Fantasy Tennis: Men's Americas Cup 2015 - Quarterfinals to Finals

Milos Raonic	CAN	1
Jack Sock	USA	8
			Milos Raonic	CAN	1
			Juan Monaco	ARG	6
Leonardo Mayer	ARG	3
Juan Monaco	ARG	6
						Juan Monaco	ARG	6
						Vasek Pospisil	CAN	5
Victor Estrella Burgos	DOM
Sam Querrey	USA	7
			Sam Querrey	USA	7
			Vasek Pospisil	CAN	5
Thomaz Bellucci	BRA
Vasek Pospisil	CAN	5

Fantasy Tennis: Men's Americas Cup 2015 - Second Round

Milos Raonic	CAN	1
Joao Souza	BRA
Diego Schwartzmann	ARG
Jack Sock	USA	8
Leonardo Mayer	ARG	3
Steve Johnson	USA
Tim Smyczek	USA
Juan Monaco	ARG	6
Pablo Cuevas	URU	4
Victor Estrella Burgos	DOM
Alejandro Falla	COL
Sam Querrey	USA	7
John Isner	USA	2
Thomaz Bellucci	BRA
Santiago Giraldo	COL
Vasek Pospisil	CAN	5

Fantasy Tennis: Men's Americas Cup 2015 - Match-Ups First Round

1	26
Milos Raonic (CAN)	Facundo Bagnis (ARG)
12	17
Donald Young (USA)	Joao Souza (BRA)
14	24
Diego Schwartzmann (ARG)	Ryan Harrison (USA)
8	32
Jack Sock (USA)	Rajeev Ram (USA)
3	28
Leonardo Mayer (ARG)	Facundo Arguello (ARG)
11	18
Steve Johnson (USA)	Denis Kudla (USA)
15	22
Tim Smyczek (USA)	Bjorn Fratangelo (USA)
6	29
Juan Monaco (ARG)	Carlos Berlocq (ARG)
4	25
Pablo Cuevas (URU)	Andre Ghem (BRA)
10	19
Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM)	Guido Pella (ARG)
16	21
Federico Delbonis (ARG)	Alejandro Falla (COL)
7	31
Sam Querrey (USA)	Guilherme Clizar (BRA)
2	27
John Isner (USA)	Horacio Zeballos (ARG)
9	20
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)	Alejandro Gonzalez (COL)
13	23
Santiago Giraldo (COL)	Austin Krajicek (USA)
5	30
Vasek Pospisil (CAN)	Maximo Gonzalez (ARG)

Fantasy Tennis: Women's Americas Cup 2015 - Quarterfinals to Finals

Serena Williams	USA	1
Varvara Lepchenko	USA	8
			Serena Williams	USA	1
			Madison Keys	USA	3
Madison Keys	USA	3
Mariana Duque-Marino	COL
						Serena Williams	USA	1
						Venus Williams	USA	2
Eugenie Bouchard	CAN	4
Anna Tatishvili	USA
			Eugenie Bouchard	CAN	4
			Venus Williams	USA	2
Venus Williams	USA	2
Lauren Davis	USA

Fantasy Tennis: Women's Americas Cup 2015 - Second Round

Serena Williams	USA	1
Teliana Pereira	BRA
Maria Sanchez	USA
Varvara Lepchenko	USA	8
Madison Keys	USA	3
Bethanie Mattek-Sands	USA
Mariana Duque-Marino	COL
Sloane Stephens	USA	6
Eugenie Bouchard	CAN	4
Christina McHale	USA
Anna Tatishvili	USA
Grace Min	USA
Venus Williams	USA	2
Alison Riske	USA
Lauren Davis	USA
Coco Vandeweghe	USA	5

Fantasy Tennis: Women's Americas Cup 2015 - Match-Ups for Round 1

1	26
Serena Williams (USA)	Alexa Glatch (USA)
12	17
Teliana Pereira (BRA)	Sachia Vickery (USA)
14	24
Monica Puig (PUR)	Maria Sanchez (USA)
8	32
Varvara Lepchenko (USA)	Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)
3	28
Madison Keys (USA)	Katerina Stewart (USA)
11	18
Irina Falconi (USA)	Bethanie-Mattek Sands (USA)
15	22
Mariana Duque-Marino (COL)	Maria Irigoyen (ARG)
6	29
Sloane Stephens (USA)	Taylor Townsend (USA)
4	25
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)	Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
10	19
Christina McHale (USA)	Shelby Rogers (USA)
16	21
Nicole Gibbs (USA)	Anna Tatishvili (USA)
7	31
Madison Brengle (USA)	Grace Min (USA)
2	27
Venus Williams (USA)	Catherine Bellis (USA)
9	20
Alison Riske (USA)	Louisa Chirico (USA)
13	23
Lauren Davis (USA)	Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR)
5	30
Coco Vandeweghe (USA)	Jennifer Brady (USA)

