD wins; 2 con.Wimb. WC
Kristyna Pliskova, CZE = 22; 2010 Wimbledon Girls champ
Taylor Townsend, USA = 18; 2013 Wimb.Girls RU; Wimb. debut; 2 con. slam WC
Vera Zvonareva, RUS = 29; 2010 Final; last slam MD win was in 2012
Silvia Soler-Espinosa, ESP = 26; '14 1st-time WTA finalist; RG 3r
Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS = 27; 2nd '14 slam WC; 2010 Wimb.4r

*LUCKY LOSER*
none so far

*WIMBLEDON "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2006 Meilen Tu, USA
2007 Hsieh Su-Wei, TPE & Olga Govortsova, BLR
2008 Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, ESP & Eva Hrdinova, CZE
2009 Viktoriya Kutuzova, UKR
2010 Kaia Kanepi, EST
2011 Alexa Glatch, USA
2012 Sandra Zaniewska, POL
2013 Petra Cetkovska, CZE
2014 Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR

*YOUNGEST 2014 SLAM...*
[qualifiers]
16...Ana Konjuh, CRO (AO)
16...Ana Konjuh, CRO (WI)
16...Belinda Bencic, SUI (AO)
17...Katerina Siniakova, CZE (AO)
18...Carina Witthoeft, GER (AO)
18...Vicky Duval, USA (WI)
18...Anett Kontaveit, EST (WI)
19...Danka Kovinic, MNE (RG)
19...Tereza Smitkova, CZE (WI)
[wild cards]
17...Fiona Ferro, FRA (RG)
17...Ashleigh Barty, AUS (AO)
18...Ashleigh Barty, AUS (RG)
18...Sachia Vickery, USA (AO)
18...Taylor Townsend, USA (RG)
18...Taylor Townsend, USA (WI)
19...Tang Hao-Chen, CHN (AO)
19...Summer Sanders, AUS (AO)

*OLDEST 2014 SLAM...*
[qualifiers]
30...Yuliya Beygelzimer, UKR (RG)
28...Lucie Hradecka, CZE (AO)
26...Alla Kudryavtseva, RUS (WI)
26...Alla Kudryavtseva, RUS (AO)
26...Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN (WI)
26...Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN (RG)
[wild cards]
29...Mathilde Johansson, FRA (RG)
29...Vera Zvonareva, RUS (WI)
28...Casey Dellacqua, AUS (AO)
28...Claire Feuerstein, FRA (RG)
28...Pauline Parmentier, FRA (RG)
27...Pauline Parmentier, FRA (AO)
27...Jarmila Gajdosova, AUS (WI)

All for now. Wimbledon Preview coming soon.

While there are all sorts of stories potentially ready to be woven at Wimbledon over the next two weeks, perhaps the most wearily time-worn -- but also, quite realistically, the most important when it comes to foreseeing the eventual champion -- of the lot is the conversation about which version of Serena Williams will arrive in SW19.

Still, as is so often the case, it seems that that is the storyline we're left to contemplate. Hmmm, or is it?

Here's a quick overview of the draw, quarter-by-quarter:

=SERENA QUARTER=
*POWER RANKINGS*
1. Serena Williams, USA... on the heels of a brilliant year and a half run that was arguably her most dominant stretch of play (save for the Serena Slam period of a decade earlier) of her entire career, we haven't seen much of THAT Serena in 2014. So far, she's not only failed to win slam #18 this season, but she hasn't reached a slam final and has barely cracked the second week of a major, with 4th Round and 2nd Round exits in Melbourne and Paris, respectively. Maybe more concerning, though, is that after becoming a more tactical player over the past two seasons she's often seemed at a total loss when it comes to figuring out what to do when things start to go wrong. History tells us that when Williams is doubted (see Rome earlier this year) she's at her most dangerous, and she expressed the usual desire to rebound with a vengeance following her Roland Garros exit last month. But the words felt too "I-know-this-is-what-I'm-supposed-to-say-so-I-just-did" and they weren't as convincing as they have been in the past. It could be that the heavy workload and spiked emotional atmosphere of her most-medical emergency return to #1 has exhausted her, and she might not fully have moved on until around the time the U.S. Open rolls around later this summer. But, here we are at another slam and she's been installed as the clear "favorite" once again. Perhaps she is. But, just for a change of pace, I really want to believe that that's not the case. Expecting to see greatness, but witnessing disheartening mediocrity instead is a grand slam chapter that you can only read so many times before you root for a new protagonist to take things in a totally different direction. Case in point...
2. Genie Bouchard, CAN

...the Canadian won the '12 Wimbledon junior title, reached the Ladies 3rd Round in her debut a year ago, is coming off a pair of slam semifinal results, and says that she's better on grass than clay, on which she won her first career tour title before the start of RG. As is often the case in the brief surface turnover period between Paris and London, Bouchard didn't get much match play in her one tune-up event. But that just meant she got the chance for some extra time to get a feel for the All-England Club lawns. As has so often been the case this season, a new Genie Army will likely be drafted in London, especially since those English World Cup dreams have already been extinguished (and Laura Robson will only be heard, from a television commentating booth, and not seen on court over the next two weeks). So, the crowd will be with Bouchard... but will her game? It had better be, and quickly. She gets Daniela Hantuchova in the 1st Round, and if she's not careful she could be sent packing before she's barely unpacked all those stuffed animals. Even more so than a certain Russian, Bouchard likely needs to see some things fall her way through no action of her own in order to match her previous '14 slam results, for she's not likely to be able to defeat BOTH Serena and Maria Sharapova in this quarter -- something which her initial spot in the draw says she might have to do.
3. Maria Sharapova, RUS

...truth is, despite (or because of) her '04 heroics, Sharapova has always been overrated as a grass court player. She hasn't won a title on the surface since 2005, and has only been past the Round of 16 once at Wimbledon ('11 RU) since 2006. When we last saw her on the lawns she slipped and injured her hip and was out-hit by Michelle Larcher de Brito in the 2nd Round. Could her competitive nature carry her deep into the second week, at least to another potential (dreaded) match-up with Serena in the QF close to the tenth anniversary of her triumph over Williams in the final? Sure. But the pitfalls seems great, especially if that Camila Giorgi (5-2 the last two years at SW19) match-up in the 3rd Round comes about. The Italian has already beaten Sharapova once this season. But is Serena loses earlier than expected, Maria's mood with lighten considerably. Remember, no woman has pulled off the RG/SW19 double since Serena in '02.
THE BRACKET BUSTER: Tamira Paszek, AUT... Paszek is a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist and, with Tammy Tanasugarn barely around these days and Sabine Lisicki at least a passably good player on other surfaces, the only woman with outrageously better results on grass than the Austrian is a certain Bulgarian named Pironkova (and even she won a HARD court title this season). Paszek made it through qualifying and gets '13 semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens (#24) in the opening round. If she gets the upset, watch out. Another former semifinalist (Kerber) could only be another win away, and then maybe Sharapova in the Round of 16.
THE WILD CARD: Angelique Kerber, GER... the German has reached the semifinals at Wimbledon (2012), but she's just 3-5 in her other five appearances. She's coming off a good week in Eastbourne, where yet again she reached a final, but once more didn't win the title. She's a dark horse to reach the QF, or even the SF under the right circumstances, but it's hard to see her traversing that path if the terrain to get there includes the likes of Watson, Paszek, Sharapova AND Serena or Bouchard.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS: Bouchard, CAN... truth is, while I want to draw a link from Bouchard back to Sharapova's run in '04 (the pictures of a young Sharapova with an even younger Bouchard from that time set the Backspin trap rather expertly, I'd say), she's also probably due for a slam disappointment. If she can get past Hantuchova in the 1st Round, though, it'd be hard to not see her reaching the Round of 16... and wondering whether or not Serena would be waiting for her there.
THE POOR SOUL: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS... sure, she knocked off Aga Radwanska in Eastbourne, but the Hordette rarely comes to play at slam time. She's only reached the 3rd Round twice at Wimbledon, and could see the lights go out this year as soon as at the conclusion of her 1st Round match with Alison Riske. Of course, considering Williams is 28-0 in the 1st and 2nd Rounds at Wimbledon, I suppose Serena's possible opening opponents -- Anna Tatishvili, then Christina McHale or Chanelle Scheepers -- could be listed here, too.
=In the End...=
Naturally, you sort of have to pick Williams here, or gamble that something odd is going to happen to prevent it. I really don't want to pick her YET AGAIN, though. Sometimes the brain needs to do something other than trace over old patterns, you know? So, while I'll be picking Williams in Serena Land, I'll be doing "Serena Free Zone" predictions later, as well. Needless to say, Bouchard and Sharapova would have been far better off being anywhere other than where they landed in the draw. But, maybe it'll still work out for one of them, and Serena's last 2014 slam stand will come at Flushing Meadows, not SW19.

=HALEP QUARTER=
*POWER RANKINGS*
1. Sabine Lisicki, GER... as usual, Lisicki carries an injury question following her Roland Garros exit after hurting her wrist. Also, she just announced that she's parted with coach/sometimes doubles partner Martina Hingis, as well. But the All-England Club has always cured all ills for the German, and she's got runner-up points to defend (remember, she beat Serena in the 4th Round last year, then got Aga's limp handshake at the net before a swift kick from Marion Bartoli in the final). Assuming she's healthy (a BIG if with her, every week of the season) and doesn't come down with some sort of viral/gastrointestinal ailment (another common Lisicki lament), she's a threat to go deep and maybe even win the only tournament that REALLY matters to her. She's got a workable draw to at least the Round of 16, where she could face one of the ultimate wild cards in this slam -- Madison Keys, see below. If she holds her form and makes it to the QF, #19-seed Lisicki would likely be favored over even the quarter's top player, #3 Simona Halep, who's nursing injury concerns (again) of her own. The German isn't the best player out there without a slam title, but she's probably the best GRASS COURT player without a Wimbledon crown.
2. Simona Halep, ROU

...Halep's game, as it does with all surfaces, translates well to grass. She won a grass court title last year, but lost in three sets to Li Na in the 2nd Round at Wimbledon. In 2011, though, she took a set off Serena at SW19. After dealing with heel issues earlier this year, Halep comes in with shoulder/back questions after her retirement last week. She's got a good draw, though, and things look to move smoothly until at least the 3rd Round (vs. '13 girls champ Belinda Bencic?). After that, we'll get a better idea whether or not her health with be an issue. Most are overlooking her again, though, and the Romanian seems to thrive on being underestimated in spite of her ranking. Unless Lisicki is in fine grass form (which is surely possible), I still think she's more likely to escape this quarter than say, someone like Ana Ivanovic.
3. Madison Keys, USA... say what you will about Mary Joe Fernandez's Fed Cup fiasco of the past two seasons (and I have), but Keys' inclusion in the tie versus France this spring seems to have greatly changed Keys' career trajectory in a truly positive way. Plagued by lost leads prior to her FC win over Alize Cornet, the 19-year old Keys has seemingly improved each and every week, in terms of her confidence and otherwise, since she kept herself together against the Pastry and waited things out while Cornet's injury eventually led to a victory by the Bannerette. It was a glorious lesson in how the deceptively simple act of never giving up can lead to great things for a player. You could see the still lingering positive aspects of that match in Keys' maiden WTA title win this weekend in Eastbourne over Kerber when she overcome not putting the match away as quickly as she could have and then was strong down the stretch in the championship-clinching final game. With her big serve and groundstrokes, and this past week even some sneaky variety in her game (which wasn't in evidence at all in Paris, where she played well but in only a single gear), Keys is the sort of player who could catch a wave at SW19 and pull off a shocker or two. Or three or four. Her confidence game is super-high right now, but how a young player responds after such a big week could go either way. With Monica Puig, Taylor Townsend, Jelena Jankovic (who Keys defeated in Eastbourne) or Kaia Kanepi on tap in the first week, a head-in-the-clouds Keys could crash out quickly. Oh, but if she doesn't, she could be THE story of the first 10-11 days of this slam. Team Madison, anyone?
THE BRACKET BUSTER: Zheng Jie, CHN... the Chinese vet, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, is sitting right in the middle of something of a Group of Death. After reaching the Rosmalen final this weekend, Zheng could deal some deadly blows to contenders at this Wimbledon. AnaIvo in the 2nd Round? Lisicki in the 3rd? JJ or Keys in the 4th? She might not win all of those potential matches, but she's capable of claiming any of them.
THE WILD CARD: Taylor Townsend, USA... the (literal, at a second straight slam) wild card lost to Bencic in last year's girls final, and will face off with #31 Klara Koukalova in the 1st Round. After that, we could see a highly-anticipated Townsend vs. Keys NextGen match-up that could cause the already-itching-to-be-asked questions directed toward another title-less Current American in their tennis generation to be lobbed at her during a press conference or two. Would the pre-packaged, "Of course I love it when the other girls do well" sort of comments rule the day, or would the insistence for more from the tabloid press stir things up a bit? THAT could be interesting.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS: Ana Ivanovic, SRB... she won Birmingham, after talking of not enjoying playing on grass. With a veteran-heavy (Schiavone, Zheng) early dance card, and a grass court-proficient (Lisicki, Keys?) one following after that, AnaIvo's new confidence will have to remain at Birmingham levels to survive. She hasn't played in a Wimbledon QF since 2007.
THE POOR SOUL: Jelena Jankovic, SRB or Kaia Kanepi, EST... they meet in the 1st Round, and one will go home with head-shaking disappointment having spoiled her week. Jankovic is 1-4 in her last five SW19 matches, while Kanepi is usually either great (two QF) or awful (four 1st Rd. losses, and a 2nd Rd.) at the All-England Club. The Estonian's last four Wimbledon results have been 1r-QF-1r-QF. So, if the numbers hold up...
=In the End...=
While the top quarter hinges on Serena, with this one it's far more difficult to figure where to put such importance. Injuries, inconsistency, and lack of experience and/or Wimbledon success gives four or five players a nearly equal chance to advance to the semifinals. Lisicki has DONE it here before, though. She's advanced to at least the QF at her last four Wimbledons, putting up a 19-4 record.

=AGA QUARTER=
*POWER RANKINGS*

1. Aga Radwanska, POL... Radwanska, a former Wimbledon girls champ, hasn't made it a secret how much she loves and wants to win Wimbledon. In 2012, she came within a set of the title and the #1 ranking against Serena Williams in the final. Last year, after The Radwanskian Massacre (June 26th -- mark your calendars to take part in proper observances for the fallen) had seemingly cleared a path to victory, Aga went out in a 9-7 3rd set in the SF against Sabine Lisicki, and was none to happy about it, either. Ever since, it's as if she's been half a player, capable of her usual wizardry, but without a closing push to finish the week's job. Case in point: her destruction of Vika Azarenka in that 6-0 3rd set in Melbourne, then a barely-there loss a round later. Have lingering injuries and a lack of power caused the slip, or is it something more? Has she been carrying SW19's 2013 disappointment with her for twelve months, waiting for the chance to exorcise her demons at the All-England Club over the next two weeks and make things right in the Radwanskian world? Hmmm, it'd be nice if things were laced with such hidden meaning and a redemptive character arc, huh? Maybe it will turn out to be just that way, too. We shall see.
2. Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL... ah, how fitting. Any talk of The Rad will also have to include references to The Pironkova in this quarter. The Bulgarian has been a monster in slams, especially on the grass (twice def. Venus at SW19, and reaching the semifinals in '10), but mostly a mouse elsewhere. She won a title in Week 1 this year, though. Back on form, she's barely been heard from since, so another Wimbledon run would arrive right on schedule. Pironkova could face two seeds (#14 Errani, #22 Makarova) before a possible "Monster Movie" face-off with Radwanska in the Round of 16.
3. Victoria Azarenka, BLR

...talk about an aberration -- Vika is very quietly heading into this slam. Of course, that's mostly due to missing many months with a foot injury and having not won a match since the AO in January (then lost to Aga a round later, hmmm), and that she exited early last year after withdrawing in the 2nd Round after injuring her knee in her first match. In other words -- no expectations. Seeded all the way down at #8, Azarenka will be fortunate to slip through the first week, trying to get match tough for possible big matches that could come early in the second week if she makes it that far. She's actually got a pretty good draw and could very easily -- maybe even without having to extend herself TOO far, depending on what we get from Garbine Muguruza on the grass -- find herself suddenly in the QF playing Radwanska again. Still, no matter what happens, this tournament is probably rightly to be seen as a warm-up for the North American hard court season. A healthy exit and a match win or two would be enough to make this Wimbledon a success. Anything else is a gift.
THE BRACKET BUSTER: Garbine Muguruza, ESP or Coco Vandweghe, USA... Muguruza has proven to be a big stage player at this year's slams. Her big hitting would seem to play well on the grass (her serve not so much), but she has little grass court experience. Vandeweghe just won her first tour title in the Netherlands. They play each other in an intriguing 1st Round match, with the winner potentially being on a collision course with a version of Vika (3rd Rd.) that no one is certain about. A QF result (another one, in Garbi's case) might be there for the taking... and with the gang of veterans, overachievers and underachievers in the final quarter having knocked each other around for five rounds before the semifinals, maybe even more than that.
THE WILD CARD: Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS... Sveta, Sveta, burning bright. Or not. She's reached the QF three times at SW19, but not since 2007. She faces Russian killer (Sharapova, '13 2nd Rd.) Michelle Larcher de Brito in the 1st Round, then maybe Nottingham champ Jarmila Gajdosova and Aga Radwanska after that. Not an easy route, by any means, but Kuznetsova in the right fame of mind could certainly find her way through. Or not. It's best just to sit back and let Sveta do as Sveta does, for better or for worse.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS: Dominika Cibulkova, SVK... the AO runner-up has sort of slipped off the radar in recent weeks, having won just two of her last seven matches. She faces qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak in the 1st Round, and could contend for "First Seed Out."
THE POOR SOUL: Sara Errani, ITA... she's great on clay, and underrated on hard courts. Errani isn't a grass court player, though. If she gets past Caroline Garcia in the 1st Round, The Pironkova will get her in the 2nd.
=In the End...=
Oh, this one could be fun -- a Monster Mash with Vika the Elvira-esque hostess of the festivities. Screams will most assuredly ensue. Of course, it should be noted that before her RU and SF runs at Wimbledon the last two years Aga lost her opening match in the final pre-SW19 tune-up event. Guess what she did this week.

=LI QUARTER=
*POWER RANKINGS*

1.~~Petra Kvitova, CZE~~... should be, would be, could be. But can't be. How a player can go from where Kvitova was in 2011 to where she is now is almost mind-boggling. Where greatness was once a given, disaster is expected these days. This quarter is a total crap shoot, and one that in 2012 would have seemed a breeze for the Czech to win. Now it'd be no shock -- especially after suffering a hamstring injury this past week -- to see her lose in the 1st (Hlavackova), 2nd (Barthel) or surely 3rd Round (Venus). Her last four Wimbledon results are SF-W-QF-QF, so maybe she'll hold it together. Nope, I can't believe it'll happen either... not until it does again, IF it ever does. Oh, Petra.
1. Li Na, CHN... her results are all over the place at SW19. Three QF, but three 2nd Round exits, too. It's conceivable she could reach the SF without facing a Top 10 seed, and maybe even the final. But can the AO champ be consistent enough on the grass to not flame out? I WANT to say "yes," but after originally picking her to win this quarter I'm feeling myself getting itchy just thinking about it. Truth is, I'm not sure I can hold out until the end of this preview without totally changing my mind.
2. Sloane Stephens, USA... since reaching the semifinals at last year's Australian Open, she hasn't matched the result. Not just in a slam, but anywhere. Meanwhile, players from her generation are winning titles left and right, including a pair of fellow Bannerettes this weekend before the start of Wimbledon. Is there a breaking point where this flips the switch in Stephens' mind and turns her into the competitor so many of her 21-and-under counterparts seem to be? She reached the QF at last year's Wimbledon, and this draw, while it's filled with "big names" has more holes for someone like Stephens, at her best in the slams, to slip through than the other three quarters combined. If there be a place for a young Stephens to take a stand for her career, this Wimbledon provides a perfect opportunity.
THE BRACKET BUSTER: Venus Williams, USA... meanwhile, also in the mix. The Sjogren's makes picking Venus to do anything other than win a match or two seem like a fantasy world situation. But, again, the opportunity is there. Kvitova in the 3rd Round would be a mighty mountain to climb... but not like it would have been two seasons ago.
THE WILD CARD: Flavia Pennetta, ITA... a year ago, the Italian was contemplating retirement. Then she reached the 4th Round at Wimbledon, and the rest is history. So, this is a homecoming to celebrate a result that made Pennetta's U.S. Open semifinal and Indian Wells title possible. She could have some fun ON the court, as well. She plays a free-falling Jana Cepelova first, then gets her initial test against the Lauren Davis/Alisa Kleybanova winner. After that, Stephens and even bigger names would likely pop up. But if Pennetta can get on a roll, she might just find herself playing for another slam SF berth.
DON'T COUNT HER CHICKENS: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN... the keeping-busy Dane has seemingly been comfortably tackling the post-WoziRoy era off the court, and been just a tad more adventurous on it, as well. She's not in a BAD spot in the draw, and really should reach the Round of 16, and maybe face off with Li for a Final 8 berth. But Wimbledon is the only slam where she's yet to reach a QF.
THE POOR SOUL: Sam Stosur, AUS... it's a real debate to determine which is Stosur's worst slam -- the Australian or Wimbledon. The power of pressure, or the kick-serve deadening grass? Well, at least she's reached the Round of 16 twice in Melbourne. She's never done it in London. If she survives Yanina Wickmayer and Marina Erakovic or Ana Konjuh in the early rounds, she won't likely do the same when it comes to some combination of Wozniacki, Li, Vesnina or Kudryavtseva in the next two rounds.
=In the End...=
This one has "shocking semifinalist" written all over it. Kvitova, though it should be embarrassing for her be considered a surprise (yet, still)? Venus, for old time's sake? Flavia? Caro? Gulp, Sloane, showing some "yes-I-know-I'm-falling-behind-everyone-in-my-generation, so-take-a-look-at-the-size-of-this" backbone? I SHOULD be picking Li... but I think I might feel like rolling the dice.

As always at the slams, Anabel Medina-Garrigues' time in the draw has an expiration date stamped on its forehead. At the 2014 edition of Wimbledon, well, that date never existed in the first place.

After losing in qualifying at Roland Garros to Tereza Smitkova, AMG's streak of appearances in consecutive slam main draws ended at forty-one. The Spanish vet wasn't ranked high enough to be automatically included in the singles draw at Wimbledon, the slam at which she's performed the worst over the course of her career, and she didn't participate in the qualifying rounds, either. So, this Wimbledon will be the first slam at which she played no singles matches since 2003, also at SW19.

The 31-year old will be playing doubles, though. She and Yaroslava Shvedova are the #12 seeds.

Usually, this would be were I'd be obliged to once again note that AMG is STILL linked in history with Anna Smashnova as the only players to ever win double-digit WTA singles titles but never reach a slam Final 8. But not this year. Well, sorta kinda.

Either way, keep on fighting the good fight, AMG.

**WIMBLEDON #1 SEEDS SINCE 2002**
2002 Venus Williams, USA (RU)
2003 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2004 Serena Williams, USA (RU)
2005 Lindsay Davenport, USA (RU)
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA (W)
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA

*RECENT WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALISTS*
2007 Venus Williams (W), Marion Bartoli (RU), Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic
2008 Venus Williams (W), Serena Williams (RU), Elena Dementieva, Zheng Jie
2009 Serena Williams (W), Venus Williams (RU), Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina
2010 Serena Williams (W), Vera Zvonareva (RU), Petra Kvitova, Tsvetana Pironkova
2011 Petra Kvitova (W), Maria Sharapova (RU), Victoria Azarenka, Sabine Lisicki
2012 Serena Williams (W), Agnieszka Radwanska (RU), Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber
2013 Marion Bartoli (W), Sabine Lisicki (RU), Agnieszka Radwanska, Kirsten Flipkens

**LOW-SEEDED WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALISTS - Open Era**
unseeded - Ann Jones, 1968
unseeded - Rosie Casals, 1969
unseeded - Francoise Durr, 1970
unseeded - Judy Dalton, 1971
unseeded - Yvonne Vermaak, 1983
unseeded - Catarina Lindqvist, 1989
unseeded - Gigi Fernandez, 1994
unseeded - Lori McNeil, 1994
unseeded - Meredith McGrath, 1996
unseeded - Anna Kournikova, 1997
unseeded - Natasha Zvereva, 1998
qualifier - Alexandra Stevenson, 1999
unseeded - Mirjana Lucic, 1999
unseeded - Jelena Dokic, 2000
wild card - Zheng Jie, 2008
unseeded - Petra Kvitova, 2010
unseeded - Tsvetana Pironkova, 2010
wild card - Sabine Lisicki, 2011
#23 - Sabine Lisicki, 2013 (RU)
#23 - Venus Williams, 2007 (W)
#21 - Vera Zvonareva, 2010 (RU)
#20 - Kirsten Flipkens, 2013
#18 - Marion Bartoli, 2007 (RU)
#16 - Nathalie Tauziat, 1998 (RU)
#16 - Kathy Rinaldi, 1985
#15 - Marion Bartoli, 2013 (W)
#14 - Venus Williams, 2005 (W)
#13 - Maria Sharapova, 2004 (W)
#12 - Billie Jean King, 1982
#12 - Kimiko Date, 1996
#11 - Bettina Bunge, 1982
#10 - Billie Jean King, 1983
#10 - Gabriela Sabatini, 1986

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS FINALS - since 2002*
2002 Vera Dushevina/RUS def. Maria Sharapova/RUS
2003 Kirsten Flipkens/BEL def. Anna Chakvetadze/RUS
2004 Kateryna Bondarenko/UKR def. Ana Ivanovic/SRB
2005 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL def. Tamira Paszek/AUT
2006 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN def. Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK
2007 Urszula Radwanska/POL def. Madison Brengle/USA
2008 Laura Robson/GBR def. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA
2009 Noppawan Lertcheewakarn/THA def. Kristina Mladenovic/FRA
2010 Kristyna Pliskova/CZE def. Sachie Ishizu/JPN
2011 Ashleigh Barty/AUS def. Irina Khromacheva/RUS
2012 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN def. Elina Svitolina/UKR
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI def. Taylor Townsend/USA

**FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AT WIMBLEDON**
[Open Era]
1968 Billie Jean King, USA
1978 Martina Navratilova, TCH (CZE)
1994 Conchita Martinez, ESP
1998 Jana Novotna, CZE
2000 Venus Williams, USA
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2013 Marion Bartoli, FRA

*ACTIVE PLAYERS - FIRST SLAM FINAL*
1997 U.S. Open - Venus Williams
1999 U.S. Open - Serena Williams (W)
2004 Wimbledon - Maria Sharapova (W)
2004 U.S. Open - Svetlana Kuznetsova (W)
2007 Roland Garros - Ana Ivanovic
2008 U.S. Open - Jelena Jankovic
2009 U.S. Open - Caroline Wozniacki
2010 Roland Garros - Francesca Schiavone (W)
2010 Roland Garros - Samantha Stosur
2010 Wimbledon - Vera Zvonareva
2011 Australian Open - Li Na
2011 Wimbledon - Petra Kvitova (W)
2012 Australian Open - Victoria Azarenka (W)
2012 Roland Garros - Sara Errani
2012 Wimbledon - Agnieszka Radwanska
2014 Australian Open - Dominika Cibulkova
2014 Roland Garros - Simona Halep

*RUSSIAN WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALISTS*
1974 Olga Morozova (RU) - USSR
1997 Anna Kournikova
2004 Maria Sharapova (W)
2005 Maria Sharapova
2006 Maria Sharapova
2008 Elena Dementieva
2009 Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina
2010 Vera Zvonareva (RU)
2011 Maria Sharapova (RU)

**RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS**
2013 AO: Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 RG: Serena Williams, USA
2013 WI: Marion Bartoli, FRA
2013 US: Serena Williams, USA
2014 AO: Li Na, CHN
2014 RG: Maria Sharapova, RUS

*CAREER WIMBLEDON FINALS - OPEN ERA*
9...Martina Navratilova
7...Steffi Graf
5...Serena Williams
5...Venus Williams
4...Billie Jean King (+2 pre-Open era)
3...Chris Evert

*WIMBLEDON FINALS - ACTIVE*
8...Venus Williams (5-3)
7...Serena Williams (5-2)
2...Maria Sharapova (1-1)
1...Petra Kvitova (1-0)
1...Sabine Lisicki (0-1)
1...Agnieszka Radwanska (0-1)
1...Vera Zvonareva (0-1)

*WIMBLEDON MATCH WINS - OPEN ERA*
120...Martina Navratilova
96...Chris Evert
74...Steffi Graf
71...Venus Williams *
70...Serena Williams *

*SLAM MATCH WINS - OPEN ERA*
306...Martina Navratilova
299...Chris Evert
278...Steffi Graf
250...Serena Williams *
216...Venus Williams *
210...Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
198...Lindsay Davenport
180...Monica Seles
174...Conchita Martinez
164...Gabriela Sabatini
159...Maria Sharapova *

**BEST WIMBLEDON GIRLS/LADIES RESULTS**
[won Girls & Ladies titles]
Martina Hingis (1994 Junior champion; 1997 Ladies champion)
Amelie Mauresmo (1996 Junior champion; 2006 Ladies champion)
[others]
Martina Navratilova - 1973 Junior RU; 9-time Ladies champion
Hana Mandlikova - 1978 Junior RU; 1981 &'86 Ladies RU
Zina Garrison - 1981 Junior champion; 1990 Ladies RU
Maria Sharapova - 2002 Junior RU; 2004 Ladies champion
Agnieszka Radwanska - 2005 Junior champion; 2012 Ladies RU

*BACK-TO-BACK RG/WIMB WOMEN'S TITLES - OPEN ERA*
1970 Margaret Smith-Court
1971 Evonne Goolagong
1972 Billie Jean King
1974 Chris Evert
1982 Martina Navratilova
1984 Martina Navratilova
1988 Steffi Graf
1993 Steffi Graf
1995 Steffi Graf
1996 Steffi Graf
2002 Serena Williams

To live in Serena Land, or not to live in Serena Land? That is the question. Still not sure which I'm "officially" going to prefer, so I'm stradding the border for now. Still, naturally, in SL a Williams is Queen for the 18th time.