Wimbledon 2015: Serena Williams Another Step Closer to that Calendar Grand Slam

Just like what the commentators said, Maria Sharapova would've been elated if Heather Watson took out Serena Williams in an earlier round encounter. But that was not meant to be, and Serena is now again, in another Wimbledon final, looking for a Wimbledon title #6, grand slam title #20 and another step closer to a year grand slam, which everyone is rooting for! I think the last time it happened was in 1988 pa when Steffi Graf made a very rare golden grand slam (meaning, she also won the 1988 Olympic gold medal). So it's really very difficult to achieve. All the stars in the universe have to align for you that year.

Anyway, first of all, Serena has to win over Garbine Muguruza and it's going to be an intriguing match since Garbine has the same firepower as Serena. I just don't know if Garbine has the mental toughness to overcome the nerves that a first-time grand slam finalist usually feels, especially that they are now in a really big stage. I hope she does, so that the women's finals would be an exciting encounter.

Wimbledon 2015: Garbine Muguruza Just a Game Away from a Maiden Grand Slam Title

Now that Rafa Nadal's star is under hiatus, another Spaniard, Garbine Muguruza is grabbing all the attention of tennis fans worldwide with an emphatic Wimbledon semi-final performance today against the very crafty Agnieszka Radwanska.

Garbine has been setting the tennis world abuzz since the French Open last year when she defeated Serena Williams in an early round. So in a way, if Serena does win over Maria, I don't think Garbine would be quivering in her knees in the final. Well, Serena and Maria are still going to play (when I'm writing this) so let's just wait for that result. At least, we all know that whoever wins among the two, Garbine has all the weapons to deal with their game - and that makes for an exciting women's final!

For now, it's great to see another Spanish female player in the spotlight. It's been ages since Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanche-Vicario were winning women's grand slams for Spain. I think the drought is going to be over soon.

Wimbledon 2015: Garbine Muguruza Into the Center Stage Once Again

Undoubtedly, Garbine Muguruza has one of the most powerful games in women's tennis, at least, among the up-and-coming women players.  I was not altogether surprised that she has made it into the last four in Wimbledon 2015.  What makes it scary is that she can not only play in clay (she reached the SF of Roland Garros last year), she can also play on grass!

We all await with bated breath how she does in the US Open later this year.

As for now, Garbine has a very good chance of reaching her very first grand slam semifinal, as she will meet Agnieszka Radwanska.

Wimbledon 2015: Coco Vandeweghe Rises to the Occasion

I don't quite remember the occasion when I first saw the raw talent of Coco Vandeweghe, but I knew it was a few years ago. I think she was playing against Serena Williams and she did not look intimidated at all.  It was then that I knew she would make inroads into the grand slam soon enough.  

However, it did not happen overnight, as I saw her, get defeated in the earlier rounds of many many grand slams.  Then, in the Australian Open this year, she broke into the third round of a grand slam for the first time.

She makes a better account for herself in Wimbledon 2015 by making it into the quarterfinals of a grand slam for the very first time in her career!  To do it, she had wins over some really good players like Karolina Pliskova, Samantha Stosur and Lucie Safarova.  For the first time in her career, Coco Vandweghe is finally showing the world what she can really do.

She just ran into Maria Sharapova in the quarters but still pushed the Russian into three sets.  I believe that as Coco gains more experience into the second week of a slam, she would become more battle weary and experienced.

Elite Men's Team Award for 2015 Wimbledon - SWITZERLAND

Switzerland wins the Elite Men's Team Award for Wimbledon 2015.  It was a very tight contest this slam, as four countries were able to put two players each in the fourth round.  Serbia, Croatia and France were the other three countries competing for the award. However, Switzerland got the lowest sum according to the player's current ranking.  Switzerland's formidable duo of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka had the lowest sum.

This award is given by this blog to the country that puts the most number of players into the fourth round.  If a tie occurs, the sum of the player's rankings is taken and the lowest sum is declared the winner.

Elite Women's Team Award for 2015 Wimbledon - UNITED STATES

The United States wins the Elite Women's Team Award for Wimbledon 2015 by putting four players into the fourth round of this tournament.  They were led by Serena Williams (#1), sister Venus Williams (#16), Coco Vandeweghe (#48) and Madison Keys (#21).

This award is given to the country with the most number of players in the round of 16.