Meanwhile, in the SFZ...

=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#13 Bouchard d. A.Schmiedlova
#9 Kerber d. Giorgi
#3 Halep d. #15 Suarez-Navarro
#19 Lisicki d. Keys
#8 Azarenka d. (Q) Wozniak
#4 A.Radwanska d. Pironkova
#18 Stephens d. #30 V.Williams
#2 Li d. #16 Wozniacki

...injury questions concerning Halep, Lisicki, Azarenka and Kvitova (and Venus, for various reasons) could turn everything here on its head. Meanwhile, it's a slam, so Current Sloane stands a good chance of outdistancing her seed.

Also, considering her name is nowhere to be seen, I guess I'm not exactly thinking that Maria will be meeting an adoring press on the final Saturday like she did in Paris.

But, hey, if Serena falls out early again, as she did at Roland Garros and makes Wimbledon a SFZ, who knows?

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#13 Bouchard d. #9 Kerber
#19 Lisicki d. #3 Halep
#4 A.Radwanska d. #8 Azarenka
#18 Stephens d. #2 Li

...last year's semifinals included the #15, #20, and #23 seeds, so this is nothing, really. I've made my peace with these three double-digit seed picks (even Sloane... rolls eyes), but it's a little difficult to swallow not pushing Halep through to the final four. Oh, well.

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#13 Bouchard d. #19 Lisicki
#4 A.Radwanska d. #18 Stephens

...all right, I couldn't resist the Bouchard/Sharapova direct line thingee. I can't help it. Still, I avoided going with a "tangy" Team Genie/Team Sloane final, and even a rematch of the "Non-Handshake" semifinal from '13 between Aga & Lisicki. So, there's that.

=FINAL PREDICTION=
~~#1 S.Williams d. #4 A.Radwanska~~
#4 A.Radwanska d. #13 Bouchard

...And I'll stick with this as my -- Tennis Gods help me -- "official" pick. It's weird visiting this unchartered territory. I haven't been here for a while.

Really, though, I could go with the smart, but boring, pick of Serena. But after having my best-ever prediction season in 2013, I've been putting up worst-ever numbers in 2014 (perfect example: a week after I picked Madison Keys to win her first career title in Birmingham, only to see her lose in the 1st Round, she goes to Eastbourne and wins her maiden singles crown there THIS weekend... naturally). So why not go with something at least a little more interesting, right? After all, I still think my best slam pick was picking Sharapova to reach the Wimbledon final in 2004, even if she actually did BETTER than I predicted. Plus, it ties together my Week 25 title picks of Radwanska and Bouchard (who went a combined 0-2 this past week). Maybe Keys' week-too-late win was a sign from the TG's? They ARE sneaky.

Thus, it's Aga... making the past year of post-'13 SW19 disappointment, for lack of a better term, "worth it."Now, Aga, don't say I've never given you anything.

~~Hmmm, considering how these picks have gone this season, maybe I should go ahead and congratulate Serena on major title #18 right now, huh?~~

*MEN*
=ROUND OF 16 PREDICTIONS=
#1 Djokovic d. #14 Tsonga
#18 Verdasco d. #26 Cilic
#3 Murray d. #20 Anderson
#11 Dimitrov d. Brown
#5 Wawrinka d. #9 Isner
#4 Federer d. Hewitt
#8 Raonic d. #10 Nishikori
#13 Gasquet d. #29 Karlovic

...Nadal has won one match at SW19 since his fifth final appearance (winning two) in six years in 2011. Don't know where or why it might happen, but I'll go with another early exit on the grass.

=QUARTERFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#1 Djokovic d. #18 Verdasco
#11 Dimitrov d. #3 Murray
#4 Federer d. #5 Wawrinka
#8 Raonic d. #13 Gasquet

...the changing of the guard is nearly complete.

=SEMIFINAL PREDICTIONS=
#11 Dimitrov d. #1 Djokovic
#8 Raonic d. #4 Federer

...and then it happens in historic fashion. Why not roll the dice here, too, right?

=FINAL PREDICTION=
#11 Dimitrov d. #8 Raonic

...a new era for the ATP, or just a momentary foreshadowing of the 2016-20 seasons? At least Maria will be able to cheer on the final weekend.

All for now. Day 1 -- and the Daily Backspin -- awaits, as well as a quick Week 25 recap.

The Bannerettes continue to charge. Well, most of them, anyway.

One never knows what will happen with the current generation of American players over the course of time. But, make no mistake, the U.S. prospects for honest-to-goodness life AFTER the Williams Sisters looks better right now than it, well, ever has.

While the Sisters have contributed to the numbers, after so many years of little-to-no success from anyone not named Venus or Serena, it sort of makes one do a double-take when you sneak a look at some of the stats being put up by the collective group of Bannerettes (the Williams Sisters and the NextGen) through the first six months of 2014.

No nation has produced more single titles this season than the U.S.'s six, nor has as many finalists (8) or semifinalists (15). The youngest player in the Top 50 is American, and there have already been more first-time singles champions from the U.S. this year than in any season since the start of the "Williams Era." There are six Americans ranked in the Top 50, more than the number of players from Russia, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic or any other nation, for that matter. Why, it's like we've taken a trip in a time machine back a decade, or two. Or three.

The maiden title-winning runs this weekend by Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe marks the first time two U.S. players won titles in the same week since February 2002 (Venus & Monica Seles). The last time a Williams wasn't involved in such a feat was October 2001 (Lindsay Davenport & Seles), and to see first hand a pair of U.S. weekly winners who were both born on American soil you'd have to take a trip back to January 1999 (Davenport & Chanda Rubin). Serena was 17 at the time, and still nearly eight months away from winning her first slam singles title at the U.S. Open.

All those numbers might not mean a GREAT DEAL in the long run, but they certainly mean SOMETHING in the short run.

Makes you think that Mary Joe Fernandez can't possibly manage to continue to mismanage the U.S. Fed Cup team for the next few years, doesn't it? Hmmm. Well, we'll cross that bridge if and when it actually gets constructed, I guess.

*WEEK 25 CHAMPIONS*
EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND (Premier $710K/Grass)
S: Madison Keys/USA def. Angelique Kerber/GER 6-3/3-6/7-5
D: HC.Chan/YJ.Chan (TPE/TPE) d. Hingis/Pennetta (SUI/ITA) 6-3/5-7 [10-7]
's-HERTOGENBOSCH, NETHERLANDS (Int'l $250K/Grass)
S: Coco Vandeweghe/USA def. Zheng Jie/CHN 6-2/6-4
D: Erakovic/Parra-Santonja (NZL/ESP) d. Krajicek/Mladenovic (NED/FRA) 0-6/7-6(5) [10-8]

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:Madison Keys/USA

...Team Madison is printing up membership cards as we speak. In a fashion quite contrary to her contrarian Current countrywoman, Keys is proving to be a quick learner intent on building one good result upon another. Last season, Keys was the second-youngest player in the Top 100, and ended the season with her first tour-level SF result in Osaka, finishing '13 just inside the Top 40 after beginning the season at #149. But even with a ton of promise and a slew of booming shots at her disposal, Keys didn't know how to win. Keys lost quite a few winnable matches against name players last year and in the early months of '14, but ever since her stick-to-it three-hour melodrama against Alize Cornet in Fed Cup play this spring, the Bannerette has been able to find ways to win matches that might have slipped away from her in the past. Not giving up when things get tight, as Keys learned against Cornet, who went from seemingly about to win the match to getting injured and seeing her efforts come apart at the seams, is a nice trait to possess. In Eastbourne, the 19-year old knocked off two Top 10ers (Jankovic, then Kerber in the final), the defending champ (Vesnina), a Brit playing in England (Watson) and even one of her countrywomen (Davis) while adding her name to the growing list of first-time finalists and first-time singles title winners in 2014, losing just one of ten sets (in the final) all week long. Keys, the youngest player in the Top 50, will assume a new career-high ranking (somewhere around #30-33) as Wimbledon begins on Monday.
=============================
RISERS:Angelique Kerber/GER & Camila Giorgi/ITA
...Kerber had quite a week in Eastbourne, even if, as usual, it didn't have the sort of ending she would have preferred. In all, the German played a trio of three-setters in her five rounds of action and appeared in her third final of '14. She eliminated grasscourt-proficient Alison Riske, came back from match point down to defeat Alize Cornet, then followed up with wins over '10 Eastbourne champ Ekaterina Makarova and '09 winner Caroline Wozniacki. She battled Madison Keys deep into the 3rd set in the final, saving three match points on serve in a five-deuce game before the American finally broke her to end the match and avoid a title-deciding tie-break. Kerber is now 3-8 in career tour singles finals, and has lost to two first-time singles finalists (Pironkova and Keys) this season. Also in Eastbourne, Giorgi put a quick end in the 1st Round to Vika Azarenka's comeback, notching her third Top 10 win of '14 with strong play down the stretch in the 3rd set. She also came back from match point down to defeat Brit Johanna Konta in the 2nd Round before losing in three sets to Caroline Wozniacki in QF.
=============================
SURPRISES:Chan Hao-Ching/Chan Yung-Jan (TPE/TPE)

...the Chan sisters simply tore it up in Eastbourne, taking out Birmingham champs Kops-Jones/Spears, #3-seeded Black/Mirza, #1-seeded Errani/Vinci and Hingis/Pennetta in the final. It's their second tour-level title as a duo (they're just the third sibling duo with multiple WTA titles). Yung-Jan has now collected twelve crowns in her career, while Hao-Ching has four, with two coming this season.
=============================
VETERANS:Zheng Jie/CHN & Martina Hingis/Flavia Pennetta (SUI/ITA)
...an adept grass court player, and 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist as a wild card, 30-year old Zheng came into Week 25 having never reached a tour-level singles final on grass (though she did win the '06 doubles crown at Wimbledon). But wins over Monica Puig, Carla Suarez-Navarro (ret.), Elina Svitolina and Magdalena Rybarikova in 's-Hertogenbosch gave her the chance to join Li Na as the only Chinese players to complete a career surface slam. But her straight sets loss to the thunder-serving Vandeweghe put an end to such thoughts. Still hanging around, but well under the radar these days, Zheng has only won one singles title ('12 Auckland) since 2006. Meanwhile, in Eastbourne, 33-year old Hingis and 32-year old Pennetta nearly put on a remarkable comeback to grab the title there, erasing a set and 5-1 (and 3 MP) deficit before losing in a match tie-break to the Chans. Still, the pair got previous wins over #2-seeded Peschke/Srebotnik, #4 Makarova/Vesnina and Huber/Raymond, and it now seems as if Hingis is a bit more committed to staying on the doubles circuit than she seemed a year ago. Remember, after little success in '13 with Daniela Hantuchova, the former singles and doubles #1 hinted at yet another retirement, but then returned to play with (now former) pupil Sabine Lisicki, winning the Miami title. Last week she was accepted into the Wimbledon doubles draw as a wild card entry with Vera Zvonareva.
=============================
COMEBACKS:Caroline Wozniacki/DEN & Heather Watson/GBR
...hmmm, maybe Caro should go through a break-up more often? Whatever the reason, the Dane seems to be a bit more focused on her tennis recently, and it's paying off. She strung together nice wins over Sam Stosur, Sloane Stephens and Camila Giorgi in Eastbourne before going out in three sets against Kerber in the semifinals. Sure, she's now 0-3 in semis this season, and her mark against Top 10 players isn't really improved at all, but she heads to SW19 as a dark horse candidate for a second week run as the #16 seed. She seems to be EVERYWHERE, with EVERYONE, off the court, too. Why, she's even learning to be a pizza maker:

Maybe Wozniacki should should talk to Sharapova to get some business ideas. Hmmm... "Caro's Homemade Pizza Kitchen" has a nice ring to it.

Meanwhile, sure, Watson got a nice assist when Petra Kvitova's hamstring injury gave the Brit a walkover through to the semifinals, her first since her pre-illness title run in Osaka in October '12, but who is she to turn down such an offer? Why, that'd be like saying "no" to a free slice of "Caro's Homemade Pizza." Plus, Watson put up additional grass court wins over Tsvetana Pironkova and Flavia Pennetta, and that's not chopped liver. Chopped liver... something you'd never see on a pie from "Caro's Homemade Pizza Kitchen." Well, unless she's up for special orders. Now THAT'S an idea! Quck -- get Maria's number!
=============================
FRESH FACES:Coco Vandeweghe/USA & Lauren Davis/USA

...in 2012, six-foot-one Vandeweghe, one of the few players on tour who can literally stand up to the likes of a Sharapova and Venus, put on a remarkable run as a Lucky Loser in Stanford, advancing all the way to her first WTA final before losing to Serena Williams, Last week in 's-Hertogenbosch, with Williams nowhere to be seen, the 22-year old Bannerette once again went the long way around to reach her second tour-level final. She wasn't a LL this time, but a qualifier. By Saturday night, she'd won seven straight matches, dropping just two sets (to Mladenovic in qualifying, then Erakovic in the 1st Rd.) all week while firing eighty-one total aces (19 vs. Erakovic alone) while taking out a string of former tour singles titlists (Erakovic, King, Muguruza, Koukalova and Zheng). In the final against Zheng, Vandeweghe won twenty-seven of twenty-eight 1st serve points. Standing nearly a foot shorter than Coco, countrywoman Davis continued her great recent run. After making it through qualifying in Eastbourne, her second successful Q-run in as many weeks, she knocked off Sara Errani and Daniela Hantuchova to reach the QF. A week ago, she got wins over soon-to-be Wimbledon qualifiers Tamira Paszek and Vicky Duval.
=============================
DOWN:Jana Cepelova/SVK
...oh, the Slovak has fallen into the trap that often ensnares young players. Ever since that amazing run to the Charleston final in the spring, she's fallen on hard times. Her 1st Round loss to Michaella Krajicek in Rosmalen is her fifth straight defeat. She's 1-8 since defeating Belinda Bencic in the Charleston semis. She faces Flavia Pennetta in the 1st Round at Wimbledon.
=============================
ITF PLAYER:Elizaveta Kulichkova/RUS
...the 18-year old Hordette who swept the Australian Open singles and doubles junior titles has successfully moved onto the professional circuit, winning her fourth career challenger crown at the $25K clay event in Lenzerheide, Switzerland this weekend. She defeated 18-year old American Louisa Chirico, who was going for her second straight ITF win, in the final,
=============================
JUNIOR STAR:Jelena Ostapenko/LAT
...the grass court Gerry Weber Junior Open event was cancelled this year, so I'll have to go with the 17-year old. She hasn't played much on the junior circuit in '14 -- and when she has, she hasn't faired well, causing me to "waste" back-to-back junior slam picks, by the way (not that I'm bitter or anything). In the $25K clay challenger in Ystad, Sweden, Ostapenko got wins over Alice Balducci and Ysaline Bonaventure before losing in the semifinals to Poland's Sandra Zaniewska, preventing the Latvian from having the chance to add to her 13-0 career record in ITF finals.
=============================

1. Eastbourne Final - Keys d. Kerber
...6-3/3-6/7-5. Keys fired 17 aces, winning on her fourth match point, to become the eleventh first-time champ through the first twenty-five weeks of the 2014 season. Nine of them have been 22-years old or younger. Maybe Paul Annacone should have Current Sloane watch a few of Keys' recent matches if she wants to possibly add her name to a list that will surely be a dozen names-long pretty soon.
=============================
2. Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Keys d. Vesnina
...7-5/7-6(9). Keys saved set point in the 2nd, and won on her fourth MP against the defending champ.
=============================
3. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Kvitova d. Safarova
...6-1/5-7/7-6(4). It says something about Kvitova that her highlight of the week was barely scraping out a victory in a match in which she served up 6-1/5-4 and held a match point, only to be forced to three sets. There, she led 3-1, served at 6-5 and held two more match points, but was forced to a tie-break. She trailed 4-2 there, but won the last five points to advance... only to pull out before the QF with a hamstring injury. Oh, Petra.
=============================
4. Neth Final - Vandweghe d. J.Zheng
...6-2/6-4. Hmmm, 27/28 points won on her 1st serve? That sort of game could be interesting at the All-England Club. At the very least, Coco should try to team up with John Isner for Mixed Doubles. NO ONE would want to face that all-match serving barrage.
=============================
5. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Giorgi d. Azarenka 4-6/6-3/7-5
Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Giorgi d. Konta 1-6/7-5/7-5
...Giorgi picked up some pretty good match toughness in Eastbourne, overcoming Vika by breaking her on her fourth BP of the game for 6-5 in the 3rd set to end a nine-deuce game in which the Belarusian held seven game points. A round later, the Italian saved a MP at 5-4 in the 3rd against Konta.
=============================
6. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Keys d. Jankovic 6-3/6-3
Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Wozniacki d. Stephens 6-3/6-3
...we could see both of these match-ups again in the 3rd Round at Wimbledon.
=============================
7. Neth 1st Rd. - J.Zheng d. Puig
...6-4/7-5. Puig is taking it on the chin from Asian vets. Last week she lost to Kimiko Date-Krumm in Birmingham.
=============================
8. Eastbourne 2nd Rd. - Kerber d. Cornet
...7-5/1-6/7-6(4). Would it belaboring the point to note that Kerber was able to beat Cornet despite the Pastry holding two MP at 5-4 in the 3rd, but couldn't take out Keys -- who outlasted Cornet in that key Fed Cup match -- in the three-set final? Just wondering.
=============================
HM- Neth 2nd Rd. - Beck d. Halep
...5-7/3-2 ret. This time, it was a shoulder/wrist that took Halep out right before a slam. She says she's okay for SW19. I guess at this point we have to take her world for it.
=============================

Meanwhile, Genie Bouchard didn't fret her opening match exit in Rosmalen. Same with Vika concerning her loss in Eastbourne. Well, unless the dueling "model faces" really mean, "Ouch, that loss hurt." Yeah, didn't think so.

1. Eastbourne Final - Chan Hao-Ching/Chan Yung-Jan d. Hingis/Pennetta
...6-3/5-7/10-7. The Chans let slip a 6-3/5-1 lead and four match points, but still celebrated in the end.
=============================
2. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Pavlyuchenkova d. Aga Radwanska
...6-4/3-6/7-6(4). Of note: this is the third straight year that A-Rad has lost the opening match in her pre-Wimbledon tune-up event. She reached the final and semifinals at SW19 the last two years.
=============================
3. Neth 1st Rd. - Michaella Krajicek d. Cepelova 6-3/4-6/6-1
Neth Doubles Final - Erakovic/Parra-Santonya d. Michaella Krajicek/Mladenovic 0-6/7-6(5)/10-8
...Michaella probably won't remember last week for this singles win, nor the blown 6-0/5-2 (w/ 3 MP) lead in the doubles final. ATP player Martin Emmrich's on-court proposal sort of stole the show.

Of course, the same can't be said of Mladenovic, who has now lost '14 finals with three different partners, and has now gone out in back-to-back events (3 MP vs. Barty/Dellacqua in Birmingham) in which her team held MP in eventual doubles losses.
=============================
HM- $10K Galati ROU Doubles Final - Hristea/Tig d. Maryna Kolb/Nadiya Kolb
...6-3/6-1. Yep, another all-sister Ukrainian doubles duo, joining the likes of the Bondarenkos and Kichenoks. Here, it's 21-year old Nadiya and her 17-year old sis Maryna. I guess they grow them in pairs in Ukraine.
=============================

...really, there's not much I could say about this one that would enhance the image at all. Well, maybe other than, "Respect my authoritah!" (In full Cartman from "South Park" voice, of course.)

**2014 WTA FINALS - NORTH AMERICA/ATLANTIC**
3...Serena Williams, USA (3-0)
2...Venus Williams, USA (1-1)
1...Eugenie Bouchard, CAN (1-0)
1...MADISON KEYS, USA (1-0)
1...COCO VANDEWEGHE, USA (1-0)
1...Monica Puig, PUR (1-0)
1...Christina McHale, USA (0-1)

**QUALIFIERS IN 2014 FINALS**
Sydney - Tsvetana Pironkova (26, #107/BUL) -- def.Kerber
Hobart - Garbine Muguruza (20, #58/ESP) -- def.Zakopalova
Strasbourg- S.Soler-Espinosa (26, #118/ESP) - lost to Puig
's-Herto.- COCO VANDEWEGHE (22, #69/USA) - def.J.Zheng

**2014 WORST RECORDS - 2+ appearances**
[finals]
.000 - ANGELIQUE KERBER (0-3)
.000 - Sara Errani (0-2)
.000 - Karolina Pliskova (0-2)
.333 - Klara Koukalova (1-2)
.333 - Dominika Cibulkova (1-2)
.333 - Simona Halep (1-2)
[semifinals]
0-3...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
0-3...Zhang Shuai
0-2...Petra Kvitova
0-2...Christina McHale
0-1...Vania King (also w/ walkover loss)
1-4...Jelena Jankovic
1-4...Agnieszka Radwanska
1-3...Eugenie Bouchard

**MULTIPLE SINGLES CHAMPIONS in 2014**
4 USA - S.Williams,V.Williams,Keys,Vandeweghe
3 RUS - Makarova,Pavlyuchenkova,Sharapova
3 ESP - Muguruza,Suarez-Navarro,Torro-Flor
2 FRA - Cornet,Garcia
--
TOTAL NATIONS w/ CHAMPIONS: 16

**2014 LEADERS BY NATION**
[singles titles]
6...UNITED STATES
5...Russia
3...Serbia, Spain
2...China, France
[singles finals]
8...UNITED STATES
6...Czech Republic, Russia, Serbia
5...CHINA, Spain
4...GERMANY,Italy,Slovak Republic
3...France
[singles semifinals]
15...UNITED STATES
11...CZECH REPUBLIC
9...CHINA,Serbia,Russia
7...GERMANY, Spain

**U.S. PLAYERS w/ SINGLES TITLES in "WILLIAMS ERA"**
[since 1998]
98: Davenport,Seles,Snyder,V.Williams
99: Capriati,Davenport,Frazier,Morariu,Rubin,Seles,S.Williams,
V.Williams
00: Capriati,Davenport,Raymond,Rubin,Seles,Shaughnessy,
S.Williams,V.Williams
01: Capriati,Davenport,Seles,Shaughnessy,Tu,S.Williams,V.Williams
02: Capriati,Craybas,Raymond,Rubin,Seles,S.Williams,V.Williams
03: Davenport,Raymond,Rubin,Shaughnessy,S.Williams,V.Williams
04: Davenport,Frazier,S.Williams,V.Williams
05: Davenport,Frazier,S.Williams,V.Williams
06: King,Shaughnessy
07: Davenport,Shaughnessy,S.Williams,V.Williams
08: Davenport,S.Williams,V.Williams
09: S.Williams,V.Williams
10: S.Williams,V.Williams
11: S.Williams
12: Oudin,S.Williams,V.Williams
13: S.Williams
14: Keys,Vandeweghe,S.Williams,V.Williams

**DEF. TOP SEED & DEFENDING CHAMPION, DIDN'T WIN TITLE**
Bethanie Mattek-S./USA - Sydney [A.Radwanska in 2r] - QF
Garbine Muguruza/ESP - Roland Garros [S.Williams in 2r] - QF
ANNIKA BECK/GER - 's-Hertogenbosch [Halep ret. in 2r] - QF

**WTA ALL-SISTERS DOUBLES TITLES**
21...Serena & Venus Williams
3...Alona & Kateryna Bondarenko
2...CHAN HAO-CHING & YUNG-JAN
1...Chris & Jeanne Evert
1...Katerina Maleeva & Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere
1...Cammy & Cynthia MacGregor
1...Karolina & Kristyna Pliskova
1...Agnieszka & Urszula Radwanska
1...Adriana & Antonella Serra-Zanetta

...and, finally, a real head-scratcher. Why is it that certain oufits work perfectly well on the red carpet...

But once you take them off the carpet and onto the sidewalk, ummm, it looks like the Rads have made a drastic change in profession?

You know, as in "the world's oldest profession."

(Just kidding, of course.)

All for now. Daily Backspin begins tomorrow.

Of course, Day 1 at Wimbledon is traditionally when former grand slam champions return to the stage to bask in the glory of their past accomplishments. That happened in a big way today at the All-England Club.

Welcome back... Vika's white shorts.

Oh, yeah. And Sloane Stephens lost, too.

Since returning to the tour last week in Eastbourne after a multi-month absence, during which she admittedly had more alone time than she's used to while she tended to the foot injury that has kept her from experiencing a match win since the Round of 16 at the Australian Open, Victoria Azarenka hasn't yet quite gotten her match toughness in total working order. But she's getting there.

Last week, she lost her opening match to Camila Giorgi, failing to convert seven game points and being broken late in the 3rd set in a nine-deuce game. Things didn't get as hairy today against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, who, like Azarenka, is a former Wimbledon semifinalist (even if it was fifteen years ago), but it wasn't a breeze, either. And that's a good thing for the Belarusian, who seems genuinely happy to be back, both on and off court, and who is only just now starting to rebuild the game that saw her ranked seven spots higher than her current #9 just a few months ago. After winning the 1st set at 6-3, Azarenka fell behind 3-1 and 5-3 in the 2nd, with the Croat serving at 5-4 and holding four set points. But Azarenka -- the white shorts glistening in the sunshine just as during that fabled Australian Open title run of old -- held back the tide, closing the door, finally, on her fifth match point of the last game.

It's Azarenka's first win since defeating a certain Current version of a player back in Melbourne. You remember that match, right? The rematch of the "controversial" 2013 semifinal won by Vika. The match where, we were told, the even more Current version of that '13 player would extract "revenge." As it turned out, Azarenka followed up last year's 6-1/6-4 win with a nearly identical (or better) 6-3/6-2 victory.

Yeah, THAT match.

Well, we won't be getting a healthy third helping of that dish in London, for mighty Sloane Stephens has struck out.

Since reaching the AO semifinals a year ago, Stephens has weathered numerous media storms, but her biggest obstacle has been herself. Most of the media issues -- social and otherwise -- were of her own making, while she also seemed to buy into the "next champion" talk to a level where her ability to improve and build confidence through on-court success no longer matches her prospective potential. She's yet to reach another tour semifinal over the past eighteen months, but she at least had her slam consistency -- six straight Round of 16 or better results, the best on tour -- to fall back on whenever someone asked her questions about players who've won more matches (and titles) in, you know, "smaller tournaments."

Just two days after a pair of fellow Americans won their first career tour titles, Stephens was sure to be pressed in London about her lack of even an appearance in a final in her career. This season alone, eleven woman have been crowned first-time singles champions, and fellow North American Genie Bouchard matched Stephens' AO semifinal... then passed her in the rankings, won her own first title and reached ANOTHER slam semi in Paris two weeks ago. Placed in a quarter of the draw with a lot of big names, but no clear or consistent favorite, Stephens was presented with an opportunity to show that the heart and urgency that she's generally accused of NOT having was actually there to be tapped at just such a moment. After all, it's in moments like this that real champions step to the forefront.

But then today happened.

Granted, Stephens was playing Maria Kirilenko, a very good player who was in the Top 10 a year ago, but one who has missed many months since suffering a knee injury late last season. Since the Russian's return a few weeks ago, she hasn't been much of a factor anywhere, going 1-4. We'll find out in the next round or two whether or not Kirilenko is really back and healthy but, really, Stephens bears much of the brunt of the loss today.

Looking tentative and, imagine this, generally playing with little urgency or desire to prove herself on one of the big stages that she's always taken such public pride in thriving on, Stephens was in the thick of things in the early stages of the opening set, then dropped weak back-to-back service games to lose the 1st at 6-2. She dropped the final four games of the set. She went up a break at 4-2 in the 2nd, only to quickly give back the advantage.

Still, at 4-5, Stephens, for brief stretches, looked to be really to turn the match in her favor. But it turned out to be only an illusion.

After being forced to deuce after going up 40/love on serve, Stephens held for 5-5, then went up 30/love on serve two games later. Kirilenko got to match point, but Stephens' game picked up a bit as the Russian's nerves did the same. One of the American's shots hit a line on MP #2, then Kirilenko didn't fire a forehand winner down the line on a short ball that would have won the match, instead trying to place an angled crosscourt shot that went wide. Stephens held for 6-6 after saving five MP.

The notion that this match could be a make-or-break moment for Stephens' psyche was rampant, and for a while a good result for Future Sloane seemed to be at hand.

In the tie-break, Stephens took a 5-2 lead, then fired a huge backhand down the line to reach double set point at 6-4. But then Current Sloane won out, as Stephens wouldn't win another point in the match.

After failing to put away a short shot up the line that would have locked away the set, Stephens' hard crosscourt shot was half-volleyed by Kirilenko, who then took Stephens' response and lobbed it just over her racket for a winner that tied things at 6-6. A missed backhand gave Kirilenko her sixth MP. A poor high backhand volley that should have been easily put away for a winner instead allowed the Russian back into the next point. She fired back a shot, and Stephens' last-ditch stab volley attempt sailed out to end the 6-2/7-6(6) match.

And, just like that -- poof -- Stephens' Wimbledon was over just two hours after the start of play on Day 1. It's her worst slam result since her major debut at Roland Garros in 2011.

With some talented young players, you'd be tempted to say that a hugely disappointing loss such as this, after playing her best in past slams and on the heels of so much should-be-inspiring success from other players in her generation (and from her own nation) in recent months, this would be the moment from which focus would be born. Something bad would have the chance to be the "best thing that ever happened" to a career, putting an end to nonsense and righting a ship that has drifted off course after a promising launch.

Of course, for that scenario to be true, the player in question would have to have a competitive bone in her body. She'd have to REALLY want success, and be willing to put herself on the line to get it. Winning would have to be important, not just one of two possible results in any given match.

But we're talking about Stephens. We still haven't really seen any evidence that she's that sort of player. Not currently, at least... and maybe not in the future, either.

=DAY 1 NOTES=
...meanwhile, on the other end of the Bannerette age spectrum, 33-year old Venus Williams lined up for her seventeenth Wimbledon, but her first since 2012. Although it ultimately went three sets, her 1st Round match against Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor never really FELT like one of those sort of disheartening matches from Williams we've seen in recent years when defeat was knocking and she seemed incapable of barricading the door. Although, when Williams failed to challenge what appeared to be an ace while she was serving at deuce at 4-5 in the 2nd, only to lose that point and then drop the next to lose the set, memories of her not recognizing that she was the victim of poor score-keeping in that SW19 match against Karolina Sprem many years ago WOULD have been appropriate had Venus gone on to get into trouble in the 3rd set.

That didn't happen, though. Williams went up an early break and won 6-4/4-6/6-2 to grab her first win at the AELTC since 2011. It's her 72nd career Wimbledon match win, just two behind Steffi Graf for third all-time.

In other Venus news, her photo from the upcoming (July 11) ESPN the Magazine "Body Issue" has made its way to public view a few weeks early.

...at the start of play on Monday, there was a rather odd dynamic taking place with two of the first-up matches involving Russian doubles partners Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova. At one point, while Vesnina was leading Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-0/3-0, Makarova was simultaneously trailing Kimiko Date-Krumm 5-0. For a bit, it looked like their Hordettian (is that a word... even HERE?) moods were going to be very different when the doubles started in a few days.

Ah, but then things turned around. Vesnina didn't serve the Austrian another bagel, but she still coasted to a 6-0/6-4 victory to grab the First Winner honors, while Makarova slowly-but-surely turned her Titanic of a match around. Ultimately, it took 2:24, and a comeback from 3-1 down in the 3rd against the 43-year old, but the Russian won 3-6/6-4/7-5. Last year, at 42, KDK was the oldest player to reach the 3rd Round at Wimbledon in the Open era.

...as quickly as she packed things in at this Wimbledon, Stephens' fall wasn't as swift as that of another seed. #17 Sam Stosur, who just parted ways with another coach (Miles Maclagan), was the "First Seed Out." It was hardly surprisingly, really. The Aussie's game has never taken to the grass courts, even if many years ago -- when she was first making the move from a doubles-player-who-plays-singles to a singles-player-who-also-used-to-be-a-#1-doubles-player -- everyone tended to believe that the net play involved in doubles meant Stosur would be a good grasscourter. Umm, nope. She went out early in the day to Yanina Wickmayer (below).

...for a few moments, it looked like the "potential-shocking-semifinalist bottom quarter" of the draw might lose another big name not named Sloane, as #2 Li Na fell behind Polish qualifier Paula Kania in the 1st set. Kania served for the set at 5-4, but Li got the break and that was all she wrote. The AO champ won eight of nine games to serve for the match at 5-1 in the 2nd. After a short dip, she won 7-5/6-2.

Late in the day, barely a day after claiming her first career tour title in the Netherlands, Coco Vandeweghe won her eighth straight match, taking out Garbine Muguruza (who she beat in straight sets last week) in a crazy little match. The Bannerette won 6-3/3-6/7-5, following up her 81 aces of last week with 15 today. But that's just one stat of note. Coco converted just 3-of-24 break points, and failed to put away four match points at 5-4 in the 3rd. Then, in the final game, it took her NINE more match points for her to finally win... and she finally did it when the Spaniard ended the match with not one, but two, double-faults.

Still, the American is the sort of player that no one wants to play on a grass court right now. Vandeweghe could face Azarenka in the 3rd Round.

...elsewhere, Jana Cepelova's post-Charleston freefall continued, as she lost her sixth straight match when she was ousted by Flavia Pennetta, giving her a 1-9 record since reaching the final in South Carolina in April. After doing very little of note of in recent months, Dominika Cibukova wiped out qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1/6-2 in less than an hour today. Casey Dellacqua outlasted qualifying teen Anett Kontaveit, saving a match point in the 2nd set before winning a tie-break and then taking the 3rd set.

Oh, and Petra Kvitova handily took out Andrea Hlavackova 6-3/6-0. Of course, we know that might mean absolutely nothing a few days from now.

...with Laura Robson out injured (here, as well as at the U.S. Open... pretty much assuring that we likely won't see her on the court in any meaningful way until 2015), Heather Watson seemed to maybe be the only real shot for a few wins from a British woman in the singles draw. But wild card Naomi Broady put an end to those thoughts, taking out Timea Babos after finding herself just two points from a 1st Round defeat. Broady's 2-6/7-6(7)/6-0 win pretty well assures the Brits of avoiding winning yet another "Nation of Poor Souls" at this Wimbledon.

Johanna Konta lost today, but three more British woman are scheduled up for Day 2.

Broady wasn't the only wild card to get a win on Day 1, as Jarmila Gajdosova advanced. Qualifiers with Monday wins: Tereza Smitkova (this Czech is starting to become something to take note of, it seems... she faces Coco V. next) and 16-year old Ana Konjuh, the youngest player in the draw, who impressively wiped out Marina Erakovic with a 3rd set bagel.

...LIKE FROM DAY 1:

-- Shaq in the houuuuse! Hmmm, Shaquille O'Neal and tennis. I think I know where he can get an appropriately-sized racket that he can use:

Whoop-whoop! It's a two Vika pic day. It's gotta be the shortz.

..."Whoops" FROM DAY 1:

...Genie is a brazen one, isn't she? In a good way... at least when it comes to having the sort of attitude that should allow her to maximize her talent.

...oh, am I forgetting a certain Aga? Well, she didn't get to finish her match, as it was scheduled in the last batch of five women's matches to be played that were suspended on account of evening rain. The Pole's match saw just six games completed (she had a 4-2 lead over qualifier Andreea Mitu). So, now her schedule has been backed up.

Yes, Aga, that's what I said.

Hmmm, someone might have to pay for that. Uh-oh.

...yes! It's a THREE Vika pic day! Thank you, shorts.

...and, finally, you've got to hand it to Maria Sharapova and the Sugarpova marketeers. Everything seems to be working quite well to this point. Well, if we just forget that it-sounds-like-someone-thought-it-up-after-a-weekend-"visit"-to-Colorado idea last summer that involved the Russian changing her name to "Sugarpova" at the U.S. Open. The Wimbledon village is the site of the candy brand's first pop-up store for the fortnight, and Sharapova even got Laura Robson and her injured wrist to join her for a few promotional photos.

Nice touch to include the hand brace in the shots, by the way. If Red Bull "gives you wings," does this hint at something about the cause-and-effect of popping Sugarpovas?

*WIMBLEDON "FIRST SEED OUT"*
2005 #10 Patty Schnyder, SUI (lost to Ant.Serra-Zanetta/ITA)
2006 #28 Sofia Arvidsson, SWE (lost to Birnerova/CZE)
2007 #30 Olga Puchkova, RUS (lost to Vesnina/RUS)
2008 #30 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK (lost to J.Zheng/CHN)
2009 #23 Aleksandra Wozniak, CAN (lost to Schiavone/ITA)
2010 #5 Francesca Schiavone ITA (lost to Dushevina/RUS)
2011 #22 Shahar Peer, ISR (lost to Pervak/RUS)
2012 #16 Flavia Pennetta, ITA (lost to Giorgi/ITA)
2013 #5 Sara Errani, ITA (lost to Puig/PUR)
2014 #17 Samantha Stosur, AUS (lost to Wickmayer/BEL)

*WIMBLEDON "FIRST WINNER OF FORTNIGHT"*
2009 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (def. Cetkovska/CZE)
2010 Chan Yung-Jan/TPE (def. Schnyder/SUI)
2011 Kimiko Date-Krumm/JPN (def. O'Brien/GBR)
2012 Samantha Stosur/AUS (def. Suarez-Navarro/ESP)
2013 Lesia Tsurenko/UKR (def. Arruabarrena-Vecino/ESP)
2014 Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)

All for Day 1. More tomorrow. Vika's shorts won't be back until Wednesday, though.

Some players just know how to win matches in which they're not in their absolute BEST form, while others don't. Those with championship DNA usually find a way to even take such a match in straight sets, while a long, drawn-out battle into the 3rd (and maybe even a loss) wouldn't be out of the question for the vast majority of the competitors on the WTA tour.

Once again on Day 2, Genie Bouchard showed which sort of player she appears to be.

In the Canadian's 1st set today against veteran Daniela Hantuchova, she twice found herself down a break, at 1-2 and 3-4. At 5-5, she was forced to save a break point that could have given the Slovak a chance to serve for the set and ensure a long day at the grass-lined office for Bouchard. Having secured a by-the-hair-of-her-chinny-chin-chin 6-5 lead, Bouchard then got the break a game later to take the set at 7-5.

Why sweat it when you can just get it, right?

Things got a bit better in the 2nd set, but Bouchard still found herself fighting against a drawn-out afternoon. She again fell a break behind at 2-3, getting back on serve a game later. From love/30 down, she saved a break point to take a 6-5 lead, then a game later she climbed back from love/40 on Hantuchova's serve to get the break and close out the match on a five-point winning streak, ending her day of work with an emphatic forehand return that seemed to eat a lunging Hantuchova alive.

In that 1st set, Bouchard hit just seven winners.
In the 2nd, she smashed nineteen. She won 7-5/7-5, saving herself another 45-60 minutes of dancing-on-the-head-of-a-pin opening round madness that could have lumped her name into the same sentence as the one that will include Sloane Stephens when all the Wimbledon wrap-ups are written.

The names of Bouchard and Stephens still might end up in the same sentence, as they have quite a bit over most of the last year. But, as has increasingly been the case in '14, the mentions of the Canadian will likely take on a far more positive tone than those concerning her North American counterpart.

Meanwhile, a day after Coco Vandeweghe followed up her maiden title this weekend with a 1st Round win (on her 13th MP) over Garbi Muguruza, fellow Week 25 firt-time title winner Madison Keys had less difficulty with another new '14 singles champion, Monica Puig. Keys won 6-3/6-3, faced just a single break point all day (she saved it), outpaced the Puerto Rican 25-9 in winners and won 86% of her 1st serve points (32/37).

ESPN's Pam Shriver has jumped onto the Team Madison bandwagon with both feet, as well, today calling her the best American women's prospect in years. It's hard to argue with her, based on recent anecdotal evidence, at least, that suggests the 19-year old is improving in leaps and bounds at the moment, feeding off her own success rather than being engulfed by it. Rather than taking herself too seriously, Keys has signed on to blog for Sports Illustrated Kids. So, I'm think there probably won't be any Twitter battles or media firestorms in her near future. At least let's hope not.

So, I guess there IS another way to do it.

The only question all this raises is whether Current Sloane is now Thing of the Past Sloane. That seems to be the case when it comes to ESPN, which just six months ago was shouting Stephen's name louder than any other, yet often seemed to turn its collective back on large, important chunks of her 1st Round loss on Day 1, and had already forgotten her by Day 2. The bigger question, though, I guess is what Stephens thinks, and what she plans on doing about it.

Bouchard is the picture of confidence and heart, though. And Keys seems to be following her path rather than that of her countrywoman and Fed Cup teammate.

Maybe she's a smart cookie, too.

=DAY 2 NOTES=
...very big names were in action on Day 2. While Roger and Rafa won on the men's side, four of the top five seeds in the women's draw got wins today, as well.

#5 Maria Sharapova gave Brit Samantha Murray a small taste of strawberries and cream, then took the whole bowl for herself, winning the final eleven games of the match to win 6-1/6-0. Hmmm, if Sharapova ever wins another SW19 title, I wonder if she'd celebrate with a Special Edition Strawberries & Cream flavor of Sugarpova? Maybe every 1000th bag could include a candy shaped like Laura Robson's hand brace -- whoever finds it gets a prize!

It took #1 Serena Williams ten minutes to win the first game in her match against new countrywoman Anna Tatishvili, but only 51 to claim the last fourteen games in a 6-1/6-2 victory. Later, #3 Simona Halep held to her word about her health being fine for a run at SW19, taking care of Teliana Pereira 6-2/6-2.

...with Marion Bartoli only around for introductions (see below) on Day 2, the traditional 1st Round scheduling slot for the defending women's champ was filled by '13 finalist Sabine Lisicki. She played like a champ, eliminating Julia Glushko 6-2/6-1.

...one trend developing so far at this Wimbledon in the women's draw is a proclivity for comebacks. Hence the super-sized "Zombie Queen" nomination list at the end of this post.

More comebacks occurred on Tuesday, including Irina-Camilia Begu erasing Virginie Razzano's 3-1 3rd set lead. But that was nothing compared to Karolina Pliskova's win over Karin Knapp (Knapp led 5-2 in the 3rd, with the Czech ultimately winning a 10-8 set), Petra Cetkovskva's victory over Jovana Jaksic (the Serb served at 5-4 in the final set) or Yaroslava Shvedova's comeback from a 3-1 3rd set deficit and MP to defeat Kristyna Pliskova in an 8-6 final set.

Elsewhere, The Kid did it again, as Belinda Bencic upset Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6/6-3/6-3. She'll face Vicky Duval next. The intriguing Keys vs. Taylor Townsend 2nd Rounder won't happen, though, as vet Klara Koukalova took out wild card Townsend 7-5/6-2. Two-time SW19 quarterfinalist Tamira Paszek saved two match points against Kirsten Flipkens at 5-2 in the 2nd set to force a 3rd, only to lose to the '13 semfinalist 6-4/6-7(3)/6-2. Francesca Schiavone had a shot to push Birmingham champ Ana Ivanovic, taking a 4-1 lead in the 1st set tie-break, but the Serb pulled out a 7-6(6)/6-4 win to hand the Italian vet her fifth straight 1st Round slam loss, and seventh in the last eight majors. Of note, though, AnaIvo seemed to suffer some sort of leg injury in the closing games. Might be nothing, but might be something.

And Kaia Kanepi didn't follow her 1r-QF-1r-QF pattern at Wimbledon with another opening match loss. Instead, she sent Jelena Jankovic packing in a rather easy 6-3/6-2 win. So, no helicopter trips across the grounds for JJ this year.

...in the five matches to be completed from Day 1, it turned out we didn't know what we missed yesterday.

First, one year after taking out Sharapova in the 2nd Round, qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito downed yet another slam-winning Hordette today in the form of Svetlana Kuznetsova, losing just four games in the final two sets after dropping the 1st. Meanwhile, #4 Aga Radwanska took eight of nines games played to finish off Andreea Mitu 6-2/6-1. Obviously benefiting from the lighting of a makeshift "St.John's Eve" bonfire here at Backspin HQ (or maybe at Leif's Nordic Outpost?), Caroline Wozniacki finished off Shahar Peer 6-3/6-0. A bit surprisingly -- though I guess we knew there'd have to be some trade-off for the Bulgarian winning a regular tour title in week 1 -- Tsvetana Pironkova lost 6-7(6)/6-2/6-2 to Varvara Lepchenko.

No Monster Movie Specials at this Wimbledon, I guess.

The most dramatic of the five matches, though, involved Sara Errani and Caroline Garcia. The Italian won the 1st set 6-2 and held a MP at 6-5 in the 2nd, only to see the Pastry save it and win a tie-break to force a deciding set. There, Garcia went up 4-0, but couldn't keep the two-break advantage. She failed to serve things out at 5-4, as well. But, proving that if at first you don't succeed, a tennis player should try, try again (Sloane? Sloane? Go talk to Madison and Genie... AND FrenchCaroline), Garcia got the break and a second chance to serve for the victory. She finally got it right this time, winning 2-6/7-6(3)/7-5.

*BACKSPIN "GUESS WHO" QUIZ*

...Naomi Broady or Maria Sharapova? Maria Sharapova or Naomi Broady?

...there are assured to be ten qualifier/wild card entries in the final 64. Qualifiers who notched wins on Day 2 include Larcher de Brito, Duval, Timea Bacsinszky, Duval and Lesia Tsurenko. Wild card Silvia Soler-Espinosa also won, with the all-WC match between Vera Zvonareva and Tara Moore set to finish on Day 3.

Heather Watson joined Broady in the more-hotly-contested-than-expected "Last Brit Standing" race, with Moore a possible THIRD late entry on Wednesday.

...the doubles draw is out, and here are a few tidbits:

* - there are four all-sister pairings (Williams, Pliskova, Kichenok and Chan)

* - some intriguing duos: Bencic/Pironkova, Keys/Riske, Cornet/Garcia, Pennetta/Stosur and Davis/Puig.

* - 1st Round matches to watch: Black/Mirza vs. Hingis/Zvonareva, Errani/Vinci vs. Jankovic/Kleybanova, Fichman/Vekic vs. Date-Krumm/Zahlavova-Strycova (you can fit two-and-a-half Donnas in one Kimiko!)

* - favorite opening round clash: Barty/Dellacqua vs. Bouchard/watson (that Genie... this can't hurt when it comes to raising a London platoon of the Genie Army, can it?)

*BACKSPIN "GUESS WHO" QUIZ #2*

...from earlier this year, match the feet with the players: Aga, Caro, Sam or Sabine? Who's who?

...with the 1st Round nearly over -- two matches remain to be completed -- it's time for the first Early-Round honorees to become clear, or nearly so. One of the award winners is a fairly easy choice, as the performances of the non-Sloaney Bannerettes have carried over their impressive run that began as soon as the grass court season started. In all, eight Americans are through to the 2nd Round, more than any other nation (and, remember, that's MINUS the player who had a tour-leading six straight Round of 16 slam results coming into SW19), so it's apparent that either the "Upset Queens" or "Revelation Ladies" honors should land at their collective doorstep.

While it excludes the likes of Madison Keys, I'll go with the "UQ" for the U.S. women, as they've eliminated three seeds (Vandeweghe def. #27 Muguruza, Duval def. #29 Cirstea and Riske def. #26 Pavlyuchenkova), a former semifinalist (Lepchenko def. Pironkova) and Lauren Davis' win over Alisa Kleybanova, even while the diminutive-in-stature-only Bannerette has put together arguably the best two weeks of her career heading into Wimbledon, was probably considered a pick 'em contest when the draw was announced.

The "RL" award is a bit more complicated. Eliminating the Americans helps (hmmm, just like it would with all the talk concerning the World Cup around here... ba-dum-bump), but it still isn't yet clear. I've narrowed things down to the Swiss (Bacinszky & Bencic are through), the Japanese (Nara & Doi are still alive, and their combined age of 45 is barely more than a single Kimiko Date-Krumm, who almost advanced herself), the Czechs (a combined 7-2, and a Karolina Pliskova MP away from making it 8-1), the Waffles (BEL is 3-0 without Barbie or LPT) and, hard as it is to believe, the Brits. Even without Laura Robson, they've gone 2-2 with Heather Watson and Naomi Broady getting wins, and if Tara Moore wins the 3rd set of her unfinished match with Vera Zvonareva tomorrow they'd steal the "RL" honors with more players in the 2nd Round than the likes of the Italy, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Australia and maybe, France (depends on Mladenovic vs. Diyas), as well.

Speaking of a few of those contingents, the "Nation of Poor Souls" wasn't simple to lock down with the surprising British success (no third NoPS win in five Wimbledons for them!) eliminating what seemed a good choice before Day 1. Croatia escaped with Donna Vekic's late-on-Day 2 win over Roberta Vinci (making the Croats 2-3), while Camila Giorgi's win lifted the Italians (2-4) just enough out of the depths that they won't get a second (w/ AO) 2014 "Poor Souls" black mark. Instead, I'll go with the Slovaks. The group, following up a series of Fed Cup stumbled, combined to go 1-4 in the 1st Round. Lost were two players with grass titles (Hantuchova & Rybarikova), a Roland Garros rising star (A.Schmiedlova) and a youngster in freefall (Cepelova) since her career-best result in Charleston. Only Dominika Cibulkova, who came in on a 2-5 slide since April, managed to advance. It's the Slovaks' second Wimbledon "Poor Souls" award in the last three years.

...LIKE FROM DAY 2: the tearful Return of La Trufflette

Hmmm, are those some Marion-designed Schwings that Bartoli is sporting there? Here's the link to the entrance video of the 2013 Ladies champ's traditional Day 2 return to Centre Court.

...a little Vika snooty-face... and the shorts, of course.

...and, finally, the "Guess Who" answers:

Maria & Naomi, of course.

Lisicki, A-Rad, Stosur & C-Woz

*WIMBLEDON "UPSET QUEENS" NATIONS*
2004 Great Britain
2005 United States
2006 Great Britain
2007 Austria
2008 Russia
2009 Germany
2010 Czech Republic
2011 Russia
2012 United States
2013 Czech Republic
2014 United States

*SLAM "NATIONS OF POOR SOULS"*
[2010]
WI: GBR (0-6 1st Rd.)
[2011]
WI: AUS (1-3 1st Rd., Stosur & Dokic losses)
US: CZE (2-5 1st Rd., Kvitova loses)
[2012]
AO: GBR (0-4 1st Rd.; all on Day 1)
RG: ROU (1-5 in 1st Rd.; Cadantu double-bageled)
WI: SVK (1-3 in 1st Rd.; all 3 w/ WTA titles lost)
US: GER (four of nation's five highest-ranked out in 1st Rd.)
[2013]
AO: AUS (1-6 in 1st Rd., 1-7 overall)
RG: CZE (2-8 in 1st Rd.)
WI: GBR (1-6 in 1st Rd.)
US: AUS (1-4 overall, Stosur out 1r, Rogowska double-bagel)
[2014]
AO: ITA (top-seeded #7 Errani & #12 Vinci out 1st Round)
RG: CHN (0-4 in 1st Rd.; Sh.Zhang "First Loss"& 2 seed Li "C-&-B")
WI: SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.; grass champs Hantuchova/Rybarikova 1st Rd.)

*SERENA WILLIAMS at THE SLAMS - Rd.-by-Rd.*
55-1...1st Rd. ['12 RG: Razzano]
52-2...2nd Rd. ['98 AO: Venus; '14 RG: Muguruza]
45-7...3rd Rd.
37-8...4th Rd.
24-13...QF
21-3...SF [Venus 00,Henin-H. 03,Clijsters 09]
17-4...F [Venus 01,Sharapova 04,Venus 08,Stosur 11]

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES: xx
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: T.Bacsinszky/SUI, V.Duval/USA, A.Konjuh/CRO, M.Larcher de Brito/POR, T.Smitkova/CZE, L.Tsurenko/UKR
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: J.Gajdosova/AUS, N.Broady/GBR, S.Soler-Espinosa/ESP, (WC T.Moore vs. WC Zvonareva is 1st Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: N.Broady, H.Watson
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Vika's white shorts
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: Stephens/USA lost 1st Rd., ending 6 con. slam 4th+ streak
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Makarova/RUS (down 5-0 in 1st set, 3-1 in 3rd vs. Date-Krumm in 1st Rd.); Dellacqua/AUS (down MP in 1st Rd. vs. Kontaveit); Vandeweghe/USA (wins on 13th MP vs. Muguruza in 1st Rd.); Li/CHN (Kania served for 1st set in 1st Rd.); Garcia/FRA (down MP in 1st Rd. vs. Errani); Ka.Pliskova/CZE (down 5-2 in 3rd set vs. Knapp in 1st Rd.); Cetkovska/CZE (Jaksic served for match in 3rd set 5-4 in 1st Rd.); Shvedova/KAZ (saved MP vs. Kr.Pliskova in 3rd set in 1st Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 2. More tomorrow.