Olga Govortsova: Female Breakthrough Player Wimbledon 2015

Olga Govortsova (#122) of Belarus is this blog's Female Breakthrough Player of Wimbledon 2015. This award is given to the lowest-ranked player, someone outside the top 100, who reaches the deepest round in a grand slam.

She first defeats Andreea Mitu (#71) of Romania in the first round 61 61. Then, she upsets Frenchwoman Alize Cornet (#27) in the second round 76(6) 26 61.  She also proceeds to upset Magdalena Rybarikova (#65) of Slovakia 76(4) 63.

However, she lost to American Madison Keys (#21) in the 4th round 63 46 61.

James Ward: Making Inroads This Late

When British player James Ward (#110) entered the main draw of Wimbledon in 2009, he reached the second round.  Six years later, he reaches the third round for the first time.  He is one of three British players to reach at least the second round of this Wimbledon.

In the first round, he defeated Italian Luca Vanni (#113) 67(4) 62 64 63.  Then, he outlasted Jiri Vesely (#46) of the Czech Republic 62 76(3) 36 63 in the second round.  Then, he lost to Canadian Vasek Pospisil (#54) in the third round 46 63 62 36 68 in a very tight match.

With his performance here, he should break into the top 100 by next week.

Blaz Kavcic: Into Most Successful Wimbledon

Blaz Kavcic (#111) of Slovenia has finally broken into the second round of Wimbledon, by defeating Yuichi Sugita (#149) of Japan 76(3) 63 76(5) in the first round.

He then loses to Frenchman Gilles Simon (#13) 16 16 76(5) 16 in the second round.

Nikoloz Basilashvili: Grand Georgian Breakthrough

There aren't that many tennis players I know who come from Georgia, so it's nice to see Nikoloz Basilashvili (#153) make giant strides in this year's Wimbledon.

First, he disposes of Facundo Bagnis of Australia (#137) 64 76(3)62 in the first round.  Then he upsets Spaniard Feliciano Lopez (#16) in the second round 57 63 36 62 46.  However, he is not so lucky with another Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (#22) 76(4) 60 61 in the third round.

However, reaching the third round of a grand slam is no mean feat, especially for someone ranked outside the top 100.  His ranking should rise after this event.

Kenny De Schepper: Into Another Second Round Wimbledon

Frenchman Kenny De Schepper (#163) is another journeyman who does good in this year's Wimbledon, reaching the second round for the second time.  He defeated John Patrick Smith (#160) of Australia 46 46 76(4) 64 64.

He was defeated though by compatriot Richard Gasquet (#20) in the second round 60 63 63.

Liam Broady: The Future of British Tennis

Britain needs another good player in the men's draw if it wants a chance in my Fantasy Tennis games.  Liam Broady (#181) is just the player to be able to do that.  He wins his first round match against Marinko Matosevic of Australia (#138) 57 46 63 62 63.

However, he lost to David Goffin (#15) of Belgium in the second round 76(3) 61 61.

John Millman: Best Performance in Wimbledon

Journeyman John Millman of Australia (#119) reached the second round of Wimbledon for the first time in his career, making it his best performance here.  He had already done that before in the Australian Open.  He upset veteran Spanish player Tommy Robredo (#19) 62 63 64.

He lost to another veteran player, Cypriot Marcus Baghdatis (#59) 76(5) 62 36 26 46 in the second round.

Jelena Jankovic Topples Wimbledon Queen

Third straight exciting night of watching Wimbledon tennis! Makes sleeping at 3AM every night more bearable.

So happy to see Jelena Jankovic just edge defending champion Petra Kvitova in their 3rd round match! She may be a bit of a laos na in local parlance, last being at #1 seven years ago.

However, I feel, that any current top 10 player should be careful of former #1 players, because you never know when they can be inspired! Petra was playing dangerously the first two rounds, and even in their match today! I really thought she'd just steamroll all over Jelena, but something happened in the in the second set when the score was, I think, 3-3.

Jelena just began serving well and showed Petra how good she was as a ball retriever. Jelena was (and maybe in some days, is) one of the best defensive players in women's tennis - and she showed it tonight!

I took this picture of Jelena a decade ago and she looks more beautiful in person - tall, with legs that stretches for miles, and one that has great movement in the court!. The TV can sometimes be unkind.

She has another very difficult opponent in the fourth round, Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska, and the draw in her side has now really opened up.

Dustin Brown: Finally, An Inspired Performance on the Big Stage

One reason why I plod through all these tennis matches is once in a while, you get lucky and see a gem of a performance, especially one that is an inspired performance from a player who is relatively unknown to everyone else.