One year ago tomorrow, It made Itself known at the All-England Club. The Radwanskian Massacre of June 26 occurred on Day 3 of last year's Wimbledon. But, really, the stage was set just a tad before that. The massacre began with Victoria Azarenka, who never actually stepped onto a court on the fateful 26th day of June.

Could history have made its first steps toward repeating itself today?

In her 1st Round match at last year's Wimbledon, Azarenka slipped on the grass and let out a blood-curdling scream as she grabbed her knee in pain and fear. She finished the match, and even got a victory. It was the "unofficial" beginning of The Rad's shenanigans in London last summer, though. Vika's withdrawal from the tournament before her 2nd Round match was the first sign that June 26, 2013 was going to produce a slew of victims of a certain entity's wrath.

Today, Vika didn't get hurt, but once again her Wimbledon ended before the start of play on the latest edition of June 26. The question is whether or not another shoe -- or a whole closet full of them -- might be waiting to be dropped on us tomorrow.

In her 2nd Round match today against Bojana Jovanovski, Azarenka fell behind a break at 4-2 in the opening set, then saw the Serb close out a 6-3 set when BoJo challenged an out call on her wide serve on set point. The replay showed that it was an ace, and suddenly the Belarusian was in a hole.

She climbed out of it, getting a break for 3-1 in the 2nd and knotting the match with a 6-3 win that came despite her 1-for-10 numbers on break point attempts in the set. In the 3rd, four early breaks of serve pushed the match into the late stages of the deciding set. Serving to stay in the match at 5-6, Azarenka saw her 40/love advantage slip away. Her second of two straight wide forehands presented Jovanovski with a match point. BoJo only needed one chance, winning 6-3/3-6/7-5 to advance to her first career Wimbledon 3rd Round and see Azarenka's Wimbledon end with a 2nd Round result for the second straight year.

Was it a sign of things to come? Sure, maybe not. But wait. That result wasn't the end of the signs of possible Radwanskian influence once again attempting to corrupt this tournament.

In the late afternoon, a definitive threat was squelched as top-seeded Novak Djokovic, despite not having his serve broken all day, was stretched by veteran Czech Radek Stepanek. Stepanek won a 3rd set tie-break and very nearly forced a 5th set when he dragged Djokovic into yet another tie-break in the 4th. But the Serb clamped down and got the win, avoiding a mood-altering atmosphere that could set the stage for something horrific on Thursday.

In the evening, the perceptible signs of another warning shot may have occurred in the doubles, as the Williams Sisters -- seeded #8 and ranked #88, but still the most dangerous doubles duo on earth -- very nearly bombed out in their 1st Rounder. They dropped the 1st set against Oksana Kalashnikova & Olga Savchuk, then fell down a break at 3-1 in the 3rd, as well. Serena even dangerously tumbled into the stands chasing a ball in the final games. She didn't hurt herself, though, and the Sisters won 5-7/6-1/6-4, keeping any possible evil shenanigans at bay in the closing hours of All-Radwanska Eve.

So, all is technically calm. For now. Still, it all WAS a bit concerning.

Meanwhile, Aga Radwanska took to the court on Day 3 and quickly took a 5-1 lead against Casey Dellacqua. After the Aussie strung together three straight games, the Pole proceeded to take out her frustrations over the stretch by winning the final seven games of the match.

Okaaaay.

Big names... yikes... are scheduled to take the court on Day 4. June 26, 2014. Serena will be there, and so will Maria. Roger, too. As well as Rafa, Genie, Simona, AnaIvo and others.

The possibilities are endless. So is the potential for another massacre. Gulp.

=DAY 3 NOTES=
...no matter what happens at this Wimbledon, or at any other event. Venus Williams does not lose. Even if the scoreboard says she came out on the short end, Williams will always remain the proud individual that she has become, growing into an inspirational adult despite living much of her life in the public eye for the last two decades. In life, Venus is quite simply the epitome of cool.

Of course, "losing" had nothing to do with her activities on Day 3. Oh, sure, she failed to serve out the 1st set against 5-foot-1 Kurumi Nara (a full foot shorter than Venus), but she simply finished off the set in a tie-break. Williams won 7-6(4)/6-1, putting up 46 winners to just 16 unforced errors (astounding numbers for a game that has always had higher error totals than most simply because Venus has rarely ever held back) to get her 73rd career Wimbledon match win. She's now just one behind Steffi Graf for third place.

However long Venus lasts in this slam, and a case can be made for her lasting a LONG time under the right circumstances, her words after the match hinted once again that she's not going anywhere. Not until she's good and ready, at least. "I feel like I am still a great tennis player," she said, adding, "When I'm ready to go, I'll go." She even mentioned something about playing on as a doubles specialist after she can no longer player singles... even if Serena isn't around to team up with her.

Yes.

...Venus will next face 2011 champ Petra Kvitova. Petra wiped out German Mona Barthel 6-2/6-0 today, but not without a last second reminder of just how easy it is for things to go awry with the Czech. Serving for the match, she fell down love/40 and was forced to save five break points. Finally, on her fifth match point in the seven-deuce game, Kvitova advanced.

Li Na didn't have as much trouble with Yvonne Meusburger as she did the other day with Paula Kania, winning 6-2/6-2; while Maria Kirilenko was hardly the player who took out Sloane Stephens in the 1st Round, either. Peng Shuai rode the Russian out of this Wimbledon via a 6-0/6-3 defeat. Kirilenko never scratched out a single break point attempt, and lost the total points battle 61-33.

Elsewhere, Lauren Davis' great grass court run continued with a straight sets upset of Flavia Pennetta, as the Bannerette took down the Italian 6-4/7-6(4). Pennetta had led 5-1 in the 2nd set. Alison Van Uytvanck led Dominika Cibulkova 5-2 in the 3rd set, and served at 5-3 before the AO runner-up reeled off six of the final seven games to survive.

...in the completion of their all-wild card 1st Round match, Vera Zvonareva notched her first slam match win since the '12 Wimbledon with a 9-7 3rd set win over Brit Tara Moore. Moore had served for the match at 5-4. Qualifier wins were put up by 16-year old Ana Konjuh, Michelle Larcher de Brito (she faces Aga next) and Czech Tereza Smitkova (hmmm, maybe she stole AMG's life force in Paris?).

...after going 7-2 in the 1st Round, the Czech Maidens added another four wins in four matches on Day 3. That's enough to get the "Revelation Ladies" honors.

...doubles action kicked off on Day 3, and the Mladenovic Magic, gone when Kiki finished off her 1st Round singles loss against Zarina Diyas earlier in the day, re-ignited when the Pastry lined up with Timea Babos. The pair got a win over the Pliskova sisters, cutting the number of all-sibling pairs in the draw by one-third.

Elsewhere, Barty/Dellacqua defeated Bouchard/Watson 6-4/7-6(3), Black/Mirza cut back Martina Hingis' Wimbledon workload by half (the half with Vera Zvonareva), Errani/Vinci sent JJ (w/ Alisa Kleybanova) packing for the second time in as many days, and 43-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm (w/ Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova) helped eliminate 17-year old Donna Vekic (w/ Sharon Fichman). Also getting wins were Keys/Riske and Bencic/Pironkova.

The Mixed draw is out, and Hingis plays on with Bruno Soares. Other duos included are Michaella Krajicek and new fiance Martin Emmrich and defending champions Mladenovic/Nestor. The two top-seeded teams are mix-and-match combinations of two existing WTA and ATP pairs as the Bryan brothers are splitting their time with the existing women's pair of Peschke/Srebotnik. Mike is playing with Katarina (the #1 seeds), while Bob is with Kveta (#2). An interesting 1st Round match has the Huber/Raymond pair facing off, with Liezel & Lukas Dlouhy playing Lisa & Trent Huey.

...SHOCKED-and-AMAZED LIKE FROM DAY 3:

-- ESPN showing part of Cibulkova/Van Uytvanck while Tsonga/Querrey was taking place? Stunning.

...UNINTENTIONAL HUMOUR FROM DAY 3:

-- speaking of Van Uytvanck, I found it humorous that while the Belgian uttered an expletive while arguing with the chair umpire after receiving a time delay when serving for the match, the sound the Slovak was making when she served sounded a bit close to an expletive itself.

...shorts and, ummm, well, I'm not sure what to say about the rest. Maybe THIS explains today, and it has nothing to do with anyTHING else?

...and, finally, as I've previously noted (and decorated appropriately), June 26 is the one-year anniversary of 2013's Radwanskian Massacre. Of course, as is the case on such days, it would be proper to take a moment at some point to remember the fallen, commemorate their sacrifice, and hope that still more innocents won't be pulled into the battle tomorrow.

If they are, even if their numbers are small compared to last year's tragic occurrences, their names will be added to the list of heroes for The Cause.

I'll be back after midnight to post a little something that will hopefully keep the evil intentions at bay over the next, danger-laden twenty-four hours. Also, the fabled "Radwanska Threat Level" has returned for this crucial 24-hour period.

Also, I know the regular WTA Backspin is loading very slowly (if at all) for some people since yesterday. I'm still not sure what the issue is, but hopefully it will work itself out over the next 24 hours. Another version of all the daily Wimbledon posts can be found here. As Diane of Women Who Serve suggested to me as a possible cause, maybe I'm getting some payback for that "streetwalker" joke about Aga & Ula the other day.

Hmmm.

*WIMBLEDON "REVELATION LADIES" NATIONS*
2006 Serbia
2007 France
2008 Russia
2009 Italy (veterans)
2010 Romania
2011 Great Britain
2012 Netherlands
2013 Australia/New Zealand
2014 Czech Republic

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): xx
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 1st Rd.: T.Bacsinszky/SUI, V.Duval/USA, A.Konjuh/CRO(W), M.Larcher de Brito/POR(W), T.Smitkova/CZE(W), L.Tsurenko/UKR
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: in 1st Rd.: J.Gajdosova/AUS(L), N.Broady/GBR(L), S.Soler-Espinosa/ESP, Zvonareva/RUS
LAST BRIT STANDING: 1st Rd. wins: N.Broady(L), H.Watson
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Vika's white shorts; V.Zvonareva/RUS
CRASH & BURN: Nominee: Stephens/USA lost 1st Rd., ending 6 con. slam 4th+ streak
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Makarova/RUS (down 5-0 in 1st set, 3-1 in 3rd vs. Date-Krumm in 1st Rd.); Li/CHN (Kania served for 1st set in 1st Rd.); Garcia/FRA (down MP in 1st Rd. vs. Errani); Ka.Pliskova/CZE (down 5-2 in 3rd set vs. Knapp in 1st Rd.); Cetkovska/CZE (Jaksic served for match in 3rd set 5-4 in 1st Rd.); Shvedova/KAZ (saved MP vs. Kr.Pliskova in 3rd set in 1st Rd.); Zvonareva/RUS (T.Moore served for match at 5-4 in 3rd in 1st Rd.); Cibulkova/SVK (Van Uytvanck served for match at 5-3 in 3rd in 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 3. More tomorrow. I hope.

Lurking in the dark corners of the All-England Club, waiting to strike with the utmost force, The Radwanska consumed Wimbledon in 2013. The ongoing battle claimed far too many innocent victims to count over the fortnight, including the likes of former SW19 champions Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams both before and after the carnage reached its peak. With the battle secretly raging well after the dust had seemingly settled on the lawns, even the Pole for which the malevolent entity was named was included as the final entry on Its list of unfortunate victims.

Evil makes no exceptions.

But it was three days into Wimbledon in 2013, on June 26, exactly one year ago today, that The Rad decisively struck at the heart of London SW19 and "The Radwanskian Massacre" entered the Backspin lexicon for as long as we all draw breath.

Thus, Backspin commemorates the seven former #1-ranked players who fell on that day. May their sacrifice not be forgotten, nor go for naught. Long live The Cause. Today, yesterday and forever.

All for now.

One year later, all is well.

On June 26 at Wimbledon in 2013, The Radwanskian Massacre claimed seven former #1 players on a single day. Four walkovers and three retirements set the tone of carnage that Wednesday, as the falls, slips and stumbles the occurred over the first week of play and beyond even pulled the likes of Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams into the pit of defeat before and after the day that made Wimbledon cringe in fear.

With The Radwanska Threat Level meter in place, defensive guards were put up on this day, though. And this time, peace prevailed. Long live The Cause.

Of course, an early skirmish DID threaten to unleash the hell hounds of The Rad, as Nadal dropped the 1st set to Lukas Rosol, the same player who shockingly upset him in the 1st Round in 2012. Rafa fell behind a break at 4-2 in the 2nd, and faced a set point in the deciding tie-break. But, have no fear. He staved it off, won the set, then closed out the match with a pair of 6-4 sets to get a measure of revenge... and maybe keep the Radwanskian threat at bay on yet another twenty-sixth day of June.

At about the same time, Williams was having an easy time of things with Chanelle Scheepers, wiping out the South African 6-1/6-1 in forty-nine minutes. She's dropped five games through two rounds, but that's still fewer than those lost by Maria Sharapova, a Massacre victim one year ago. The Russian's 6-2/6-1 win over Timea Bacsinszky -- accomplished in an hour -- means she's given up just four games so far.

Massacre victims Vika Azarenka (though she never set foot on the court on this date a year ago) and Jelena Jankovic exited this Wimbledon over the past two days, and Caroline Wozniacki avoided a dance with fate with her win on Day 3, but fellow member of the Fallen Seven, Ana Ivanovic did take the court this Thursday.

AnaIvo looked past any Rad threat and instead exorcised some personal SW19 demons, taking out Zheng Jie. The Chinese vet defeated her in the 3rd Round at Wimbledon in 2008, following the Serb's Roland Garros title run and 2nd Round "Kiss of Life" victory at the All-England Club, setting the course for a rather troubling five-year run. Treating her like one of those stress-relieving squeeze balls six years after the fact, AnaIvo handed Zheng a bagel in the 2nd set.

The final two of the Fallen Seven last year were Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer. The Aussie's match will be completed tomorrow because of the late rain that hit SW19, but Federer, being Federer, was fortunate enough to be playing on Centre Court when the weather hit so he got to take things under the roof for the first indoor action so far this fortnight. As if he was cleaning up after his two sets of twins, Federer wiped the countertop with Luxembourg's Gilles Muller, slamming down twenty-five aces in a match that didn't last 1:45.

Of course, even on a "calm" day, sacrifices must to made to protect the rest of us.

Yaroslava Shvedova took down Kaia Kanepi, who'd eliminated JJ in the 1st Round two days ago.. The Estonian saved two match points in the 2nd to extend things to a 3rd set, but then quickly fell behind the Kazakh 4-0 in the 3rd and lost the final set 6-2. But such a good result following a great one is sort of par for the course for the feast-or-famine slam entity that is Kanepi. No real Rad influence there, I'd say.

Meanwhile, on the men's side, Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils (who fell down two sets to love, forced a 5th set, then had his serve broken for 5-4 and was shaking hands a game later -- hmmmm, that sounds familiar) were shown the door. Minor sacrifices, I'd say. Plus, it avoids a frustrating all-French Gasquet/Monfils 3rd Round match where the two Pastrymen county would have likely battled it out to see who'd give up first. As it turned out, it was a tie!

Oh, Rad... you devil. Maybe we could get to be friends, after all.

(Hmmm, maybe some day we'll find out just what QC might have done to save the world... I expect it's quite a tale she'll spin. But our friend is currently missing and we won't know what truly occurred until our hero Anna finds her. Keep an eye out for breaking updates posted in this space.)

=DAY 4 NOTES=
...the rain upended two women's matches late in the day, including the very intriguing Belinda Bencic/Vicky Duval contest. Simona Halep's match with qualifier Lesia Tsurenko will have to wait, as well.

...a year ago, amidst all the carnage, a teenage Eugenie Bouchard, in the first Wimbledon main draw appearance by the '12 girls champ, managed to avoid the pitfalls, snares and traps set up by The Rad. In her opening round match against Galina Voskoboeva, the Canadian trailed 7-5/5-4 with the Kazakh serving for the match. Her escape, in retrospect, earned her the "Zombie Queen" honors for SW19 and she advanced to a then slam career-best 3rd Round.

She's done quite a bit better so far in 2014, and her growth continues at this Wimbledon.

Two days ago, while still finding her grass court form, two-time slam semifinalist Bouchard got past Daniela Hantuchova in two tight sets. Today against wild card Silvia Soler-Espinosa, she again encountered some push back. She was down an early break at 2-0, and was tied up a 5-5 deep into the 1st set. After getting the break for 6-5, Bouchard immediately served out the set, then opened the 2nd by breaking SSE at love. She broke at love again to take a 4-1 lead, then allowed the Spaniard just one point in the third break of serve in the set that ended the 7-5/6-1 match. She outpaced her opponent 11-1 in winners in the 2nd set, and 24-8 for the match.

Bouchard will get Andrea Petkovic next (a rematch of the Charleston SF, but not on the clay where the German would be the favorite). After that, well, while Mary Joe Fernandez, as she said today, might be rooting for that Serena/Sharapova quarterfinal (unless something changes that turns the result of the last decade of match-ups, though, I'm not sure that what could be an anticlimactic affair is what we should be "hoping" for), a possible Serena/Bouchard Round of 16 clash might actually be a bit more intriguing. They don't have the same history, so maybe as "ingrained" a final result isn't as likely.

...Madison Keys, too, is showing all sorts of signs of on-court maturity, as well. "I'm a big fan of grass," the American said the other day. "It definitely suits my game. I feel like every time I come and I play I feel more comfortable on it."

Today, she even displayed great timing.

Against vet Klara Koukalova, the Bannerette won a break-less 1st set 7-5, then came back from a break down twice in the 2nd to force a tie-break. She lost it, but didn't get discouraged. Instead, Keys never allowed the Czech's return game to get to deuce in any of her remaining service games. But she broke Koukalova's twice, the second time with a pair of monster returns to go up 5-2. Keys won 7-5/6-7(3)/6-2 right before the rain threatened to interrupt the match. She had 43 unforced errors in the match, but balanced her big game out with 37 winners. Koukalova had just 16.

Interviewed for a USA Today piece on Keys yesterday, Rennae Stubbs submitted her official Team Madison membership papers, predicting that she'll win a grand slam title. "Nobody hits the ball harder than she does. Once she learns how to construct the points a little bit better, forget it. She just has all the weapons." I tell you, as I did a few months ago, if you close your eyes and listen to Stubbs talk about some of the Bannerettes she sounds like, minus the Aussie accent, the U.S. Fed Cup coach.

Hmmm, well, if MJF can't start to win SOMETHING with this growing contingent of young stars, who knows? (He said, knowing full well the USTA would never hire someone who isn't an American to lead the squad).

...some early-round awards were decided today as Heather Watson's three-set loss to Angelique Kerber means that she'll share the "Last Brit Standing" honors with Naomi Broady. Meanwhile, Vera Zvonareva -- yes, THAT Vera Zvonareva -- won back-to-back matches for the first time since she reached the Round of 16 at the London Olympics, getting a straight sets win over Donna Vekic to reach the 3rd Round. She's the "Last Wild Card Standing," and since she's playing an unseeded Zarina Diyas next she might be standing for a while longer, too.

There are still five qualifiers alive, with Duval and Tsurenko still to play their 2nd Round matches. Michelle Larcher de Brito, Tereza Smitkova and Ana "Kid Konjuh" reached the 3rd Round yesterday.

Meanwhile, with no Radwanskian Massacre sequel today, as it should be, Sloane Stephens wraps up the "Crash & Burn" award. I think we all saw THAT coming.

Late addition: I guess we sort of saw this coming, too, huh? It looks like the Current Sloane/Annacone coaching attempt has ended. Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?

...in doubles, another all-sister team fell flat, as Alize Cornet & Caroline Garcia took out the Chans. The Kichenoks came within two points of victory, leading by a set and 5-2 in the 2nd set tie-break over Lauren Davis & Monica Puig when play was stopped due to rain. Defending champs Hsieh/Peng got their 1st Round win, though.

...THE RADWANSKIAN NEAR-MISS FROM DAY 3:

...Serena's tumble into the crowd during her and Venus' doubles match proved to be just a light moment yesterday. Are those in-disguise-and-human-form Tennis Gods sitting in the front row to catch her?

...LIKE FROM DAY 4:

-- Andy Murray, ever the good sport:

...COOL-V FROM DAY 4:

...THE-RAD-MEETS-ITS-MATCH FROM DAY 4:

-- ugh. An L.Z. Granderson sighting today on ESPN. Oh, no... what does this mean? Can we get The Radwanska back?

...and, finally...

=EARLY-ROUND AWARDS - 1st/2nd Rounds (Days 1-4)=
**THE BEST SO FAR...**
1. Maria Sharapova, RUS
...of course, this might mean absolutely nothing in a few rounds.
=============================
2. Serena Williams, USA
...without that opening 10-minute game...
=============================
3. Petra Kvitova, CZE
...the kiss of death? Oh, Petra.
=============================
4. Aga Radwanska, POL
...shhhh. Be verwy, verwy qwiet.

=============================
5. Sabine Lisicki, GER
...she should just sleep in a tent on Centre Court.
=============================
6. Venus Williams, USA
...the one and only.
=============================
7. Madison Keys, USA
...a Keys vs. Lisicki Round of 16 match would be thunderous. Ask Li Na.
=============================
8. Ana Ivanovic, SRB
...of course, AnaIvo stands in the way of that (3rd Rd. vs. Lisicki).
=============================
9. Angelique Kerber, GER
...was being pushed by Watson a sign that the string is about to be played out, though?
=============================
10. Alison Riske, USA & Lauren Davis, USA
...under-the-radar Bannerettes. Wins over Pavlyuchenkova and Giorgi for Riske, Kleybanova and Pennetta for Davis.
=============================

A GROWING SUPERTHREAT?: Genie Bouchard, CAN
INCOMPLETE: Simona Halep, ROU
THE KID CORPS: Ana Konjuh/CRO, Belinda Bencic/SUI & Vicky Duval/USA
LURKING ON THE LAWNS: Li Na, CHN
MICHELLE THE HORDETTE SLAYER: Michelle Larcher de Brito, POR
WAIT AND SEE, WAIT AND SEE: Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
THE AELTC COULDN'T HANDLE IT, I TELL YA: Alize Cornet, FRA
HEY, AREN'T YOU...?: 2013 semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, BEL

Of course, everything above is subject to change at a moment's notice.

**WIMBLEDON "EARLY-ROUND TOP PLAYER" WINNERS**
2002 (Wk 1 POW) Venus Williams, USA
2003 (Wk 1 POW) Venus Williams, USA
2004 (Wk 1 POW) Lindsay Davenport, USA
2005 (Wk 1 co-POW) Lindsay Davenport, USA & Maria Sharapova, RUS
2006 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2007 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2008 Serena Williams, USA
2009 Venus Williams, USA
2010 Venus Williams, USA & Serena Williams, USA *
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE *
2012 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Maria Sharapova, RUS
--
* - won title

*WIMBLEDON "LAST BRIT STANDING"*
2008 Elena Baltacha & Anne Keothavong (2nd Rd.)
2009 Elena Baltacha (2nd Rd.)
2010 Heather Watson (GBR 0-6 in 1st Rd., Watson last to lose)
2011 Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong & Laura Robson (2nd Rd.)
2012 Heather Watson (3rd Rd.)
2013 Laura Robson (4th Rd.)
2014 Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)

*WIMBLEDON "CRASH & BURN" WINNERS*
2008 Maria Sharapova, RUS (2nd Rd.)
2009 Maria Sharapova, RUS (2nd Rd.)
2010 Francesca Schiavone, ITA & Samantha Stosur, AUS [1st Rd. - both RG finalists]
2011 Jelena Jankovic, SRB (1st Rd.)
2012 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1st Rd.)
2013 Nadia Petrova, RUS (1st Rd.)
2014 Sloane Stephens, USA (1st Rd.)

*WIMBLEDON "LAST WILD CARD STANDING"*
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN (SF)
2009 Elena Baltacha/GBR & Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR (2nd Rd.)
2010 none to 2nd Rd.
2011 Sabine Lisicki, GER (SF)
2012 Yaroslava Shvedova, KAZ (4th Rd.)
2013 Alison Riske, USA (3rd Rd.)
2014 Vera Zvonareva, RUS (in 3rd Rd.)

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. -Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. #27 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 6-3/3-6/7-5 (on 13th MP, 9th in final game)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: in 2nd Rd.: V.Duval/USA, A.Konjuh/CRO(W), M.Larcher de Brito/POR(W), T.Smitkova/CZE(W), L.Tsurenko/UKR
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Vera Zvonareva/RUS (in 3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING:Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Vika's white shorts; V.Zvonareva/RUS; V.Williams/USA; P.Kvitova/CZE
CRASH & BURN:Sloane Stephens/USA (lost 1st Rd. to Kirilenko/RUS, ending 6 con. slam Round of 16 streak)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Makarova/RUS (down 5-0 in 1st set, 3-1 in 3rd vs. Date-Krumm in 1st Rd.); Li/CHN (Kania served for 1st set in 1st Rd.); Garcia/FRA (down MP in 1st Rd. vs. Errani); Ka.Pliskova/CZE (down 5-2 in 3rd set vs. Knapp in 1st Rd.); Shvedova/KAZ (saved MP vs. Kr.Pliskova in 3rd set in 1st Rd.); Zvonareva/RUS (T.Moore served for match at 5-4 in 3rd in 1st Rd.); Cibulkova/SVK (Van Uytvanck served for match at 5-3 in 3rd in 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 4. More tomorrow.

In the first truly anticipated match of this Wimbledon, a pair of former champions faced off. With serves cooking, and power to spare, they didn't disappoint, either.

Unfortunately, only one could win. And, this time, it was Petra Kvitova who did. With a clenched fist.

2011 Wimbledon champ Kvitova and five-time SW19 winner Venus Williams entered Day 5 having played four previous matches. All had gone three sets, with the Czech sporting a 3-1 record. Williams had held match point in a loss in Tokyo late last year, though, and they'd never played on a grass surface, let alone at Wimbledon, the tournament at which both have put up the best results of their careers.

As the two heavy hitters played on Centre Court on Friday afternoon, the draw around them opened even wide than it had been when it was originally posted a week ago. With Sloane Stephens out earlier this week, the quarter came into today with only four seeded women remaining in the final eight. Soon, #2-seed Li Na would fall, leaving the winner of this match as the heavy favorite to come out on the other end of next week with yet another semifinal berth at the All-England Club.

Both were quite stubborn on this day, not wanting to give away what was apparent to both to be a golden opportunity for grand slam success. It would be a day full of big serves, few breaks and just a handful of break point attempts with which to turn the match in their favor. It was really quite a wonderful thing to watch.

An all-business Williams saved a break point in the first game of the match, but held serve against an equally serious Kvitova, who came into the match having not lost her serve at this Wimbledon. Using great defense and offense to extend and win rallies, Williams particularly appeared to be turning back the clock to the prime of her career. She slipped and nearly fell in the corner of the court when she was leading 3-2 in the 1st set, but it couldn't knock Williams off stride.

But Kvitova didn't budge, either.

Both held serve as the set went deep. 2-2. 3-3. 4-4. 5-5. Neither player had even faced a break point since Williams had saved one in the opening game. Then, suddenly, it happened. After Williams had held for 6-5, she quickly went up 30/love on Kvitova's serve with deep penetrating groundstrokes leading the way. A long Kvitova backhand put her down love/40, then another wide shot on that wing broke herself at love to hand Venus the set at 7-5. It was the first break of Kvitova's serve this week, and the smooth and economical game of Williams had made it so, if not in the final game, then throughout the set. Winning 88% of her 1st serve points in the set, Venus committed just three errors. While Kvitova had slightly more winners (13-9), her fourteen unforced errors ultimately had done her in.

The 2nd stanza of the match often provided more of the same. Neither player faced a break point in the entire set, and once again Venus slipped and fell in the very same corner of the court with a 3-2 Williams lead showing on the scoreboard. At 5-4, Williams went up 30/15 on Kvitova's serve. Her six unforced errors paled next to Kvitova's twenty-two for the match, and things seemed to be going Venus' way. Twice she got to within two points of victory. But three straight sterling serves from the Czech pulled her out of the hole as the set barreled to a tie-break.

With the 34-year old, Sjogren's-diagnosed Williams not having reached the second week at a slam in three years, it seemed that she NEEDED to win this match in straight sets, and now was the time that the "old Venus" needed to show up more than ever. She didn't, though. After having a decided UE advantage at this point of the day, it was Williams' errors in the TB that would mean the most in the match. Kvitova extended her point streak to five by taking a 3-0 mini-break lead in the TB, and then back-to-back forehand errors from Venus soon turned a still-close 4-2 score into a 6-2 let's-play-three lead for Kvitova. A final double-fault gave Williams five errors in the TB alone, as Kvitova won in 7-2.

In the final set, Venus' game lost much of its early spark. She never fell off the table, but she wasn't nearly as sharp. She struggled to hold for 1-1, then couldn't close out a break after going up 30/15 in game #3. Again, break points were nonexistent for both women, but Kvitova seemed to be improving or holding steady while Venus was trying to simply hold on. Williams nearly did, too. At 4-4, her running forehand shot (oh, a Venus classic!) down the middle of the court produced a slice backhand error into the net from Kvitova, who fell behind love/30 on serve and momentarily resembled like the oft-rattled player who has lost so many leads over the past two seasons.

But the Czech didn't look that way for long.

While Venus dug in to return serve, Kvitova served. Big. She even pounded in a huge second serve with her Wimbledon life hanging in the balance, then fired in one of her signature, lethal wide first serves, too, to get to 30/30. A low forehand half-volley got Kvitova to game points, knotting the players at 101-101 in total points for the match. A winner fired behind Venus at the baseline got Kvitova the important hold for 5-4. A game later, Venus went up 40/15, but was forced to deuce before holding yet again. Still, Kvitova had the decided momentum on her side despite two long returns that put the score at 5-5.

Still, we're talking about Petra. Nothing is ever easy.

The Czech had two double-faults in game #11, but was able to string together enough winners to hold. Then, a game later, she grabbed a 40/15 lead on Williams' serve when the American's backhand sailed long. It presented Kvitova with the first break point on Venus' serve that she'd seen since the opening game of the match. It was also double match point. She only needed one to win. On the first and only MP of the day, Williams netted a backhand and ended the 2:30 match, as Kvitova won 5-7/7-6(2)/7-5. In the end, Kvitova's winner advantage (19-7 in the 3rd, 48-25 for the day) finally outpaced Williams as their unforced errors numbers were comparable (Kvitova had 10 to Venus' 9 in the 3rd) after Williams had held a big advantage (just 10 to Petra's 24) in the first two sets.

Kvitova nearly spun out of control down the stretch, but managed to gather herself in the sort of professional, workwomanlike manner she had throughout the match, and at this Wimbledon so far. Now, with other seeds having fallen in her section, the Czech is most assuredly the favorite to reach the semifinals. And, if she were to play her BEST game in that final four match against the other most accomplished player at SW19 remaining in the bottom half of the draw -- Aga Radwanska -- she's likely be the favorite to reach her second career Wimbledon final, as well.

Of course, no one should note that sort of thing TOO loudly, for Petra hasn't exactly been able to string together very many performances like this too many times since 2011. Still, Kvitova is a different, more comfortable player at Wimbledon than she is anywhere else. Just like Venus was in her prime. That may prove to be the most important thing of all.

This is the third consecutive slam in which Williams has had a set lead on her opponent, yet lost the match, having previously fallen, in order, against Ekaterina Makarova and Anna Schmiedlova. But don't think we've seen the last of Venus. She's already told us that more times than we can count. She'll go on, win or lose, for the love of the game and the hope, still lingering after all these years after staring down more obstacles than in a dozen "normal" tennis careers, that she can have another moment in the sun. Even if it's only a brief one.

I said earlier this week that "no matter what happens at this Wimbledon, or at any other event. Venus Williams does not lose. Even if the scoreboard says she came out on the short end, Williams will always remain the proud individual that she has become, growing into an inspirational adult despite living much of her life in the public eye for the last two decades. In life, Venus is quite simply the epitome of cool."

That still holds true today. Maybe even more so than yesterday, or the day before, or...

=DAY 5 NOTES=
...no former #1's fell yesterday, but two did today. Well, three, technically.

Venus lost, of course, but so did Lleyton Hewitt (a Fallen Seven member from '13) in the completion of his match from yesterday. The Aussie saved two MP in the 3rd set, but ultimately went out in five. Novak Djokovic fell, literally, against Gilles Simon. The Serb grabbed his shoulder and rolled around on the grass late in the 3rd set of the first Centre Court match of the day. It looked like The Rad had finally belatedly struck... but after being treated by trainers, Djokovic played on and took down the Pastryman in straights.

...The Rad might be keeping out of sight, but Aga Radwanska isn't. Not that anyone is noticing her much, as she was continually shrugged off as a real contender in the bottom half of the draw today on ESPN despite her final and semifinal SW19 results the last two years. Today she put down her magical hammer on the head of Michelle Larcher de Brito, making her LOOK like a qualifier in a 6-2/6-0 win.

Another sign of the lack of Radwanskian influence in 2014: after the Hordette streak of 51 consecutive slams with at least one player reaching the Round of 16 came to an end last year at the AELTC, Ekaterina Makarova's advancement there today with a win over Caroline Garcia marks the fifty-fifth time in the last fifty-six slams that a Russian has reached the 4th Round, as well as thirteen times in the last fourteen Wimbledons. Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva are still to play 3rd Round matches. The Wimbledon record is six Russians in the final sixteen, in both 2005 and 2008.

Makarova gets A-Rad next.

...the two matches left over from yesterday were completed early on Day 5. Belinda Bencic won a close 6-5/7-5 match over fellow teenager Vicky Duval, while Simona Halep had to go three sets to defeat qualifier Lesia Tsurenko.

Lauren Davis, who has been putting on the run of her career the last few weeks on the grass, won the 1st set at love over Peng Shuai, only to then win just four games in the final two sets. Peng turns out to be the last Chinese woman in the draw, as Li Na's luck ran out rather quickly after her 1st Round escape against Paula Kania a few days ago. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, making a strong comeback from the six-month doping suspension that ended in the spring of '13, won a pair of tie-breaks to take out the Australian Open champ in straight sets. Li, who'd held a set point in the 2nd, also exited early in the 1st Round in Paris, remember. For 28-year old BZS, this is the first Top 10 win of her career. She'd entered the match 0-24 in such match-ups.

In the Australian Open final that never happened, Lucie Safarova went up against Dominika Cibulkova. Remember, Li saved that MP against the Czech earlier in the tournament in Melbourne, then went on to defeat the Slovak in the final. Today, Safarova gave a hint of what could have been, winning 6-4/6-2.

Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki might be back. Well, at least partially. Her 6-3/6-0 win today over qualifier Ana Konjuh means she's yet to lose a set at this Wimbledon, and allowed just eleven total games. This was the second match in which she's ended things with a love set. She's one win away from her first career Wimbledon QF.

...the "Last Qualifier Standing" was determined on Day 5, but it wasn't easy.

19-year old Czech Tereza Smitkova, the world #175 who has been making slam strides in leaps and bounds in recent weeks, ended Vika conqueror Bojana Jovanovski's Wimbledon with a 4-6/7-6(5)/10-8 win that took nearly three hours. BoJo had held a match point at 6-5 in the 2nd set, and after failing to put away the MP the Serb immediately fell down 4-0 in the tie-break, losing in 7-5. In the 3rd set, Smitkova went up 4-2, but soon was broken for 5-6. Jovanovski then failed to serve out the match at 6-5 and 7-6, holding another MP. Smitkova held three MP at 8-7, but couldn't convert any, either. Finally, the qualifier won on her fifth MP to take the 10-8 final set and advance to her first slam Round of 16, giving the Czech Republic four women in the group of eight players remaining in the bottom half of the draw. Smitkova will face Wozniacki on Monday.

...in doubles, newly-engaged Michaella Krajicek & Martin Emmrich won their 1st Round Mixed match in three sets, while the Kichenok sisters, who'd seen play called for the night due to rain on Day 4 while leading 5-2 in the 2nd set tie-break, two points from victory, tried to make it a short work day for themselves against Monica Puig and Davis. The American had to come back out to play this match after having been eliminated in singles. The Puerto Rican/American duo won the first three points after the match resumed, tying the TB at 5-5, only to see the Ukrainian team take the final two points to win the match.

Elsewhere in doubles, Liezel Huber & Lisa Raymond lost to Aoyama/Voracova, while Madison Keys & Alison Riske were taken out by the veteran pair of Kudryavtseva/An.Rodionova. The Mixed match-up between Huber and Raymond won't happen, though, as Raymond & Trent Huey pulled out of the 1st Round match. Huber & Lukas Dlouhy defeated Alicja Rosolska & Michael Venus today instead, and will next face defending champs Mladenovic/Nestor.

...LIKE FROM DAY 5... no, it CAN'T be! But it is.:

-- LZ Granderson. Yep. During a rather delightful interview with Caroline Wozniacki by Chris McKendry and Granderson on ESPN, talk turned to a photo posted by the Dane with One Direction's Niall Horan.

Wozniacki said too much was made of it (no, the "R"-word wasn't used, nor was "o,""r" or "y"), but gushed how famous the singer is on Twitter, specifically mentioning his millions and millions of followers (a "ridiculous" amount, noted Caro). But then she said that people say that One Direction are "bigger than the Beatles." Whoa, whoa now... let's not get crazy here, Caro. Granderson laughed at the notion, and was quick to defend the Fab Four on their native soil, noting that if the Beatles were around now they'd have a BILLION followers.

Nice, LZ. Nice. Maybe there's hope for you yet.

...and, finally, here we go again?

The pre-Wimbledon junior Grade 1 grass event at Roehampton has been held, and the title was claimed by Jelena Ostapenko. Unseeded due to her lack of junior play over the last year, the 17-year old defeated the fifth and sixth seeds en route to the win, wrapping things up with a 6-2/6-3 victory over Kristina Schmiedlova, sister of Anna, in the final. Schmiedlova had defeated CiCi Bellis in the semis.

Of course, I've already picked Ostapenko to win the girls title at BOTH the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year, only to see her falter, and now it will be mighty tempting to cover my eyes and go for a third spin of the Latvian Wheel of Chance in London.

Hmmm.

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS SEEDS*
1. Ivana Jorovic, SRB
2. CiCi Bellis, USA
3. Tornado Alicia Black, USA
4. Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov, ESP
5. Jil Belen Teichmann, SUI
6. Iryna Shymanovich, BLR
7. Francoise Abanda, CAN
8. Kristina Schmiedlova, SVK
9. Anna Kalinina, UKR
10. Xu Shilin, CHN
11. Ioana Loredana Rosca, ROU
12. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
13. Priscilla Hon, AUS
14. Sandra Samir, EGY
15. Anna Bondar, HUN
16. Naiktha Bains, AUS

=QF=
Gabriella Taylor/GBR d. #7 Francoise Abanda/CAN
Jelena Ostapenko/LAT d. Katie Boulter/GBR
#16 Naiktha Bains/AUS d. Fanny Stollar/HUN
#8 Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK d. #2 CiCi Bellis/USA
=SF=
Ostapenko d. Taylor
#8 K.Schmiedlova d. #16 Bains
=FINAL=
Ostapenko d. #8 K.Schmiedlova

...the power of suggestion. You can't say I won't go with the ship, I guess.

=LADIES' SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
(Q) Tereza Smitkova/CZE vs. #23 Lucie Safarova/CZE
#22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS vs. #4 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. Peng Shuai/CHN
#16 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN vs. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE

=GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA
Jeremy Chardy/FRA vs. #26 Marin Cilic/CRO
#3 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #20 Kevin Anderson/RSA
#11 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL vs. Leonardo Mayer/ARG
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

*WIMBLEDON "LAST QUALIFIER STANDING"*
2006 Severine Bremond, FRA (QF)
2007 O.Govortsova/BLR, N.Ozegovic/CRO, T.Perebiynis/UKR, A.Szavay/HUN, H.Sromova/CZE (2nd Rd.)
2008 A.Pavlyuchenkova/RUS, MJ.Martinez-Sanchez/ESP, B.Strycova/CZE (3rd Rd.)
2009 Melanie Oudin, USA (4th Rd.)
2010 Kaia Kanepi, EST (QF)
2011 Misaki Doi, JPN (3rd Rd.)
2012 Camila Giorgi, ITA (4th Rd.)
2013 E.Birnerova/CZE, P.Cetkovska/CZE, M.Larcher de Brito/POR (3rd Rd.)
2014 Tereza Smitkova, CZE (in 4th Rd.)

*RUSSIANS IN WIMBLEDON RD. OF 16 - since 2000*
2000 (0)
2001 (2) Lina Krasnoroutskaya, Nadia Petrova
2002 (2) Elena Dementieva, Elena Likhovtseva
2003 (5) Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Myskina, Sharapova, Zvonareva
2004 (3) Nadia Petrova, Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva
2005 (6) Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Likhovtseva, Myskina, Petrova, Sharapova
2006 (3) Elena Dementieva, Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova
2007 (3) Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova, Maria Sharapova
2008 (6) Chakvetadze, Dementieva, Kleybanova, Kudryavtseva, Kuznetsova, Petrova
2009 (4) Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova, Elena Vesnina
2010 (2) Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva
2011 (3) Ksenia Pervak, Nadia Petrova, Maria Sharapova
2012 (2) Maria Kirilenko, Maria Sharapova
2013 (0)
2014 (1) Ekaterina Makarova
--
NOTE: Sharapova & Zvonareva still to play

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. -Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. #27 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 6-3/3-6/7-5 (on 13th MP, 9th in final game)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee: 3rd Rd. - #6 Kvitova d. #30 V.Williams 5-7/7-6(2)/7-5
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Tereza Smitkova/CZE (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Vera Zvonareva/RUS (in 3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING:Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): xx
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Vika's white shorts; V.Zvonareva/RUS; P.Kvitova/CZE; B.Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE; C.Wozniacki/DEN
CRASH & BURN:Sloane Stephens/USA (lost 1st Rd. to Kirilenko/RUS, ending 6 con. slam Round of 16 streak)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Makarova/RUS (down 5-0 in 1st set, 3-1 in 3rd vs. Date-Krumm in 1st Rd.); Shvedova/KAZ (saved MP vs. Kr.Pliskova in 3rd set in 1st Rd.); Zvonareva/RUS (T.Moore served for match at 5-4 in 3rd in 1st Rd.); Smitkova/CZE (in 3rd Rd., Jovanovski twice for match and 2 MP in 3rd set, won 10-8 on own 5th MP)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 5. More tomorrow.

There were Pastry lips touching the Centre Court grass on Day 6.

But first...

The Round of 16 field isn't quite set, but fourteen is enough. And you know what that means... lists-a-palooza!

*2014 WIMBLEDON WOMEN'S FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#3 - Simona Halep
#4 - Agnieszka Radwanska
#5 - Maria Sharapova
#6 - Petra Kvitova
#7 - Angelique Kerber
#13 - Eugenie Bouchard
#16 - Caroline Wozniacki
#22 - Ekaterina Makarova
#23 - Lucie Safarova
#24 - Alize Cornet
#43 - Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
#61 - Peng Shuai
#72 - Zarina Diyas
#175 - Tereza Smitkova
x...Ivanovic (11) or Lisicki (19)
x...Keys (30) or Shvedova (72)
[by age]
28...Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
28...Peng Shuai
27...Lucie Safarova
27...Maria Sharapova
26...Angelique Kerber
26...Ekaterina Makarova
25...Agnieszka Radwanska
24...Alize Cornet
24...Petra Kvitova
23...Caroline Wozniacki
22...Simona Halep
20...Zarina Diyas
20...Eugenie Bouchard
19...Tereza Smitkova
x....Ivanovic (26) or Lisicki (24)
x....Keys (19) or Shvedova (26)
[by nation]
4...Czech Republic (Kvitova,Safarova,Smitkova,Zahlavova-Strycova)
2...Russia (Makarova,Sharapova)
1...Canada (Bouchard)
1...China (Peng)
1...Denmark (Wozniacki)
1...France (Cornet)
1...Germany (Kerber)
1...Kazakhstan (Diyas)
1...Poland (A.Radwanska)
1...Romania (Halep)
+KAZ/USA, GER/SRB
[by career slam Round-of-16's]
31...Maria Sharapova
20...Agnieszka Radwanska
14...Caroline Wozniacki
12...Petra Kvitova
10...Angelique Kerber
7...Ekaterina Makarova
5...Peng Shuai
4...Simona Halep
4...Lucie Safarova
3...Eugenie Bouchard
2...Alize Cornet
1...Zarina Diyas
1...Tereza Smitkova
1...Barbora Zahalova-Strycova
x...Ivanovic(18) or Lisicki (6)
x...Keys (0) or Shvedova (3)
[by consecutive slam Round of 16's]
4...Simona Halep
4...Angelique Kerber
3...Eugenie Bouchard
2...Lucie Safarova
2...Maria Sharapova
[by career WI Round of 16's]
9...Maria Sharapova
7...Agnieszka Radwanska
5...Petra Kvitova
4...Caroline Wozniacki
3...Peng Shuai
2...Angelique Kerber
1...Eugenie Bouchard
1...Alize Cornet
1...Zarina Diyas
1...Simona Halep
1...Ekaterina Makarova
1...Lucie Safarova
1...Tereza Smitkova
1...Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
x...Ivanovic(4) or Lisicki (4)
x...Keys (0) or Shvedova (1)
[by consecutive WI Round of 16's]
5...Petra Kvitova
3...Agnieszka Radwanska
x...Lisicki (3; reached 4r in last 4 Wimb. played - DNP '10)
[by preseason "Grand Slam Master List" rankings]
4 - Maria Sharapova
7 - Agnieszka Radwanska
8 - Petra Kvitova
9 - Angelique Kerber
12 - Simona Halep
16 - Caroline Wozniacki
19 - Ekaterina Makarova
20 - Eugenie Bouchard
44 - Alize Cornet
46 - Peng Shuai
47 - Lucie Safarova
unlisted - Zarina Diyas
unlisted - Tereza Smitkova
unlisted - Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
x...Ivanovic(32) or Lisicki (6)
x...Keys (31) or Shvedova (42)
[WTA career slam Round of 16's - active]
45...Serena Williams
40...Venus Williams
31...MARIA SHARAPOVA
27...Svetlana Kuznetsova
21...Nadia Petrova
20...Jelena Jankovic
20...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA
18*..Ana Ivanovic
18...Francesca Schiavone
17...Victoria Azarenka
[WTA slam Round of 16's since 2010 - active]
14...MARIA SHARAPOVA
13...Serena Williams
12...Victoria Azarenka
12...AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA
10...ANGELIQUE KERBER
10...PETRA KVITOVA
10...Li Na
10...CAROLINE WOZNIACKI
9*..Ana Ivanovic
9...Svetlana Kuznetsova
[2014 slam Rd. of 16's - youngest]
19 - Eugenie Bouchard (AO)
19 - Tereza Smitkova (WI)
20 - Eugenie Bouchard (RG)
20 - Eugenie Bouchard (WI)
20 - Garbine Muguruza (AO)
20 - Garbine Muguruza (RG)
20 - Ajla Tomljanovic (RG)
20 - Sloane Stephens (AO)
20 - Zarina Diyas (WI)
21 - Sloane Stephens (RG)
x - Keys (19)
[2014 slam Rd. of 16's - oldest]
32 - Serena Williams (AO)
31 - Li Na (AO)
31 - Flavia Pennetta (AO)
30 - Samantha Stosur (RG)
29 - Jelena Jankovic (RG)
[2014 slam Rd. of 16's - unseeded]
AO - Casey Dellacqua, AUS (WC)
AO - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
RG - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
RG - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (WC)
RG - Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO
RG - Kiki Bertens, NED (Q)
WI - Zarina Diyas, KAZ
WI - Peng Shuai, CHN
WI - Tereza Smitkova, CZE (Q)
WI - Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
WI - Keys or Shvedova
[2014 slam Rd. of 16's - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.'s]
AO - Eugenie Bouchard, CAN
AO - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
RG - Kiki Bertens, NED
RG - Pauline Parmentier, FRA
RG - Ajla Tomljanovic, CRO
WI - Zarina Diyas, KAZ
WI - Tereza Smitkova, CZE
WI - Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, CZE
x - Keys
[2014 slam Rd. of 16's - lowest-ranked]
#175 - Tereza Smitkova, CZE (WI)
#148 - Kiki Bertens, NED (RG)
#145 - Pauline Parmentier, FRA (RG)
#120 - Casey Dellacqua, AUS (AO)
[2014 slam Rd. of 16's - by nation]
6 - Russia
5 - Czech Republic
4 - Germany
3 - Canada, Romania, Serbia, Spain, United States
2 - Australia, China, France, Italy, Poland
1 - BLR, CRO, DEN, KAZ, NED, SVK
-
+KAZ/USA, GER/SRB

Whew!

=DAY 6 NOTES=
...rain interrupted or delayed play everywhere but Centre Court for four and a half hours on Saturday, producing the first significant weather-related issues at this Wimbledon. When play resumed in the afternoon, forty-three of the originally scheduled matches had already been cancelled (more would follow, as it turned out) as tournament officials attempted to get as many men's and women's 3rd Round singles matches completed as possible so that the usual "entire both Round of 16's play" nature of Monday wouldn't be left in complete shambles because of today.

Maria Sharapova had no such worries, though, as hers was the only scheduled women's match for Centre Court today, and she and Alison Riske went off as planned, after Rafa Nadal's opening match win, under the roof.

Riske managed to get a break of serve to open the match, but it didn't take long to realize that this wasn't going to be a "Sharapova vs. Serena, circa 2004" scenario. The American was clearly just trying to hold back the charging Russian after her early head start, hoping to stay a step ahead long enough to get to the 1st set finish line before Sharapova overtook her and ran away with things. She couldn't do it, though. A double-fault by Riske gave Sharapova her first BP chance at 3-2. She didn't convert it, but the Russian got a second BP chance. Another DF from Riske handed her the break to knot the set.

That was essentially the end of the festivities.

Sharapova held for 4-3 with a rally-ending forehand down the line, then went up 30/love on the American's serve a game later. A Sharapova return skipped off the net and into the backcourt to get another BP. A wide Riske backhand up the line gave Sharapova a commanding 5-3 lead. While Sharapova had four DF in the set, it didn't matter. Her 1st serve percentage was just 59%, but she was winning 76% of the points when she did get them in. A big Sharapova serve and a long Riske return gave the Russian a fifth straight game and the set, then she opened the 2nd set with another break of serve.

The win streak ultimately went to eleven straight games in Sharapova's 6-3/6-0 victory. In the 2nd, again, she put in just 56% of her 1st aerves, but she won a whopping 89% of them. This is her tenth straight match win, making Sharapova the first woman in 2014 with multiple 10-match winning streaks. One player who hasn't won ten straight this season? Serena Williams.

Speaking of...

Williams' 3rd Round match with Alize Cornet managed to get on the court early on Saturday, only to be stopped after two games. When everyone returned almost five hours later, Serena reeled off five straight games to win the 1st set 6-1. But then everything changed.

Williams was immediately off-kilter in the 2nd set, as she has so often been this season. While the American's footwork seemed to be taking place in quicksand, with her in-point decision-making in similar slow-motion form, Cornet got her footing and took a 5-0 lead. Williams bounced back and got to 5-3, but Cornet put away a forehand at the net off a weak backhand return from Serena and claimed the 2nd at 6-3 on her first set point opportunity.

While Cornet came into this Wimbledon with just one slam Round of 16 in her career (AO '09), Williams had only failed to reach the Wimbledon Round of 16 twice in her career, in '05 and in her '98 debut. But Cornet's semifinal win over Serena in Dubai earlier this year lingered in the Centre Court air. The Pastry knew she could defeat Williams. She already had. In straight sets, no less.

In the first game of the 2nd set, Cornet went up 40/15. When Williams put away a drop shot on BP #2, she yelled and stared at Cornet, pointing her first in the Pastry's direction. While it seemed like an act of intimidation (even if Cornet would never be intimidated by such a thing, and rather than back down would be more likely to unwisely challenge a stronger foe with more gusto, even if it meant the likelihood of physical danger), I wrote down in my match notes that it felt more like Serena was trying to convince HERSELF of her power than anything else.

No matter, for it didn't work on either front.

A Williams DF handed Cornet a third BP, but she committed a long error and things went back to deuce. Serena would soon net a backhand on game point, then challenge an obviously in line shot from Cornet that had given her BP #4 (again, reaching and trying to convince herself of something). Finally, Williams served up the middle and held with a put-away shot at the net for 1-0. This time, though, there was no howl or shaking fist. There wasn't even a noticeable acknowledgement of personal success.

At 2-2, Cornet again went up 40/15, but Williams won a 15-shot rally, then saved a second BP with a backhand winner. Cornet followed by winning a 14-shot rally to get a third shot, then a fourth with a forehand pass off a bad Williams volley as Cornet continued to whack the Williams pinata. But, Serena being who she is, there was still SOME question whether or not she could rip a hole in the champion's exterior. Finally, Williams framed a deep Cornet shot off the baseline and the Pastry went up a break at 3-2. In game #7, Serena raced to a drop shot to avoid falling down another break point at 2-4, but a Cornet backhand winner sent behind Williams got the BP anyway. A wide Williams backhand gave Cornet a two-break lead at 5-2 and the Pastry served for the match.

Briefly, Williams looked like the Serena of old, stringing together a handful of great points. She took a 30/love lead, but saw Cornet get within two points of the win at 30/30. Williams hit a backhand winner to reach break point, then cut Cornet's double-break lead in half with a break for 5-3. Holding steady, Williams got to 5-4 a game later.

But, still, while it could have happened, you didn't sense that one of Serena's classic comebacks was in order. And it wasn't, either. Cornet went up 30/love on her serve, again getting to within two points of victory. Williams was seen whacking her hand with her racket after the point. She quickly replaced the racket, but the hand remained. On the next point, Williams retrieved a mid-court ball and approached the net behind a deep forehand, only to see Cornet send a shot back directly at her. She couldn't handle the volley, netting a backhand and putting Cornet at match point. On MP, the Frenchwoman quickly employed a slice backhand drop shot off Serena's return. Williams raced to the net, but put a down the line shot into the net as Cornet held at love -- just as she did in the final game in Dubai -- to take the match 1-6/6-3/6-4, getting her second win this season over Serena and her first ever over a Top 20 player in fourteen such match-ups in majors.

Cornet winningly celebrated, as she has so often this season. She ran back out onto the court to kiss the grass, then gave the crowd another #1-finger shaking dance before waving and slipping off stage with a huge smile on her face. She could seemingly hardly it had happened -- "I can't believe that I did it myself! Me!" -- after the match. But, really, it's not a HUGE surprise.

After her early loss in Paris, while Williams said all the right things, I said at the time that the words just weren't as convincing as they came out of her mouth as they have been in the past. It's become apparent as 2014 has progressed, while Williams has won three titles, that she's not the same player, emotionally, that she was during her eighteen-month storm of success in 2012-13. It could be that she used up so much mental and physical energy putting together arguably the best stretch of her long, already-Hall of Fame career that an inability to pull herself up to such heights in big moments on big stages was inevitable this season. Plus, you know, when I picked her to win a Grand Slam this season it wasn't a big leap to think she then had just as much of a chance to have her worst-ever grand slam season... even Serena isn't immune to the "Kuznetsova Curse," it appears.

Whoops.