I wanted to sleep na, it was 2AM na e, but Dustin Brown was playing spectacularly that he bumped off two-time champion Rafael Nadal! He was just magnificent to watch!

I can only count in my fingers the times that you see a player thump Nadal and make him look like a lost kid in a tennis court, especially someone that is ranked outside the top 100! It just NEVER happens!

Well, Dustin's not really an unknown to me. He used to play for Jamaica, but now he's playing for Germany na pala, and I think that has helped him a lot. He has been languishing for a long time outside the top 100 but reached around the 70s ata at one time. I guess, since Jamaica has no tennis tradition, medyo nahihirapan sya maka-breakthrough.

He's already 30 na pala but anyway, he still has a few years to prove his worth and show that this win is not a fluke. His performance today shows that he can be in the top 20, if he's just consistent enough.

Breakthrough Player of Wimbledon 2015: Denis Kudla

This blog awards American player Denis Kudla (#105) as the Male Breakthrough Player in this year's Wimbledon, by reaching the fourth round for the first time. 

This award is given to the male player who is ranked outside the top 100, who gets into the deepest round of a grand slam.

Denis beat Santiago Giraldo (#60) of Colombia 62 67(3) 26 61 63 in the third round sending him into his first appearance in the fourth round of any grand slam.  His achievement here should help propel him into the top 100 after the rankings are released next week.

Denis also disposed of Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay (#23) 67(4) 46 63 62 62 in the first round, then he won over Alexander Zverev of Germany (#74) in the second round 63 36 76(2) 64. His win over Giraldo, makes Giraldo the third straight player he defeated who is ranked higher than him.

He will meet Marin Cilic (#9) of Croatia in the quarterfinals.

Stan Wawrinka in the Buff

I didn't know that Stan Wawrinka had this naughty side in him!  He agrees to pose nude for a sports magazine shoot! And he has agreed as well to model for a new underwear line.  Seems like tennis has just discovered a new bad boy with real talent!

Matthew Ebden: Second Time in Second Round

Australian Ebden (#148) gets to the second round of Wimbledon for the second time, after he defeated Blaz Rola (#93) 62 61 64.  He then lost to John Isner (#17) 62 76(8)64 in the second round.  He is hopeful that he can get his ranking nearer the top 100 by the next grand slam so he can be invited directly into the main draw.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert: Into New Territory

French player Pierre-Hugues Herbert (#151) upset Korean tennis sensation Hyun Cheong in the first round, 16 62 36 62 108 of Wimbledon 2015 to get to his very first second round appearance in a grand slam. It's definitely new territory for him. However, he lost to Australian Bernard Tomic (#26) in the second round, 76(3) 64 76(5).

Anyhow, his ranking should go up a little bit with his achievement here.

Jelena Ostapenko: Meet the Future of Women's Tennis

Current Wimbledon girl's champion, Jelena Ostapenko (#147) of Latvia, made a splashy debut here in Wimbledon by beating top ten player Carla Suarez Navarro (#9) 62 60.

Her display shows that the future of women's tennis is slowly making inroads in the main women's draw.  She will next meet French player Kristina Mladenovic (#38) in the second round.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands: Past First Round for the 3rd Time

Veteran player Bethanie Mattek-Sands (#158) has actually reached the fourth round here in Wimbledon in 2008.  However, the past few years have not been kind to her, as she has been beset by problems. 

So it's great to see her past the first round again for the third time.  This time, she beat in-form player, Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck (#46), 63 62.

She will meet another in-form player, Ana Ivanovic (#7) in the second round.  I think she has a good chance of beating Ana as well, as long as she sticks to her guns.

Richel Hogenkamp: From ITF to the Jungle

The top of women's tennis is like a jungle, filled with superior players that to be introduced to it suddenly, a player, who has been playing ITF most of the time, will have to adjust quickly.  Such is the predicament of Dutch Richel Hogenkamp (#123), who is right now celebrating her win over Chinese Qiang Wang (#110) in the first round of Wimbledon 2015 64 64.

However, as quickly as her celebration is, she will have to do the battle of her life, as she meets Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova (#4) in the second round.

Well, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain.  That should be the attitude she should be bringing to the match.

Aliaksandra Sasnovich: In New Territory

Aliaksandra Sasnovich is the third-ranked Belorussian and today, she gets past the first round of Wimbledon for the first time by winning over Chinese play Zhu Lin 46 75 61.  Aliaksandra is currently ranked #137 and this win should edge her closer to the top 100. 

She will next meet Zarina Diyas (#34) of Kazakhstan in the second round.  She has a fighting chance to reach the third round.