Of course, the 2014 slam season isn't over. New York still appears in the distance as the site of Serena's last grand slam stand this year. After a summer of pre-Open rest and refocusing, it's easy to think that she'll at least reach the final in Flushing Meadows. After three straight slams without reaching the QF, Serena will head to NYC looking, at the modest least, to avoid having her third career season without a Final Eight slam result. The others came in 2006, when she played in only two majors, and 1998, her first season on tour. She's only failed to appear in at least one slam final in a single season once ('06) since 2001.

So, I guess we'll be repeating this will-she-or-won't-she dance two months from now before the start of the Open, as well.

...by the time the Williams match was completed, Eugenie Bouchard had already defeated Andrea Petkovic in a rematch of their Charleston semifinal from this spring, finally winning 6-3/6-4 on her third match point, as she continues to improve her grass game with every round. While Sharapova is getting all the attention for now no longer having Serena in her path in the QF, the Canadian was scheduled to face Williams in the Round of 16. She'll now play Cornet. Not an easy thing, but surely a better option than the alternative would have been.

In a match-up of former Wimbledon semifinalists, Angelique Kerber (2012) defeated Kirsten Flipkens (2013) 3-6/6-3/6-2 to advance to her fourth straight slam Round of 16. Even without a final berth, Kerber has been shockingly consistent at the slams since she ended a five-match losing streak at majors with that surprise semifinal at the U.S. Open in 2011 when she was barely ranked in the Top 100. This is the German's ninth 4th Round at the last ten majors, and tenth in the last twelve.

Simona Halep defeated New Swiss Miss Belinda Bencic, 6-4/6-1. The Roland Garros finalist has now reached the Round of 16 at four "big event" slams after showing that she'd learned to conquer the "smaller" events in 2013. The Pride of Romania is now tied with Kerber for the most consecutive slam 4th Rounds on tour. Hmmm, I wonder if Sloane, the former leader in the category, has noticed?

20-year old Kazakh Zarina Diyas continued her magical run in just her third career slam main draw, reaching her first Round of 16 with a three-set win today over wild card (and '10 RU) Vera Zvonareva. Diyas reached the final on the grass at the Nottingham challenger before the start of Wimbledon.

...two of the women's 3rd Round matches were not completed, but the winners are scheduled to meet each other in the 4th Round, so no advantage will be gained when the schedule gets scrunched together at the start of next week.

The Sabine Lisicki/Ana Ivanovic match was stopped at 6-4/1-1 after the Serb complained for nearly ten minutes about the lack of light. She got the match stopped, even while other matches on the grounds continued for a good while after that point, including the Madison Keys/Yaroslava Shvedova match-up, the winner of which would meet the Lisicki/AnaIvo winner.

Shvedova led 5-3 in the 1st set, but failed to serve out the set at 5-4. Things went to a tie-break, where Keys held four set points (two on serve), but saw Shvedova win 9-7. Keys led 4-2 in the 2nd set, but saw her lead slip away. The Eastbourne champ, with many matches piling up of late, was visibly tired down the stretch in the set, though she didn't push for a stoppage ala AnaIvo. She also injured her leg, but managed to gut out a break of serve in a 20-point game to give herself a chance to serve out the set in the fading light at 6-5.

It was at this point that she called for trainers, who treated the teary Bannerette who was once again undergoing the sort of 2014 season "trial by fire" that should serve to toughen her up for the rest of her career (remember vs. Cornet in Fed Cup, as well as her opening matches at this Wimbledon). Play wasn't stopped at this point, though it was upwards of around half an hour since the Ivanovic/Lisicki match had been interrupted. A physically-compromised, limping and hands-on-knees Keys was unable to hold serve, setting up a deciding tie-break for the 2nd set.

Finally, after both players questioned the umpire about the situation, play was stopped at 9:35 p.m.. Shvedova was upset about it, as she surely would have won the tie-break since Keys could no longer really cover the barely-visible court, but if the Kazakh really wanted to push the issue she wouldn't have asked, she would have simply acted as if she ASSUMED they'd finish things up tonight and made it look like everyone else was crazy even considering stopping. Meanwhile, Keys should have gone into a delaying tactic by calling for the tournament director and pushing things even deeper into the night, for her own good. But, she'll learn from this and probably do just that next time. Example of experience: Ivanovic setting things up ten minutes in advance by needling for a stoppage when she went down a set, but not yet a break in the 2nd... as that worked out pretty well for her. It might still work out for Keys, as well. She'll now have a day off to get physically prepared for the rest of the match. Come out and win the tie-break on Monday and it's a one-set battle for the Round of 16.

Ivanovic/Lisicki will probably re-start at approximately the same (likely early) time, so the winners might meet on Tuesday unless the tournament decides to have them play their Round of 16 matches that day, too, along with the rest of the draw.

...only two seeded girls were in action in the pared-down, post-rain Saturday schedule, #9 Anhelina Kalinina and #10 Xu Shilin. Xu got a win, while Kalinina was down a set and 5-5 to Brit Harriet Dart when play was called due to darkness.

...#4-seeded Cara Black & Sania Mirza faced off with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova & Lucie Safarova in the only completed women's doubles match of Day 6. Black & Mirza looked as if they were going to win in straight sets, but the Russian/Czech pair saved five match points at 5-4 in the 2nd, then four more in the tie-break to force a 3rd set. Then, in the deciding stanza, Pavlyuchenkova & Safarova came back from an early break at 2-1 to win the match 2-6/7-6(7)/6-4.

Hmmm, could we have "Zombie QUEENS" at this Wimbledon?

...LIKE FROM DAY 6:

-- don't expect Riske to get down in the dumps about a single loss. After losing to Sharapova, in her typical good humor, she Tweeted, "David Beckham watched me lose to Sharapova on Center Court at Wimbledon. Id say that is half winning..."

...DISLIKE FROM DAY 6:

-- introducing the "killjoy gate."

...ANOTHER SHOT FROM THE "CARO & FRIENDS" ROAD TOUR FOR CONSPICUOUS DAY 6 CONSUMPTON:

I tell ya, I think by now that wrist brace has fused itself to Robson's skin.

...and, finally, meanwhile, Aga watches and waits...

=LADIES' SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#25 Alize Cornet/FRA vs. #13 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN
#9 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
#3 Simona Halep/ROU vs. Zarina Diyas/KAZ
x vs. x
(Q) Tereza Smitkova/CZE vs. #23 Lucie Safarova/CZE
#22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS vs. #4 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. Peng Shuai/CHN
#16 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN vs. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE

=GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA
Jeremy Chardy/FRA vs. #26 Marin Cilic/CRO
#3 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #20 Kevin Anderson/RSA
#11 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL vs. Leonardo Mayer/ARG
x vs. x
x vs. #4 Roger Federer/SUI
#8 Milos Raonic/CAN vs. x
(WC) Nick Kyrgios/AUS x vs. #2 Rafael Nadal/ESP

*2014 WTA 10-MATCH WIN STREAKS*
13...Li Na, January-February (ended by Cetkovska)
12...Maria Sharapova, April-May (Ivanovic)
11...Caroline Garcia, April-May (A.Radwanska)
11...Garbine Muguruza, January (A.Radwanska)
10...Eugenie Bouchard, May-June (Sharapova)
10...MARIA SHARAPOVA, June-current

*WIMBLEDON CAREER MATCH WINS*
120...Martina Navratilova
96...Chris Evert
74...Steffi Graf
73...Venus Williams *
72...Serena Williams *

*SERENA WILLIAMS SLAM HISTORY*
45-8 - record in slam 3rd Rounds
45-20 - record in slam three-setters
13-4 - record in Wimbledon three-setters
[Wimbledon three-set losses]
2001 QF - Jennifer Capriati
2007 QF - Justine Henin
2013 4th Rd. - Sabine Lisicki
2014 3rd Rd. - Alize Cornet

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. -Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. #27 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 6-3/3-6/7-5 (on 13th MP, 9th in final game)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee: 3rd Rd. - #6 Kvitova d. #30 V.Williams 5-7/7-6(2)/7-5
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Tereza Smitkova/CZE (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Vera Zvonareva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING:Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: Z.Diyas/KAZ; E.Bouchard/CAN; T.Smitkova/CZE; M.Keys/USA; A.Cornet/FRA
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: xx
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Vika's white shorts; P.Kvitova/CZE; B.Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE; C.Wozniacki/DEN
CRASH & BURN:Sloane Stephens/USA (lost 1st Rd. to Kirilenko/RUS, ending 6 con. slam Round of 16 streak)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Makarova/RUS (down 5-0 in 1st set, 3-1 in 3rd vs. Date-Krumm in 1st Rd.); Shvedova/KAZ (saved MP vs. Kr.Pliskova in 3rd set in 1st Rd.); Smitkova/CZE (in 3rd Rd., Jovanovski twice for match and 2 MP in 3rd set, won 10-8 on own 5th MP); Pavlyuchenkova/Safarova (saved 9 MP vs. Black/Mirza in 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 6. A quiet middle Sunday tomorrow. More on Monday.

Well, not really. But there's no play today at Wimbledon on the middle Sunday.

That hasn't always been the case, though. Three times in Wimbledon's history weather delays during the first week have precipitated the opening of the gates of the AELTC for a "People's Sunday" in order to get the tournament back on schedule. The first came in 1991, while there was additional Sunday play in 1997 and 2004, as well.

It was the first, though, that was truly special. With the Centre Court stands filled with "regular" fans, the most famous moment of the day was probably the serenading of veteran Jimmy Connors, two months before his U.S. Open semifinal run at age 39 later that summer. Fans sang and yelled out Connors' name, even vociferously counting groundstrokes during the pre-match warm-up... but only up to ten. Connors turned toward the stands and asked, as only he could, "What's the matter? You can't count past ten?" Ah, he had them at "hello," that guy. Fans even participated in a "wave" that traveled all around Centre Court. Here's a remembrance of the historic day from Tennis Buzz. When you read it, you can't but think how some of today's players might react to the scene.

Really, it would be a good moment for the sport as a whole.

Now, I admit, I selfishly enjoy the action-free middle Sunday just because I like having a day smack dab in the middle of a slam where I don't have to worry about actively following the events of the day and managing to post a recap before night falls and it's time to start up play for the following Monday. It's a refreshing point to pause. But the notion of a regular "People's Sunday" at the All-England Club, even a modified one where just a handful of matches were opened up to fans on a "first come, first served" basis for matches to take place only on Centre Court and maybe one or two other show courts, would surely be one of the annual highlights of the grand slam season. Every year. Being able to play in front of those crowds -- maybe even with the tournament loosening all those long-standing-and-always-a-bit-silly restrictions of colors on the players' attire, ala what occurred at the AELTC during the 2012 Olympics -- would be something that many players would take an immediate liking to, and bring them closer to the "real" fans, allowing their personalities to shine. Just like what happened with the players on the original "People's Sunday."

Yeah, I guess the middle Sunday is also a day to dream, huh? We sort of know that such a thing won't be happening anytime soon at Wimbledon. But there WILL be another "People's Sunday." Someday. Mother Nature and the Tennis Gods will make sure of that, if only just to nudge the tournament officials a little. Who knows, one day, maybe many generations from now, Marcos Agassi and his sister Sabine, the great, great grandchildren of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, will both notch wins on a middle Sunday and then tell the assembled media afterward that they should do this EVERY year.

Of course, they both might have to become great grandparents themselves before the notion would become a Wimbledon reality. But it will happen. Some day. Oh... some day. Maybe. Or not.

So, anyway, until Monday...

All for now.

Day 7 was about the good -- Genie Bouchard, even when she was sometimes bad, the bad --Aga Radwanska, at the place where she most wants to be and has almost always been good and the ugly specter of the rain once again playing havor with the schedule, turning the annual Round of 16 Monday into a disjointed, half-played and, once more, laregly carried-over-until-tommorow affair.

So far at this Wimbledon, Bouchard has proven amazingly adept at winning -- actually, not even dropping a set -- when she's generally been playing with something other than her "A"-game. On Monday, against Serena Williams conqueror Alize Cornet, the Canadian often seemed to be making a go of things with her "C"-game. Still, when a player is as competitive as Bouchard, whose new actor friend Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) compared to Chris Evert over the weekend on ESPN because both are "cold-hearted killers" on the court, even a less-than-sharp knife can be an effective weapon in the right hands.

Ala Liam Neeson, Bouchard is a young woman with a very particular set of skills.

Throughout her Round of 16 match, Bouchard has a difficult time corralling her groundstrokes. Her error totals mounted as a result. She had eight in the first five games of the match. Meanwhile, Cornet was superbly utilizing the same sort of drop shots that she'd employed to bring down Williams, taking advantage of maybe the one exploitable aspect of the Canadian's game -- her movement and less-than-honed net game. Still, Bouchard hung in, saving a break point to hold for 4-4 and once more pushed things deep into the 1st set, hoping to catch a (literal) break late in the stanza as she has already done so often over her previous three matches in London.

Bouchard, with Cornet letting a few errors slip into her game at just the wrong time, held for 6-6 to force a tie-break to take the break-less 1st set (Genie was 0/3 on BP attempts, Alize 0/1). In the TB, again, the Pastry's errors gave the Canadian an early lead as Cornet sent a shot long and then missed an open court attempt at a winner. Bouchard led 4-1, but then her own error-prone game resurfaced. A double-fault was followed by two forehand errors and a netted return of a second serve, giving Cornet a 5-4 lead. But then Cornet's penchant for drop shots got the best of her, as a poorly-executed attempt -- for her first backhand error of the set -- knotted the score at 5-5 rather than giving her a set point. Sensing the opportunity she'd been waiting for, the Canadian jumped at the chance.

Bouchard fired an ace to reach set point at 6-5, and took the set a point later as Cornet threw her racket in disgust as the Canadian won the 1st while committing seventeen errors to her opponent's six, and merely equaling the Frenchwoman (44-44) in total points.

The 2nd set was more of the same. A Bouchard backhand error handed Cornet two break point chances in game #5. The first break of the match gave the Pastry a 3-2 lead, and she soon held for 4-2 and served for the set at 5-4. But, of course, that's when Bouchard raised her game yet again. A drop shot and winner gave her a 30/love lead on Cornet's serve. With the score knotted at 30/30, Bouchard practically murdered a second serve return down the line to give herself a break point. Cornet sent a shot wide and the set was tied at 5-all. Bouchard then held to take a 6-5 lead, then went up 30/love in game #12.

Racing across the grass deep behind the baseline during a rally at 15/30, Cornet slipped and fell. She gently rested her head on the slick green blades, never seeing Bouchard's forehand sail long to knot things at 30/30 rather than a winner put the Pastry match point down. The moment was coming though, after just one more point. On MP, Cornet fired a shot long and Bouchard won 7-6(5)/7-5. It's her fourth consecutive straight sets win at this Wimbledon (she's had to win seven games in five of the eight sets), and she won this one while only leading the final total point tally by a slim 81-78 score.

Bouchard got all the important points, as has become her way. A very particular set of skills, remember.

Afterward, she was appreciative of the win, as well as, naturally, the opportunity that she yet again grasped with both tightly-clenched hands.

It was an honour to play under you @WimbledonRoof
— Eugenie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) June 30, 2014

After the Canadian had managed to gut her way through to her third straight slam quarterfinal (in six career slams), Aga Radwanska showed a decided lack of said internal fortitude against an in-form Ekaterina Makarova. Of course, that's (eventually) been par for the course for the Pole at pretty much every tournament she's played since she squandered a lead against Sabine Lisicki in last year's Wimbledon semifinals and quite possibly let slip away what will be her best ever chance to win a major title. Ever since, while her ability to reach the latter stages of events has remained, the Pole's inability to follow up a big win with another, or to come through in the clutch in many big moments, has been wanting, to say the least.

Against the Russian, things were moving along rather smoothly in the 1st set. A-Rad had easily won her first three serve games, and led 3-2 after not facing a single break point, or even reaching deuce. In her second and third service games, she lost a total of one point. And then she never held her serve again. In fact, she never even won another game.

Makarova held for 3-3, broke Radwanska on her first BP of the match in game #7, held at love in game #8, then broke again on her fourth BP of game #9, via an Aga double-fault, to take the set at 6-3. Aga scored just one point in her first serve game in the 2nd set, failed to convert on two BP to fall behind 3-0, then was broken at love. With Radwanska down 6-3/5-0, play was interrupted due to rain, and Aga's last remaining hope seemed to survive only in some residual supernatural form left over from last Wimbledon's Massacre. But when play resumed, once again, A-Rad was essentially alone on court. She battled a little, holding a game point, but was broken for the fifth straight time. She dropped the final nine games of the match, losing 6-3/6-0 in a measly fifty-three minutes of actual play.

In the 3rd set, Makarova won twenty-seven points to Radwanska's ten. Aga finished with more errors (14) than the Hordette (6), and won just thirty-one of the match's eighty-eight points, claiming just 23% of points in her return game.

With a big number of ranking points now lost due to the semifinalist-to-4th Rounder downshift, current #4 Radwanska will slip a bit farther down the WTA ladder just two years after she found herself one set from the Wimbledon title -- and the #1 ranking -- in the 2012 three-set final against Serena. With Aga having won just one tour singles title since opening 2013 with back-to-back crowns in the season's first two weeks -- a span of eighteen months and counting, after having won six titles in the previous eighteen month span that had followed a three-year title drought -- it may be legitimate to question whether or not Poland's #1 player will be even be a Top 10 player when everyone assembles next year at the AELTC.

There would seem to be little doubt that Bouchard will be ranked in the Top 10 twelve months from now, though. Hmmm, maybe The Rad has a new favorite player? Malevolent entities often take a liking to "cold-hearted killers," right? They don't all come from Poland... they can emerge from Canada, as well.

Bouchard is set to possibly play Maria Sharapova next. Or not. After all, things have a tendency to not always go according to play at SW19.

=DAY 7 NOTES=
...meanwhile, the flood of Czech women deep into the draw continued on Day 7. Three of the five completed women's singles matches advanced Czechs into the Wimbledon final eight. There have never been so many Maidens in the QF at the All-England Club. None of them dropped a set, either.

Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova took out Caroline Wozniacki in the closest of the three matches, winning 6-2/7-5, while Lucie Safarova put an end to countrywoman qualifier Tereza Smitkova's magical career-best run via a 6-0/6-2 score.

Later, to round out the Maidens' day, 2011 champ Petra Kvitova handled Peng Shuai 6-3/6-2, running her Wimbledon record to 23-3 since her initial back-to-back 1st Round exits in 2008-09.

...the much-anticipated revival of the 3rd Rounder between Madison Keys and Yaroslava Shvedova shriveled on the vine before play even began on Monday. Even after a day of rest, the thigh injury and the hope that it wouldn't jeopardize the continuation of the Bannerette's great grass court run ended up putting an end to it. She pulled out of the tournament, advancing the Kazakh (one of two still in the draw, for now, at least) to her second SW19 Round of 16 (w/ '12).

...late in the day, Maria Sharapova's match with Angelique Kerber joined the lengthening list of cancelled matches.

...LIKE FROM DAY 7: Sabine Lisicki ♥ Wimbledon. Awwl, those crazy kids!

Well, unless Sabine is auditioning for a version of "Harvey" with a female lead... he said in a nod to Parsons' recent Broadway turn in the role made famous by Jimmy Stewart.

...as it turned out, Ana Ivanovic's move to get her 3rd Rounder with Lisicki carried over to today because of Saturday darkness, after the Serb dropped the 1st set to the '13 finalist, didn't quite work out for her in the end.

Down 6-4/1-1 when play stopped, AnaIvo came out and ran to a 5-2 2nd set lead today until the rains stopped play yet again. This time, though, it was Lisicki who grabbed the momentum when play resumed. Ivanovic took the 2nd at 6-3, but then the German went up a quick 3-0 in the 3rd, getting a break for 2-0 on her fourth attempt in the game. Lisicki won 6-4/3-6/6-1, ending things in her typical SW19 fashion (with an ace) to advance to her fourth straight Wimbledon Round of 16, and her fifth in her last five appearances at the AELTC (an ankle injury kept her out of action in '10).

For matters of "fairness," the Round of 16 match between Simona Halep and Zarina Diyas wasn't even scheduled for today, as the Lisicki/Ivanovic and Shvedova/Keys matches which will produce the other half of the QF in that section were given Monday to compete on their own so Halep/Diyas didn't get a day ahead. Of course, only one of those matches ended up being played because of Keys' withdrawal so, actually, there's something of an "unfair advantage" for the well-rested Shvedova in what will now be her 4th Round match with Lisicki anyway.

Sigh.

...some doubles and junior play was completed today, but not much.

Among the highlights, Kristina Mladenovic & Timea Babos defeated Belinda Bencic/Tsvetana Pironkova, while Ashley Barty/Casey Dellacqua knocked off the veteran-heavy duo of Kimiko Date-Krumm/Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova & Lucie Safarova, who saved nine MP in their last match against Black/Mirza, were leading Pennetta/Stosur 6-1/4-4 at the end of play, while the Kichenok sisters had a 7-5/2-4 advantage over Errani/Vinci. Mladenovic's Mixed match with Daniel Nestor was halted with the defending champs leading 7-5/1-1 over Huber/Dlouhy. Defending women's doubles champs Hsieh & Peng were down an early break at 3-1 to Beygelzimer/Jans-Ignacik.

In the juniors, after ending Saturday down a set and 5-5 to Brit Harriet Dart, #9 girls seed Anhelina Kalinina charged back to win 2-6/7-6(2)/6-3. #1 Ivana Jorovic, #5 Jil Belen Teichmann, #7 Francoise Abanda and #12 Marketa Vondrousova (a Czech, imagine that) also notched victories. Brit Katie Boulter took out #13-seeded Aussie Priscilla Hon.

...while there was no middle Sunday play at Wimbledon, not to mention very little on Saturday or today, there were titles decided on the ITF circuit.

Keeping the Czech theme of this Wimbledon intact, ITF Circuit Player of the Week goes to Denisa Allertova. The 21-year old claimed her season-leading fifth singles title of 2014 at the $25K event in Siófok, Hungary. She defeated fellow Maiden Martina Borecka in the final after having knocked off the #1 and #4 seeds in the event, and also won the doubles. It's her seventh career singles crown, and her seventh straight victory in a final going back to 2012.

In the Prokuplje, Slovenia, $10K, Elizaveta Ianchuk claimed her second career (and first since '11) ITF singles crown, giving us two title-winning Ianchuks on the circuit in 2014. Elizaveta's 19-year old sister Olga won a tournament in February.

...A NON-SELFIE OF A SELFIE FROM DAY 7:

-- Bouchard with Jim Parsons, who has become friends with the Canadian after, as a tennis fan with no connection to the Canadian, innocently sending her a congratulatory message after her AO semifinal run in January. Parsons was in the Friends Box for Bouchard's match today, having cancelled his flight home in order to attend.

...BOARD GAMES FROM DAY 7:

-- speaking of Bouchard, the AELTC has no use for a Genie Army. Genie Scrabble, though, is apparently A-Ok. (That's be a seven-letter word, by the way, if you were playing with very liberal spelling rules... well, unless it was played on a double or triple world score square, of course.)

...and, finally, she hasn't been forgotten. The North American hard court season is just around the corner now!

"Lip singing to my high school music dance"

=LADIES' SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#13 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN def. #25 Alize Cornet/FRA
#9 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
#3 Simona Halep/ROU vs. Zarina Diyas/KAZ
#19 Sabine Lisicki/GER vs. Yaroslava Shvedova/KAZ
#23 Lucie Safarova/CZE def. (Q) Tereza Smitkova/CZE
#22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS def. #4 Agnieszka Radwanska/POL
#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE def. Peng Shuai/CHN
Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE def. #16 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN

=GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB def. #14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/FRA
#26 Marin Cilic/CRO def. Jeremy Chardy/FRA
#3 Andy Murray/GBR def. #20 Kevin Anderson/RSA
#11 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL vs. Leonardo Mayer/ARG
#5 Stan Wawrinka/SUI vs. #19 Feliciano Lopez/ESP
#23 Tommy Robredo/ESP vs. #4 Roger Federer/SUI
#8 Milos Raonic/CAN vs. #10 Kei Nishikori/JPN
(WC) Nick Kyrgios/AUS vs. #2 Rafael Nadal/ESP

*UNSEEDED/WC/Q in SLAM QF SINCE 32-SEED DRAW*
[began w/ 2001 Wimbledon]
01 US - Bedanova
02 AO - Ad.Serra-Zanetti
02 RG - Pierce,C.Fernandez,Suarez
02 WI - Likhovtseva
02 US - Bovina
03 AO - Shaughnessy,Ruano-Pascual
03 RG - Pierce
04 WI - Sprem
04 US - Asagoe
05 RG - Karatantcheva
06 AO - Hingis(wc)
06 WI - Bremond(q)
07 AO - S.Williams,Safarova [Williams won title]
07 US - Szavay
08 RG - Kanepi,Suarez-Navarro(q)
08 WI - Zheng(wc),Tanasugarn
09 AO - Dokic(wc),Suarez-Navarro
09 RG - Sharapova,Cirstea
09 WI - Lisicki,Schiavone
09 US - Wickmayer,K.Bondarenko,Oudin,Clijsters(wc) [KC won title]
10 AO - Henin(wc) [Henin reached final]
10 RG - Shvedova
10 WI - Kvitova,Kanepi(q),Pironkova
10 US - Cibulkova
11 WI - Lisicki(wc),Paszek
11 US - Kerber
12 AO - Makarova,Errani
12 RG - Shvedova(q)
12 WI - Paszek
13 AO - Kuznetsova
13 RG - Kuznetsova
13 WI - Kanepi
13 US - Hantuchova
13 US - Pennetta
14 RG - Muguruza
14 WI - Zahlavova-Strycova
--
UNSEEDED STILL TO PLAY 4th Rd.: Diyas,Shvedova

*RECENT BEST AMERICAN WOMEN'S SLAM RESULTS*
=2011=
AO: Venus Williams (3rd)
RG: Vania King & Bethanie Mattek-Sands (3rd)
WI: Serena Williams (4th)
US: Serena Williams (RU)
=2012=
AO: Serena Williams (4th)
RG: Sloane Stephens (4th) & Varvara Lepchenko (4th)
WI: Serena Williams (W)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2013=
AO: Sloane Stephens (SF)
RG: Serena Williams (W)
WI: Sloane Stephens (QF)
US: Serena Williams (W)
=2014=
AO: Sloane Stephens & Serena Williams (4th)
RG: Sloane Stephens (4th)
WI: L.Davis, M.Keys, A.Riske, S.Williams, V.Williams (all 3rd)

*2014 ITF FINALS*
7...Zhu Lin, CHN (4-3)
5...Denisa Allertova, CZE (5-0)
5...Elena-Teodora Cadar, ROU (3-2)
5...Maria Sakkari, GRE (3-2)
5...Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (2-3)

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. -Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. #27 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 6-3/3-6/7-5 (on 13th MP, 9th in final game)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominee: 3rd Rd. - #6 Kvitova d. #30 V.Williams 5-7/7-6(2)/7-5
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Tereza Smitkova/CZE (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Vera Zvonareva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING:Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: Z.Diyas/KAZ; E.Bouchard/CAN; Kichenok/Kichenok (UKR)
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: L.Safarova/CZE; E.Makarova/RUS; E.Bouchard/CAN; S.Halep/ROU; Y.Shvedova/KAZ
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Vika's white shorts; P.Kvitova/CZE; B.Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE
CRASH & BURN:Sloane Stephens/USA (lost 1st Rd. to Kirilenko/RUS, ending 6 con. slam Round of 16 streak)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Makarova/RUS (down 5-0 in 1st set, 3-1 in 3rd vs. Date-Krumm in 1st Rd.); Shvedova/KAZ (saved MP vs. Kr.Pliskova in 3rd set in 1st Rd.); Pavlyuchenkova/Safarova (saved 9 MP vs. Black/Mirza in 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 7. More tomorrow.

It takes a rare individual to be able to stare directly "into the light" and not be blinded by the experience. There have been many times, when facing more faint lights than the one before her today, when Angelique Kerber has not been up to the task.

But in her Wimbledon Round of 16 match on Day 8 against the harshest light of all, Maria Sharapova, Kerber surely was just that. In fact, considering the stage, circumstances and opponent, one might say that the German played the best match of her entire career today on Centre Court.

At yet another grand slam filled with upsets, Sharapova entered Tuesday having not encountered a single bump in the road over the past week and a half in London. Her pop-up Sugarpova store has been doing good business and through three matches at the AELTC she'd dropped a tournament-low seven games in total. The Russian was hot off her successful run to a second Roland Garros title, and was installed as the "favorite" to win the tournament by many after the exit of Serena Williams in the 3rd Round. The Russian has been slated to Williams meet in the quarterfinals, having not beaten her since 2004. Never mind the fact that Sharapova hadn't won in London since her initial major victory as a 17-year old at the All-England Club a decade ago, or that the draw was still filled with another former Wimbledon champ, the '13 runner-up, the world #3 who won a grass court title last summer and Kerber, herself a '12 SW19 semifinalist and Eastbourne runner-up right in her most recent grass court event. Whether she was the "favorite" or not, Sharapova was certainly a contender to raise the Venus Rosewater dish, and no player on tour is more clutch than the five-time slam winner has traditionally been in tight contests. Her string of on-the-edge wins in Paris in recent weeks only served to reinforce the long-held knowledge that the last player you'd want to get in a three-set tussle with is Sharapova.

But that didn't take into account how Kerber would play. Persistent groundstrokes and great defense have been her hallmarks over the last few seasons, and although she's never reached a slam final a case could be made that she's been the most consistent slam player in the WTA over the span. This was her ninth Round of 16 appearance in the last ten slams, and tenth in the last twelve. She's a regular player in tour singles finals, but has lost more than twice the number she's won, including sporting a 0-3 record '14. Emotions and spurts of anger have sometimes brought an unfortunate end to potentially great moments for the German, something that she could not allow to happen today if she was going to have a chance to knock off Sharapova.

Kerber began her mission well, getting an immediate break of serve to start the match (via a Sharapova DF on break point) and a hold for a quick 2-0 lead. With scrambling defense in picture-perfect form, groundstrokes hard and accurate, and Radwanskian squat-shots popping up more often than one had any right to expect, Kerber gave no ground to Sharapova on this day. Not an inch. Not a millimeter. Getting back multiple Sharapova "winners" on some points, Kerber routinely won long rallies from the outset, forcing the Russian to step her game up an additional level in order to compete.

Of course, Sharapova being Sharapova, she often did just that. Kerber served for the 1st set at 5-4, and that's when Sharapova turned up the heat on her game. A backhand up the line gave her a 30/15 lead, then a big forehand penetrated deep into the court and clanged off Kerber's racket to produce a break point. A battle of drop shots ended with Sharapova hitting a high volley into the open court to get the break and tie things at 5-5. Normally, this would be where the Russian would run away with the set. But wait. Instead, both held serve over the next two games and things went to a tie-break.

In the TB, Sharapova went up a mini-break at 2-0, then seemingly 3-0 before Kerber halfheartedly challenged a line call and ended up winning the point to close to 2-1 after winning the re-played point. Sharapova went up 3-1, but when one of her shots sailed wide it gave the German her first lead in the breaker at 4-3. When the Russian got to a Kerber drop shot with time to spare, she still managed to push her response into the doubles alley to give her opponent a set point at 6-4. A missed backhand up the line handed Kerber the TB at 7-4, as well as a one set advanttage.

Kerber had stared into the Sharapova light and survived, this time, largely because she committed just three unforced errors (to Sharapova's 19) in the set while the Russian led 19-10 in winners. Ah, but the real bright stuff would come later.

With a slew of come from behind wins under her belt both this year and throughout her career, Sharapova wasn't troubled. She broke Kerber to open the 2nd set. But Kerber broke right back, tying things up at 1-1 as Sharapova's errors (23 already, to Kerber's 5 -- only two of them coming on groundstrokes) mounted. The German saved a BP to hold for 2-1, but couldn't hold back the Sharapova wave of attack. The Russian broke with an angled cross court backhand to get back her break lead at 4-3. She served out the set in game #10 to win the 2nd 6-4 and head into familiar territory -- a 3rd set, where she'd won eleven straight matches in recent months in nearly every way imaginable, including a handful in consecutive rounds en route to the title in Paris.

But Sharapova hadn't come back from a set down to win a match at Wimbledon in ten years, and that stat would prove to be the most telling of them all.

In the second game of the 3rd, Sharapova took a 30/love lead on serve, only to see the scrambling and unblinking Kerber battle back to reach BP and soon take a 2-0 lead. Unlike many recent 3rd set opponents of the Russian, Kerber wasn't going to collapse down the stretch. Handling Sharapova's power as well as she had all match, and sending back shots with about as much sting on them as the ones she'd received, Kerber held for 3-0, with her defense forcing Sharapova into going for winners even more quickly than she normally might. Sometimes she got them, but she missed on just enough more to keep the German in the lead position. Kerber staved off a going-for-it Sharapova to hold for 4-1, and braced herself for the inevitable late-match heroics from the Russian.

It took a little while for them to threaten to turn this hard-hitting, precise and sometimes-ferocious match into a classic one, but they eventually did arrive on the scene. First, Kerber had to avoid one of her own late-match stumbles. Literally.

In the seventh game, Kerber's leg caught on the ground as she raced across the backcourt during a rally. She flexed her knee and immediately tested it. Then, after going up 40/15, she saw Sharapova push things to deuce and then reach BP with a screaming cross court return winner. But Sharapova's own groundstrokes prevented her from taking her advantage and carried it to something greater. Her winner was followed by an error, then a backhand down the line winner that gave her another BP was followed by two more mistakes (first on her forehand, then her backhand). On GP, her third of the game, Kerber's own forehand down the line produced a winner that held for 5-2, keeping her break advantage intact.

In the next game, Kerber reached match point when Sharapova sailed a backhand long off a Kerber return, but the Russian caught the back of the baseline with a shot that the German caught late and pulled wide to extend the match. Sharapova reached game point with a forehand winner, then held when the German's shot bounced off the net and onto her own side of the court. Finally, it was here that the Russian's fabled never-give-up game threatened to take away from Kerber what had literally been within an inch of being hers just a few minutes earlier. With Kerber serving for the match at 5-3, Sharapova employed all-or-nothing tactics to great success. After a Kerber double-fault gave Sharapova a 15/30 edge, the Russian hit a backhand return winner off a second serve to reach break point. On her second BP of the game, Kerber slipped and fell during another of the day's long rallies, only to get back up and continue the point. If she'd won the point, it might have been the "Point of the Tournament," but when Kerber's forehand landed out Sharapova had gotten the break, putting the set back on serve at 5-4.

Here, surely, was where Sharapova would pull away, right? Umm, no. Kerber wouldn't let her... but Maria wasn't going to make it easy, either.

The German grabbed a 40/love lead on Sharapova's serve, reaching triple match point, only to see the Russian save all three. A big Sharaprova serve saved Kerber's fifth MP of the day, then she saved a sixth with a wide serve to the corner and a backhand winner behind Kerber. In a remarkable game that truly encapsulates Sharapova's career in a nutshell -- save for the final result, of course -- the Russian would then reach game point, not convert it, but get another GP attempt after firing an ace. Sharapova played great defense on that one, only to send a forehand long to return things to deuce. The next point was even more amazing, as Kerber proved all that she'll ever have to for her career, facing off with Sharapova and winning the point after first reaching a Sharapova drop shot, then hitting back-to-back overheads, only to have to also chase down a lob. The German sent the ball back with a forehand down the middle that landed deep in the court. Sharapova netted a forehand and gave Kerber MP #7.

Finally, Sharapova's long backhand ended the 7-6(4)/4-6/6-4 match, as Kerber stood face-to-face, in what amounted to a boxing match with tennis rackets, against the most fierce competitor in the WTA, and somehow, remarkably, lived to tell the tale.

They say the victor gets to write the history of such battles, but I get a feeling that Kerber won't have to produce a single sentence in order to come out looking like a battle-tested heroine of epic proportions after this match. She played an incredibly clean, tactically and emotionally sound match that finally shows everyone why she's been a Top 10 mainstay for nearly three years now.

Sharapova was great today, too. A competitor through and through. You'd expect no less of her. But, for once, she was bested by someone who had even more fight in her than the Russian. Though it may seem impossible at times, it CAN happen. And today it did.

=DAY 8 NOTES=
...rain delays produced a really mixed-up schedule on Tuesday, as not only were three 4th Round matches completed, but two players advanced to the women's semifinals, as well.

Simona Halep had the easiest time of it, dispatching unseeded Kazakh Zarina Diyas 6-3/6-0 to reach her third straight slam quarterfinal and run her 2014 record in majors to 14-2 (17-3 with last year's U.S. Open). Meanwhile, Sabine Lisicki reached the QF at a fourth straight Wimbledon, and in her fifth straight appearance in the tournament, with a three-set win over another Kazakh, Yaroslava Shvedova. Lisicki was bothered by her shoulder, and even called for trainers when she was down break point early in the final set (whew... imagine if Vika had done that!).

The German didn't seem hampered too much by it all, though her forehand was a bit off all day and she had twenty double-faults (on Court 3, it should be noted, not Centre Court) to just four aces. It says something about her affinity for the AELTC that she could win with such stats, for she would never be able to hold it together anywhere else if her #1 weapon was producing such numbers. Lisicki won 6-3/3-6/6-4. The German next faces Halep in one of those classic big hitter vs. all-court player matches that are always so intriguing to see play out. Normally, the edge would tend to be with the "thinker" in the pairing (in this case, Halep), but since we're talking about Lisicki at Wimbledon -- probably the best current pairing of a non-slam winner with a single event on tour right now, especially after the SW19 bail-outs of Aga and Pironkova this fortnight -- that might not mean quite as much.

After destroying Aga Radwanska in the Round of 16, Ekaterina Makarova did what she often does after such a big win -- she barely showed up to play Lucie Safarova in the day's first QF. The Czech wasn't about to turn away the Russian interloper's gift in the otherwise all-Czech Maiden bottom half of the draw, winning 6-3/6-1 in fifty-eight minutes to reach her first career slam semifinal, outpacing the Hordette 24-7 in winners.

On the final match on Centre Court, after Aussie teen Nick Kyrgios (add another name to the lengthening list of ATP Young Guns) knocked off Rafa Nadal, Petra Kvitova continued on in her role as the REAL lingering favorite to win her second Wimbledon. It looked like it was going to be a quick take down of fellow Czech Maiden Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova, with the only real thing of note to mention being the nasty looks BZS was giving Petra whenever she'd give one of her now-expected-but-still-a-bit-startling screams after hitting certain winners. But then Kvitova had one of her wobbly moments, missed four forehands in a single game to break herself and gave Strycova a chance to serve for the 2nd set at 5-4. Considering Kvitova's recent history, she should try to avoid third sets AT ALL COSTS.

As it turned out, she did. Strycova gave her an error and double-fault that led to a break, then Kvitova held at love. She broke Strycova, also at love, a game later as BZS lost the final ten points of the match, as well as her last three serve games in the 6-1/7-5 Kvitova win. Her semifinal result in her best at the AELTC since winning the title in 2011.

So, they'll be yet another Czech in a Wimbledon final, it's just a matter of deciding whether it'll be Kvitova or Safarova.

...late in the afternoon, Serena Williams returned to Court 1 for her 2nd Round doubles match with Venus. But, really, she shouldn't have been anywhere near it. You could tell something was wrong right from the start. Literally. During the warm-up, she was visibly dizzy, slow and and disoriented, fumbling balls and whiffing on swings.

WATCH: Worrying signs for Serena Williams during her doubles warm-up with sister Venus. #Wimbledon http://t.co/zLEOyJatM0
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2014

Whether she didn't want to let Venus down with a withdrawal or not, how she was allowed to play after admitting to feeling faint and talking with doctors before the match is beyond me. It was quite obvious pretty quickly that she was a potential danger to herself just from watching her move around the court. Once play began, it was even worse, devolving into a scary-looking scene in the third game of the match when she attempted -- stress on "attempted" -- to play a service game. She could barely bounce balls on her racket. That is, if she could actually catch them from the ball kids. Serve attempts either were bounced into the net or sailed way long, and the only thing you could wonder about was whether or not she just going to take a step, veer to the right or left, then stumble and hit the ground right there. Finally, some sense prevailed and Kader Nouni climbed out of the umpire's chair to see if she was all right. She played another point after that, double-faulting wildly for a fourth straight time.

Finally, doctors and officials converged on the changeover area and a minute later the Sisters retired, handing the team of Kristina Barrois & Stefanie Voegele the win with a 3-0 lead.

WATCH: A game of double faults from Serena & she & sister Venus retire from their doubles match. #Wimbledon http://t.co/nL6o6h2fE7
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2014

Serena's longtime hitting partner Sascha Bajin and coach/boyfriend? Patrick Mouratoglou admitted to ESPN's Pam Shriver that they hadn't seen or spoken with her for the last couple of days, as she hid herself away after her singles loss to Alize Cornet. Later, statements spoke of a viral illness that got the best of Serena. One wonders if whatever she took to treat such a virus might have something to do with today's odd scene, as well.

No matter, sometimes it's best to just close the door and stay in your room, Serena.

...in other doubles news, #2-seeded Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci are still in the mix to win the only slam title that has so far eluded them. Today they saved six match points in a 2nd set tie-break and then completed the comeback by defeating the Kichenok twins 5-7/7-6(10)/6-1. Six is great, but it's still not nine... so Anatasia Pavlyuchenkova & Lucie Safarova become the first players to ever share the "Zombie Queen(s)" award. The pair had to scrape out another win today, saving a set point in the 2nd against Flavia Pennetta & Sam Stosur and then finally winning on a fifth MP, 6-1/7-6(9).

Other top teams are also advancing forward, including #1 Hsieh/Peng and '13 runners-up Barty/Dellacqua, while Julia Goerges & Anna-Lena Groenefeld took out Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina.

...in Mixed doubles, top-seeded Katarina Srebotnik & Mike Bryan were upset by Oksana Kalashnikova & Chris Guccione, while Martina Hingis & Bruno Soares won their Day 8 match, setting up an intriguing little match-up between the Original Swiss Miss with the New Swiss Miss, as Belinda Bencic (coached by Hingis' mother) and Martin Klizan advanced to the Round of 16 today.

...in junior play, it was like a repeat of the just completed, upset-laden Roland Garros. Top-seeded girl Ivana Jorovic was upset by Spaniard Paula Badosa Gibert in straight sets, as was #2 CiCi Bellis by Brit Maia Lumsden, as the American ends a disastrous spring/summer slam season after having come into Paris last month as the hottest junior player in the world. Lumsden (below) came back from 4-2 down in the 3rd set to win.

Elsewhere, Russian Natalia Vikhlyantseva pulled off a big win over #6 Iryna Shymanovich, Elena Gabriela Ruse (ROU) defeated Gibert's fellow Spaniard #14 Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov, Bannerette Michaela Gordon took out #14 Sandra Samir of Egypt, #15 Anna Bondar (HUN) lost to Tami Grende of Indonesia, and Belgian Graetje Minnen upended #16-seeded Aussie Naiktha Bains.

...LIKE FROM DAY 8:

-- while Cliff Drysdale's commentary during women's matches can sometimes try one's patience -- in a matter of minutes going from laying the notion on thick that Sharapova was the favorite to win the title when anyone with any sense could have seen a series of potential pitfalls BEFORE she lost to Kerber, then changing gears and pulling out the usual she-makes-too-much-noise discussion -- it was fun watching him demonstrate on set to Novak Djokovic -- with an old Chris Evert model wooden racket taken from the studio set, no less -- how the Serb had smartly changed his shoulder position and made his service motion so much more economical and effective. Drysdale put the racket in Djokovic's and used his hands to manipulate the Serb's shoulder into two positions to highlight the change he'd noticed. Judging by the amused look on his face, I don't think Novak is used to interviews being so "hands on."

What made the moment even more on the "odd" side was that it'd come just minutes after they and the audience had just witnessed the whole Serena incident playing out live on the monitors in front of them.

...LIKE #2 FROM DAY 8:

-- a guy wearing a James Dean t-shirt in the Players Box while cheering on the Aussie during the Kyrgios/Nadal match. I didn't know people still did that... but I like it!

..."COME ON, PICK A LANE" FROM DAY 8:

-- Chris Fowler not being able to figure out what to call Zahlavova-Strycova during the Kvitova match, getting tongue-tied when he tried to use her entire name during his match call. Eventually, he seemed to settle on "Barbora." Well, let's see, considering the Czech was simply "Strycova" until a short while back when she got married and added the "Zahlavova," why not just call her by her maiden name (not to be confused with Maiden, so no pun intended) and be done with it? Stop acting as if you're solving complex mathematical problems.

...and, finally, the Wheelchair Doubles -- the only WC event at Wimbledon -- draw is out, and Roland Garros Champ Yui Kamiji will soon see if she can extend what might be a somewhat Esther Vergeer-ian run this 2014 slam season. The 20-year old lefty from Japan is teamed with Brit Jordanne Whiley as the #1 seeds, and if they win the title Kamiji will have claimed four of the five WC slams events this season, along with the AO & RG doubles (both w/ Whiley), and RG singles. She was the runner-up in the AO singles, as well, losing to German Sabine Ellerbrock in three sets.

Oh, yeah... and way to go, Belgium! Haha.

=LADIES' SINGLES QF=
#13 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN vs. #9 Angelique Kerber/GER
#3 Simona Halep/ROU vs. #19 Sabine Lisicki/GER
#23 Lucie Safarova/CZE def. #22 Ekaterina Makarova/RUS
#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE

=GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES QF=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #26 Marin Cilic/CRO
#3 Andy Murray/GBR vs. #11 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL
#5 Stan Wawrinka/SUI vs. #4 Roger Federer/SUI
#8 Milos Raonic/CAN vs. (WC) Nick Kyrgios/AUS

=LADIES' DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Hsieh Su-Wei/Peng Shuai (TPE/CHN) vs. #14 Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
#11 Alla Kudryavtseva/Anastasia Rodionova (RUS/AUS) vs. #7 Raquel Kops-Jones/Abigail Spears (USA/USA)
Andrea Petkovic/Magdalena Rybarikova (GER/SVK) def. #16 Garbine Muguruza/Carla Suarez-Navarro (ESP/ESP)
#10 Julia Goerges/Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER/GER) def. #5 Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina (RUS/RUS)
Kristina Barrois/Stefanie Voegele (GER/SUI) vs. #9 Andrea Hlavackova/Zheng Jie (CZE/CHN)
Anastasia Pavluchenkova/Lucie Safarova (RUS/CZE) def. Flavia Pennetta/Samantha Stosur (ITA/AUS)
#6 Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua (AUS/AUS) def. #12 Anabel Medina-Garrigues/Yaroslava Shvedova (ESP/KAZ)
Shuko Aoyama/Renata Voracova (JPN/CZE) vs. #2 Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA/ITA)

=GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA/USA) vs. #9 Julien Knowle/Marcelo Melo (AUT/BRA)
#14 Julien Benneteau/Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA/FRA) vs. #12 Michael Llodra/Nicolas Mahut (FRA/FRA)
x/x vs. Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic (CAN/SRB)
x/x vs. #2 Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares (AUT/BRA)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
Oksana Kalashnikova/Chris Guccione (GEO/AUS) vs. #14 Max Mirnyi/Chan Hao-Ching (BLR/TPE)
x/x vs. x/x
Belinda Bencic/Martin Klizan (SUI/SVK) vs. #13 Martina Hingis/Bruno Soares (SUI/BRA)
x/x vs. #5 Kristina Mladenovic/Daniel Nestor (FRA/CAN)
#7 Andrea Hlavackova/Rohan Bopanna (CZE/IND) vs. Anastasia Rodionova/Mikhail Elgin (AUS/RUS)
#15 Samantha Stosur/Nenad Zimonjic (AUS/SRB) vs. Timea Babos/Eric Butorac (HUN/USA)
x/x vs. (WC) Naomi Broady/Neal Skupski (GBR/GBR)
#16 Vera Dushevina/Aisam Qureshi (RUS/PAK) vs. #2 Kveta Peschke/Bob Bryan (CZE/USA)

=GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
Paula Badosa Gibert/ESP vs. x
#12 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. Katie Boulter/GBR
#9 Anhelina Kalinina/UKR vs. x
#5 Jil Belen Teichmann/SUI vs. #10 Xu Shilin/CHN
x vs. x

=BOYS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Andrey Rublev/RUS vs. Tim Van Rijthoven/NED
Noah Rubin/USA vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. Joshua Sapwell/GBR
x vs. x
Logan Smith/USA vs. x

=WC LADIES' DOUBLES SF=
#1 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR) vs. Katharina Kruger/Sharon Walraven (GER/NED)
Sabine Ellerbrock/Lucy Shuker (GER/GBR) vs. #2 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED)

=WC GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#1 Stephane Houdet/Shingo Kunieda (FRA/JPN) vs. Tom Egberink/Gordon Reid (NED/GBR)
Frederic Cattaneo/Joachim Gerard (FRA/BEL) vs. #2 Maikel Scheffers/Ronald Vink (NED/NED)

*2014 WIMBLEDON FINAL EIGHT*
[by career slam QF]
8...Petra Kvitova
5...Sabine Lisicki
4...Angelique Kerber
4...Ekaterina Makarova
3...Eugenie Bouchard
3...Simona Halep
2...Lucie Safarova
1...Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
[by career WI QF]
5...Sabine Lisicki
4...Petra Kvitova
2...Angelique Kerber
1...Eugenie Bouchard
1...Simona Halep
1...Ekaterina Makarova
1...Lucie Safarova
1...Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
[by preseason "Grand Slam Master List" rankings]
6 - Sabine Lisicki
8 - Petra Kvitova
9 - Angelique Kerber
12 - Simona Halep
19 - Ekaterina Makarova
20 - Eugenie Bouchard
47 - Lucie Safarova
unlisted - Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova
[Consecutive slam QF]
3...Eugenie Bouchard
3...Simona Halep
[Consecutive WI QF]
5...Petra Kvitova
4...Sabine Lisicki (at last 5 Wimb. played)
[Most 2014 slam QF]
3...Eugenie Bouchard
3...Simona Halep
[WTA most career slam QF - active]
37...Serena Williams
33...Venus Williams
21...Maria Sharapova
15...Svetlana Kuznetsova
12...Victoria Azarenka
10...Li Na
10...Agnieszka Radwanska
9...Nadia Petrova
8...Jelena Jankovic
8...PETRA KVITOVA
[WTA most slam QF since 2010 - active]
10...Victoria Azarenka
9...Serena Williams
8...PETRA KVITOVA
8...Li Na
8...Maria Sharapova
7...Agnieszka Radwanska
[2014 slam QF - by nation]
3 - Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Russia
2 - Italy, Spain
1 - Belarus,China,Poland,Serbia,Slovak Republic
[most diff. nations by 2014 slam]
AO: 8
RG: 6 (2-ESP/RUS)
WI: 5 (3-CZE, 2-GER)
--
2013 WI: 8
[2014 first-time slam QF]
AO: Bouchard, Halep
RG: Muguruza
WI: Zahlavova-Strycova
--
2013 WI: Flipkens
[2014 - number of 8 on "Master List"]
AO: 8
RG: 8
WI: 7 (Zahlavova-Strycova)
--
2013 WI: 7 (Flipkens)
[Active players w/ "Career QF Slam" - fewest slams to complete]
6 slams - Venus Williams, USA - at 1998 WI
12 slams - Maria Sharapova, RUS - at 2005 US
12 slams - Serena Williams, USA - at 2001 RG
16 slams - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS - at 2006 RG
20 slams - Li Na, CHN - at 2011 RG
23 slams - Kimiko Date-Krumm, JPN - at 1995 WI
24 slams - Nadia Petrova, RUS - at 2006 AO
26 slams - Dominika Cibulkova, SVK - at 2014 AO
28 slams - Victoria Azarenka, BLR - at 2012 US
31 slams - Vera Zvonareva, RUS - at 2010 US
32 slams - Ana Ivanovic, SRB - at 2012 US
42 slams - Francesca Schiavone, ITA - at 2011 AO
--
Purple: completed in '14

*EVENTS ENTERED BY S.WILLIAMS/SHARAPOVA/AZARENKA + WINNERS*
[since Azarenka won AO & to #1 in January '12]
=2012=
AO - Azarenka
MIAMI - A.RADWANSKA
Madrid - S.Williams
Rome - Sharapova
RG - Sharapova
WI - S.Williams
Olympics - S.Williams
US - S.Williams
WTA - S.Williams
=2013=
Brisbane (Sharapova w/d from MD) - S.Williams
AO - Azarenka
Doha - Azarenka
Miami (Azarenka w/d from MD) - S.Williams
Madrid - S.Williams
Rome - S.Williams
RG - S.Williams
WI - BARTOLI
Cincinnati - Azarenka
=2014=
Brisbane - S.Williams
AO - LI
WI - ??

*WIMBLEDON "ZOMBIE QUEEN" WINNERS*
2007 Venus Williams, USA
2008 Nicole Vaidisova, CZE
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2011 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2012 Tamira Paszek, AUT
2013 Eugenie Bouchard, CAN
2014 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova & Lucie Safarova, RUS/CZE

*WIMBLEDON MATCH WINS - MEN*
84...Jimmy Connors
71...ROGER FEDERER
71...Boris Becker
63...Pete Sampras
59...John McEnroe

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. -Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. #27 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 6-3/3-6/7-5 (on 13th MP, 9th in final game)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): Nominees: 3rd Rd. - #6 Kvitova d. #30 V.Williams 5-7/7-6(2)/7-5; 4th Rd. - #9 Kerber d. #5 Sharapova 7-6(4)/5-6/6-4
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
TOP UNDER-THE-ROOF MATCH: xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Tereza Smitkova/CZE (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Vera Zvonareva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING:Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: E.Bouchard/CAN; Kichenok/Kichenok (UKR)
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Nominees: L.Safarova/CZE; E.Bouchard/CAN; S.Halep/ROU; A.Kerber/GER
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Vika's white shorts; P.Kvitova/CZE; B.Zahlavova-Strycova/CZE
CRASH & BURN:Sloane Stephens/USA (lost 1st Rd. to Kirilenko/RUS, ending 6 con. slam Round of 16 streak)
ZOMBIE QUEENS:A.Pavlyuchenkova/L.Safarova, RUS/CZE (saved 9 MP vs. Black/Mirza in Doubles 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR xx
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 8. More tomorrow.

Sure, the staging of the remaining women's quarterfinal matches was sort of treated like a chore by the All-England Club on Day 9, gotten out of the way as early in the day as possible (a simultaneous noon start on Centre Court and Court One). Like much early busy work, the detailed memory of most of what occurred was forgotten by the end of the day.

Of course, that had as much to do with the two matches in question as it did their scheduling. Either way, the final four for this Wimbledon are now set in stone.

In a season filled with the sights, sounds and smell of change, maybe no two players represent it more than young twentysomethings Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep. A season ago, Halep was voted by the WTA Tour as its ""Most Improved Player," while Bouchard was the "Most Impressive Newcomer." In 2014, no two woman have won more slam matches than them. Faced with opponents today who had already proven their mettle at the All-England Club, Bouchard and Halep simply went about their business carving out an even bigger place for themselves at the top of the women's game.

Both of today's quarterfinal matches turned in the early stages.

Bouchard saved four break points against Angelique Kerber at 3-3 in the 1st set on Court One. A game later, the German saved four break points, but committed an error on #5 to give the Canadian a 5-3 lead. Bouchard immediately went up 40/15 on serve, and won the opening set at 6-3 when Kerber, playing a match that wasn't nearly as clean as the classic battle she won against Maria Sharapova yesterday, sent a shot wide on set point.

In Halep's match on Centre Court with another German, '13 runner-up Sabine Lisicki, the Romanian was quickly put on the defensive. Lisicki was firing forehands and keeping Halep at bay, forcing errors and taking a 3-0 lead. But Halep's learning curve, as always, was pretty short. Soon she was extending points and forcing Lisicki to make shots, and the German's game wasn't able to withstand the change. Lisicki led 4-1, and had a point for 5-2, but a miss on an easy swing volley that handed Halep a break and closed the score to 4-3 totally changed the course of the match. Catching a wave a momentum as Lisicki sank below the surface, Halep held and went up 40/love on the German's next serve game. She broke on her second attempt and served for the set that seemed to have nearly slipped away just a few minutes earlier. A wild return from Lisicki gave Halep two set points. The Romanian slipped a forehand down the line to secure her lead, winning her fifth straight game to take the 1st at 6-4.

Bouchard and Kerber both held at love to open the 2nd set, but Bouchard's tactic of positioning herself inside the baseline to return EVERY ONE of Kerber's serves seized control of the day soon afterward. A big cross court return winner gave her a BP in game #3, and a long forehand from Kerber gave Bouchard a 2-1 lead. She held for 3-1, and it was apparent that this match, with the schedule bunched up because of previous rain delays, had come just too soon after Kerber's Round of 16 for her to hope to be as sharp as she was less than twenty-four hours ago. Meanwhile, Bouchard came in after having a day off after having scraped her way to the final eight without dropping a set despite not yet really finding her "A"-game on the grass.

Meanwhile, Lisicki's chances were quickly slipping away against Halep. After going up 40/30 on serve, the German flubbed a backhand, then missed an open court volley on game point. In a four-deuce game, a loose miss gave Halep a break for a 1-0 lead as Lisicki's first serve wasn't booming, and she was winning just 35% of her second serve points. She tried switching rackets, but it did no good. Even her toss was off. As that was happening, Halep hit a clean forehand return winner to go up 40/love on Lisicki's serve. Two break points later she won her eighth straight game and took a 3-0 lead.

While the Romanian was coasting, Bouchard went up a double-break at 4-1. But Kerber didn't go quite as quietly as her countrywoman ultimately would next door. She saved two breaks points to hold for 3-4, then hit a running lefty forehand passing shot from deep in the back court to go up 15/love on Bouchard's serve. But then the Canadian won four straight points to hold for 5-3.

On Centre Court, a steady-at-the-wheel Halep held at love for 4-0 when Lisicki's forehand barely made it half-way up the net, then the Romanian continued to aggressively attack the German's serve. She reached yet another BP with a cross court forehand return winner, then broke with a deep shot that produced a shanked Lisicki backhand. 5-0, with ten straight games won. At this point, the only question was whether or not Lisicki would produce an Aga-like handshake of disappointment, or one more benefiting a player who would never want to place a black mark on her cherished AELTC.

Halep's routine was briefly interrupted by a double-fault and backhand error as she served for the match in game #6 of the 2nd, but she got things situated quickly. Like I said... she's got quite a learning curve in big time tennis. An ace gave her a match point, and the final point featured both players racing all over the court in one of the better rallies of the entire day. Finally, a Lisicki error ended the 6-4/6-0 match as Halep claimed the final eleven games, closing out the 2nd set in just twenty-three minutes. Lisicki was cordial at the net, and even looked at Halep as she shook her hand, although her soon-to-come tumble out of the Top 30 surely will make the near future more than a bit sad for the always-smiley (at SW19, at least) German.

Back on Court One, Kerber held for 5-4 to force Bouchard to serve out the match. The German reached break point at 30/40 in the game, threatening to "pull a Sharapova." But Bouchard knows all about THAT -- she hit a cross court backhand winner to save one BP, then a swing volley forehand winner to save a second. On match point, Kerber missed on a short cross court forehand and Bouchard won 6-3/6-4.

Sporting identical 15-2 records in majors this season, Bouchard and Halep will now face off in tomorrow's semifinal to see which can be declared the better slam player through 2014's first half. Both have appeared in three straight major QF, while Bouchard has now reached three straight slam semifinals. In New York later this summer, the Canadian will be going for a "Career SF Slam," reaching the final four at all four majors, in just her SEVENTH career slam main draw. For a little comparison, in recent decades, it took the successful-astonishingly-early Monica Seles twelve slams to do it, while the likes of Martina Hingis (11), Martina Navratilova (11), Hana Mandlikova (13), Steffi Graf (15), Venus Williams (15), Justine Henin (17), Serena Williams (18), Kim Clijsters (18) and Maria Sharapova (18) couldn't accomplish the feat as early as Bouchard might, either. In the very different pre-Open era, Billie Jean King did it in five and Margaret Court in thirteen, but in the Open era only Chris Evert (7, even when the AO wasn't a regular stop for top players) has been able to accomplish the feat so quickly in her career.

Meanwhile, Halep has reached "only" back-to-back slam semis, but holds an advantage over Bouchard with her trip to the Roland Garros final less than a month ago.

Both players have now broken (or soon will) long Top 10 droughts for women from their nation, and either are (world #3, and maybe soon to be #2, Halep) or seem fated to become (Bouchard, with a ranking target of #7...something that may already be a done deal by this time next week) the highest-ranked women EVER to represent their respective countries. Just one woman from Romania (36 years ago, Virginia Ruzici... Halep's manager) has lifted a slam singles championship trophy, and no player from Canada has ever done it. One of these two will get the chance to make more history on Saturday, though, and it'd be hard to find two currently slam-less players on tour more likely win a major title in the future, even if they don't already have one in their hands by the end of the weekend.

Neither player is particularly emotional on court, instead choosing to remain focused and professional as they go about the business of crushing the dreams of their less-prepared and not nearly as composed opponents. But, make no mistake, both Bouchard and Halep want ultimate slam success and, unlike some of their contemporaries, aren't afraid of it coming as soon as possible. The Romanian is a take-it-as-it-comes sort, while Bouchard wants it now... yesterday, in fact, if possible. As they've shown over the last year, they're insatiable for success. One is about to get THIS CLOSE to having it all for herself.

If this is the "real" Future, well, hey... Bring. It. On.

=DAY 9 NOTES=
...with the results of the QF in the books,

the depth of the WTA field behind #1 Serena Williams is becoming more and more clear. With Maria Sharapova's exit yesterday, we're now assured of a fifth consecutive different slam singles champ, after Bartoli, Williams, Li and Sharapova over the last year. There have been four different champions in a season twice in the last six seasons: 2011 (Clijsters, Li, Kvitova and Stosur) and 2008 (Sharapova, AnaIvo, Venus and Serena).

Not only that, but if Bouchard reaches the final over Halep it'd mean that six different women will have filled the first six slam final slots in '14. With the likes of Serena and Vika not yet reaching a major '14 final the chances for another finalist or two in NYC is pretty good. Williams and Azarenka have faced off in the last two Open finals, after all. The last time a season failed to have a multiple slam finalist was 1977, in which there were actually ten different finalists since the Australian Open was held in both January and December of that year as the event was shifted into a new position on the schedule. The 1977 finalists:

AO(J): K.Reid /D.Fromholtz
RG: Jauvosec/Mihai
WI: Wade/Stove
US: Evert/Turnbull
AO(D): Goolagong/Gourlay

Actually, eight different woman have filled the last eight final berths, and at least nine will have taken the last ten no matter what happens in the semis on Thursday. Here are the most recent one-shot finalists:

2013 WI: Bartoli/Lisicki
2014 US: S.Williams/Azarenka
2014 AO: Li/Cibulkova
2014 RG: Sharapova/Halep
2014 WI: ?

In recent seasons, seven woman filled eight final spots in both 2011 and 2007. Actually, there's an outside chance at twelve different slam finalists over a six-slam run if Bouchard reaches the Wimbledon final to face either Kvitova or Safarova, and then both Williams and Azarenka are shut out again in New York in favor of two more faces. I've got to think that 12/12 might be an Open era first if it were to happen, as even that 10/10 run in '77 can't be extended back to late '76 (US: Evert/Goolagong) or into early '78 (though Virginia Ruzici's appearance in the RG final, vs. Mima Jausovec, made it 11/12 different finalists over that six-slam run).

In this transitional period in which the ongoing generational exchange of power is taking place, it's all a good thing for the WTA tour. We're getting the best of both worlds, as these finals aren't being reached because of a LACK of talent at the top. Familiar faces AND new stars are converging in the late rounds of majors to determine major titles. Yay!

At this Wimbledon (and at the AO and RG, as well), we're even seeing a bit of it on the men's side, with the likes of Dimitrov, Raonic and Kyrgios making their first deep runs while the Federer/Nadal/Djokovic/Murray era of slam dominance continues to fight desperately to last a few seasons longer. It'll be interesting to see what happens there: will we get an "old school" Djokovic/Federer final, a "new age" Dimitrov/Raonic clash, or some combination of both generations?

...in tune with the shifting winds in the sport, Bouchard's semifinal run will lift her into the Top 10 for the first time next week. She'll be the second Canadian woman to ever climb that high, following Carling Bassett-Seguso, who reached the Top 10 in 1985.

*RECENT TOP 10 DEBUTS*
2008 Aga Radwanska
2009 Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Flavia Pennetta
2010 Li Na, Samantha Stosur, Francesca Schiavone
2011 Petra Kvitova, Andrea Petkovic
2012 Angelique Kerber, Sara Errani
2013 Maria Kirilenko
2014 Simona Halep, Dominika Cibulkova, Eugenie Bouchard

...hmmm, I talked about the Sharapova '04/Bouchard '14 connection when I made my pre-tournament pick, trying to draw a line between the prediction of Sharapova a decade ago to reach the final, and then her going on to win her maiden slam title with my similar pick for Bouchard here.

But there was something I didn't even realize when I made that pick... Sharapova was the #13 seed when she won the title at the AELTC. Guess what seed Bouchard is at this event? Yep. Hmmm. Sometimes the most important clues are the ones you don't even notice at first. Might this be another case?

...well, the Mladenovic Magic is back! Kiki is still alive in both the Doubles and Mixed. Today the Pastry she got wins in both draws, first joining with Timea Babos to knock off... wait for it... DEFENDING CHAMPIONS and WORLD #1'S Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai. As usual with Mladenovic on the grass since her breakout RG, it took some doing. After dropping the 1st set, she and Babos blew a 5-3 and serving at 5-4 lead, with two set points, lead in the 2nd and had to win a tie-break to force a deciding set. They won it, though, by a 6-2 score to reach the QF.

Later, Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor, the defending Wimbledon Mixed champs, got a win over the team of Barty/Peers to reach the Round of 16. They'll next face Martina "Original Swiss Miss" Hingis & Bruno Soares, who advanced in a rather "interesting" match over Belinda "New Swiss Miss" Bencic & Martin Klizan, 6-3/5-7/9-7. Bencic, of course, is coached by Melanie Molitor, Hingis' former coach and, well, current and forever mom.

...after several stops and starts due to the weather, the junior singles draw has produced a final 16. Just two of the top sixteen seeds have managed to survive, with only #3 Tornado Black still around from the Top 4 (so, I guess she's the Halep of the girls?). There were no big upsets on Day 9, and Backspin's pick (for a third straight slam... shakes head) -- unseeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko -- is living and breathing as we speak. For now, at least. She'll next face #9 Anhelina Kalinina, who pulled out of a set and 5-5 hole in her 1st Round match that took place between Saturday and Monday. Ah, Harriet Dart... what force did you let loose by not winning that match?!

Surprisingly, at least in this non-Robson age of juniors, there are more Brits left in the draw than players from any other nation. Unseeded Katie Boulter, Maia Lumsden and Gabriella Taylor remain, as do two Bannerettes (Black and unseeded Michaela Gordon). Two Swarmettes (#11 Ioana Loredanca Rosca & Elena Gabriela Ruse) and one player each from nine other nations fill out what's left of the draw (see below), including Canadian Francoise Abanda, giving her nation an outside shot at grabbing THREE of the adult and junior singles crowns at this slam.

In the boys, shockingly, there are seven Americans alive at a Wimbledon where no U.S. men or woman lasted to the Round of 16 for the first time since 1911. None of the other nine nations represented has more than one junior left in the singles draw. Only one pair of U.S. boys face one another in the Round of 16, so there could actually be six Americans in the final eight. Maybe the long, long, long, long awaited NextGen U.S. BOYS are finally following along in the NextGen girls' just-now-being-established footsteps. Naturally.

...Award Update: first-time slam semifinalist Lucie Safarova gets the "Ms. Opportunity" honors for this Wimbledon, and after weighing the candidacy for most of the fortnight I've decided to throw normalcy to the wind and hand the "Comeback" award over to... The White Shorts. Really, I guess it was just meant to be ever since Day 1. Hey, now they're even making appearances away from the court:

Hopefully this is a good sign for the North American hard court season. Vika's got some unfinished business in the Big Apple, after all.

...LIKE FROM DAY 9: Lisicki shows how to shake your opponent's hand after a loss.

Unlike, well, you know.

Aga... Aga? Oh, well. I guess the Abbey is closed permanently until further notice.

...SURE-TO-BE-A-DISLIKE FROM DAY 9:

-- so, have they started blaming Murray's loss on Mauresmo yet? Never mind the back surgery, Grigor "Baby Fed" (I mean, that sort of says it all, doesn't it?) Dimitrov or that there was little chance that after a 77-year drought the Scot was going to bring the Brits a second Wimbledon title in two years, of course.

Mauresmo will be an easy target with an earlier-than-last-year loss, just as she would have been disregarded as being influential by the very same people had Murray actually managed to repeat as champion and maintained his status quo at SW19. It was always a no-win situation over the short term. Hopefully, though, the Murray/Mauresmo pairing won't just be a 2014 grass season fling.

Really, what it says a lot about is just how good a combination Murray and Ivan Lendl was. A perfect hire at precisely the right time... maybe even an "eleventh hour decision that made the Scot's entire career. After all, the run might have given Murray enough ammunition to be considered a Hall of Famer.

...and, finally, Serena went public today. Well, sort of.

Take all the time you need, SW.

=LADIES' SINGLES SF=
#13 Eugenie Bouchard/CAN vs. #3 Simona Halep/ROU
#23 Lucie Safarova/CZE vs. #6 Petra Kvitova/CZE

=GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES SF=
#1 Novak Djokovic/SRB vs. #11 Grigor Dimitrov/BUL
#4 Roger Federer/SUI vs. #8 Milos Raonic/CAN

=LADIES' DOUBLES QF=
#14 Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA) vs. #11 Alla Kudryavtseva/Anastasia Rodionova (RUS/AUS)
Andrea Petkovic/Magdalena Rybarikova (GER/SVK) vs. #10 Julia Goerges/Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER/GER)
#9 Andrea Hlavackova/Zheng Jie (CZE/CHN) vs. Anastasia Pavluchenkova/Lucie Safarova (RUS/CZE)
#6 Ashleigh Barty/Casey Dellacqua (AUS/AUS) vs. #2 Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA/ITA)

=GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES QF=
#1 Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA/USA) def. #9 Julien Knowle/Marcelo Melo (AUT/BRA)
#12 Michael Llodra/Nicolas Mahut (FRA/FRA) def. #14 Julien Benneteau/Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA/FRA) vs.
#5 Leander Paes/Radek Stepanek (IND/CZE) vs. Daniel Nestor/Nenad Zimonjic (CAN/SRB)
Vacek Pospisil/Jack Sock (CAN/USA) vs. #2 Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares (AUT/BRA)

=MIXED DOUBLES QF=
#14 Max Mirnyi/Chan Hao-Ching (BLR/TPE) vs. Anastasia Rodionova/Mikhail Elgin (AUS/RUS)
#13 Martina Hingis/Bruno Soares (SUI/BRA) vs. #5 Kristina Mladenovic/Daniel Nestor (FRA/CAN)
#7 Andrea Hlavackova/Rohan Bopanna (CZE/IND) or Anastasia Rodionova/Mikhail Elgin (AUS/RUS) vs. #15 Samantha Stosur/Nenad Zimonjic (AUS/SRB)
x/x vs. #16 Vera Dushevina/Aisam Qureshi (RUS/PAK)

=GIRLS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
Paula Badosa Gibert/ESP vs. Gabriella Taylor/GBR
#12 Marketa Vondrousova/CZE vs. #7 Francoise Abanda/CAN
#3 Tornado Alicia Black/USA vs. Katie Boulter/GBR
#9 Anhelina Kalinina/UKR vs. Jelena Ostapenko/LA
#5 Jil Belen Teichmann/SUI vs. #10 Xu Shilin/CHN
Greetje Minnen/BEL vs. Elena Gabriela Ruse/ROU
#8 Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK vs. #11 Ioana Loredana Rosca/ROU
Michaela Gordon/USA vs. Maia Lumsden/GBR

=BOYS SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Andrey Rublev/RUS vs. Tim Van Rijthoven/NED
Noah Rubin/USA vs. #7 Francis Tiafoe/USA
Francisco Bahamonde/ARG vs. Taylor Harry Fritz/USA
Filippo Baldi/ITA vs. Alex Rybakov/USA
#8 Johan Sebastien Tatlot/FRA vs. #11 Michael Mmoh/USA
Pedro Iamachkine/PER vs. Joshua Sapwell/GBR
#6 Stefan Kozlov/USA vs. #9 Naoki Nakagawa/JPN
Logan Smith/USA vs. #2 Hyeon Chung/KOR

=GIRLS DOUBLES QF=
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x

=BOYS DOUBLES QF=
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x
x/x vs. x/x

=WC LADIES' DOUBLES SF=
#1 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR) vs. Katharina Kruger/Sharon Walraven (GER/NED)
Sabine Ellerbrock/Lucy Shuker (GER/GBR) vs. #2 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED)

=WC GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#1 Stephane Houdet/Shingo Kunieda (FRA/JPN) vs. Tom Egberink/Gordon Reid (NED/GBR)
Frederic Cattaneo/Joachim Gerard (FRA/BEL) vs. #2 Maikel Scheffers/Ronald Vink (NED/NED)

*2014 WIMBLEDON FINAL FOUR*
[by career slam SF]
5...Petra Kvitova (1-3)
3...Eugenie Bouchard (0-2)
2...Simona Halep (1-0)
1...Lucie Safarova (0-0)
[by career WI SF]
3...Petra Kvitova (1-1)
1...Eugenie Bouchard (0-0)
1...Simona Halep (0-0)
1...Lucie Safarova (0-0)
[consecutive slam SF]
3...Eugenie Bouchard
2...Simona Halep
[consecutive WI SF]
none
[WTA most career slam SF - active]
24...Serena Williams (21-3)
19...Venus Williams (14-5)
18...Maria Sharapova (9-9)
7...Victoria Azarenka (4-3)
6...Li Na (4-2)
6...Jelena Jankovic (1-5)
5...Svetlana Kuznetsova (4-1)
5...PETRA KVITOVA (1-3)
[WTA most slam SF since 2010 - active]
8...Maria Sharapova (5-3)
7...Serena Williams (7-0)
7...Victoria Azarenka (4-3)
6...Li Na (4-2)
5...PETRA KVITOVA (1-3)
3...Kim Clijsters (ret) (2-1)
3...Samantha Stosur (2-1)
3...Vera Zvonareva (2-1)
3...Agnieszka Radwanska (1-2)
3...Sara Errani (1-2)
3...EUGENIE BOUCHARD (0-2)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (0-3)
[WTA Slam SF since 2010 - by nation]
12...Russia
9...United States
7...Belarus, China
6...CZECH REPUBLIC, Italy
5...Belgium, Germany
3...Australia, CANADA, Denmark, Poland
2...France, ROMANIA
1...Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovak Republic
[2014 Slam SF - by nation]
3...Canada (Bouchard)
2...Czech Republic (Kvitova/Safarova), Romania (Halep)
1...CHN, GER, POL, RUS, SVK
[2014 WTA SF]
6...Maria Sharapova (3-3)
5...Ana Ivanovic (4-1)
5...SIMONA HALEP (3-1)
5...Agnieszka Radwanska (1-4)
5...EUGENIE BOUCHARD (1-3)
5...Jelena Jankovic (1-4)
4...Serena Williams (3-1)
4...Li Na (3-1)
4...Dominika Cibulkova (3-1)
[Players w/ "Career SF Slam" - active; when completed]
Victoria Azarenka, BLR - 2013 RG (30th slam)
Maria Sharapova, RUS - 2007 RG (18th)
Serena Williams, USA - 2003 AO (18th)
Venus Williams, USA - 2001 AO (15th)

**2014 WTA SF**
[Czechs]
4...Klara Koukalova (3-1)
3...Karolina Pliskova (2-1)
3...PETRA KVITOVA (0-2)
1...Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova (1-0)
1...LUCIE SAFAROVA (0-0)
1...Andrea Hlavackova (0-1)
[North American/Pacific]
5...EUGENIE BOUCHARD, CAN (1-3)
4...Serena Williams, USA (3-1)
3...Madison Keys, USA (1-2)
2...Venus Williams, USA (1-0+W)
2...Christina McHale, USA (1-1)
2...Vania King, USA (0-1+L)
1...Monica Puig, PUR (1-0)
1...Coco Vandeweghe, USA (1-0)
1...Jamie Hampton, USA (0-0+L)
[Romanians]
5...SIMONA HALEP (3-1)
1...Irina-Camelia Begu (0-1)

**LOW-SEEDED WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALISTS - Open Era**
unseeded - Ann Jones, 1968
unseeded - Rosie Casals, 1969
unseeded - Francoise Durr, 1970
unseeded - Judy Dalton, 1971
unseeded - Yvonne Vermaak, 1983
unseeded - Catarina Lindqvist, 1989
unseeded - Gigi Fernandez, 1994
unseeded - Lori McNeil, 1994
unseeded - Meredith McGrath, 1996
unseeded - Anna Kournikova, 1997
unseeded - Natasha Zvereva, 1998
qualifier - Alexandra Stevenson, 1999
unseeded - Mirjana Lucic, 1999
unseeded - Jelena Dokic, 2000
wild card - Zheng Jie, 2008
unseeded - Petra Kvitova, 2010
unseeded - Tsvetana Pironkova, 2010
wild card - Sabine Lisicki, 2011
#23 - Lucie Safarova, 2014
#23 - Sabine Lisicki, 2013 (RU)
#23 - Venus Williams, 2007 (W)
#21 - Vera Zvonareva, 2010 (RU)
#20 - Kirsten Flipkens, 2013
#18 - Marion Bartoli, 2007 (RU)
#16 - Nathalie Tauziat, 1998 (RU)
#16 - Kathy Rinaldi, 1985
#15 - Marion Bartoli, 2013 (W)
#14 - Venus Williams, 2005 (W)
#13 - Eugenie Bouchard, 2014
#13 - Maria Sharapova, 2004 (W)
#12 - Billie Jean King, 1982
#12 - Kimiko Date, 1996
#11 - Bettina Bunge, 1982
#10 - Billie Jean King, 1983
#10 - Gabriela Sabatini, 1986

*WIMBLEDON "Ms. OPPORTUNITY" WINNERS*
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2005 Venus Williams, USA
2006 Severine Bremond, FRA
2007 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2010 Tsvetana Pironkova, BUL
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2012 Agnieszka Radwanska, POL
2013 Kirsten Flipkens, BEL
2014 Lucie Safarova, CZE

*WIMBLEDON "COMEBACK" WINNERS*
2007 Venus Williams, USA
2008 Tamarine Tanasugarn, THA
2009 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2010 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2011 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2012 Mirjana Lucic, CRO
2013 Marion Bartoli, FRA
2014 The White Shorts (of Victoria Azarenka)

*WIMBLEDON MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF) TOP PLAYER AWARDS*
2006 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL
2007 Justine Henin, BEL
2008 Zheng Jie, CHN
2009 Serena Williams, USA *
2010 Serena Williams, USA *
2011 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Sabine Lisicki, GER
2014 Petra Kvitova, CZE
==
* - won title

*RECENT WIMBLEDON SEMIFINALISTS*
2007 Venus Williams (W), Marion Bartoli (RU), Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic
2008 Venus Williams (W), Serena Williams (RU), Elena Dementieva, Zheng Jie
2009 Serena Williams (W), Venus Williams (RU), Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina
2010 Serena Williams (W), Vera Zvonareva (RU), Petra Kvitova, Tsvetana Pironkova
2011 Petra Kvitova (W), Maria Sharapova (RU), Victoria Azarenka, Sabine Lisicki
2012 Serena Williams (W), Agnieszka Radwanska (RU), Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber
2013 Marion Bartoli (W), Sabine Lisicki (RU), Kirsten Flipkens, Agnieszka Radwanska
2014 Eugenie Bouchard, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, Lucie Safarova

TOP QUALIFIER:Michelle Larcher de Brito/POR
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r):#5 Maria Sharapova/RUS
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF):#6 Petra Kvitova/CZE
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH:Q3: Paula Kania/POL d. Shelby Rogers/USA 7-6(12)/4-6/6-3
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r):1st Rd. -Coco Vandeweghe/USA d. #27 Garbine Muguruza/ESP 6-3/3-6/7-5 (on 13th MP, 9th in final game)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF):4th Rd. - #9 Angelique Kerber/GER d. #5 Maria Sharapova/RUS 7-6(4)/4-6/6-4
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST WINNER:Elena Vesnina/RUS (def. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner/AUT)
FIRST SEED OUT:#17 Samantha Stosur/AUS (lost 1st Rd. to Wickmayer/BEL)
UPSET QUEENS:USA (def. 3 seeds and one ex-semifinalist in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES:CZE
NATION OF POOR SOULS:SVK (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING:Tereza Smitkova/CZE (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING:Vera Zvonareva/RUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING:Naomi Broady & Heather Watson (2nd Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominees: E.Bouchard/CAN; Y.Kamiji/JPN; S.Halep/ROU
Ms.OPPORTUNITY:Lucie Safarova/CZE
COMEBACK:Vika's white shorts
CRASH & BURN:Sloane Stephens/USA (lost 1st Rd. to Kirilenko/RUS, ending 6 con. slam Round of 16 streak)
ZOMBIE QUEENS:A.Pavlyuchenkova/L.Safarova, RUS/CZE (saved 9 MP vs. Black/Mirza in Doubles 2nd Rd.)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Y.Kamiji/JPN; K.Mladenovic/FRA; M.Hingis/SUI; H-C.Chan/TPE
AMG SLAM FUTILITY UPDATE:DNP - singles (first time Medina-Garrigues didn't play Q/MD singles at a slam since 2003 Wimbledon, ending a 43-tournament appearance streak)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx

All for Day 9. More tomorrow.

RG.13- The Day Before the Day

More, More, More

Game of Thrones: Roland Garros Edition

Backspin Puzzle Break! (Supernova Edition)

BACKSPIN TIME CAPSULE: 2004 Wimbledon

Wk.24- Could it Finally Be a "Go" for AnaIvo?

W.Q- The Week Before the Fortnight

Wimbledon Preview: To Be Serena-Free or Not to Be Serena-Free

Wk.25- Banner(ette) Days

W.1- The Return

W.2- When She's Got It, She's Got It

W.3- It's All-Radwanska Eve, and the Melons are Restless

Backspin Puzzle Break (Radwanskian Massacre Anniversary Edition)

W.4- All's Quiet on the SW19 Front

W.5- A Cool Classic

W.6- Maria, Alize, Serena and, yep... Lists!

W 6.5 - Middle Sunday Musings

W.7- A Very Particular Set of Skills

W.8- The German Who Stared Into the Light and Saw the Break of Day

W.9- The Insatiable Semifinalists