India's Anirban Lahiri continued his impressive run when he fired a flawless two-under-par 70 to ease into contention after the second round of The Open on Friday.
Anirban Lahiri reacts after making his birdie putt on the 1st green during his second round 70, on day two of the 2015 British Open Golf Championship on The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland, on July 17, 2015. (AFP Photo)
The current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader could be the surprise package at St Andrews as he aims to upstage some of golf's biggest names after returning with a two-day total of five-under-par 139.
"We never have had an Indian or Asian winner at The Open and it would be nice if I can get into contention on Sunday," said Lahiri, who currently trails clubhouse leader Danny Willett of England by four shots.
Despite playing at the Home of Golf for the first time, the Indian showed he is still capable of mastering the intricacies of the links course.
"St Andrews is about putting yourself into a good position off the tee. If you can do that, you can think about playing aggressively.
"If you're in position, you'll then be looking at targets where you can hit and make pars easily. I made sure I was able to do that and I think the result showed today," said the 28-year-old from Pune.
Torrential rains in the early morning flooded the Old Course at St Andrews, resulting in more than three hours of play being lost.
But when it finally resumed, Lahiri went off the blocks quickly with an opening birdie.
His next birdie remained elusive as he would go on to make pars in his next 12 holes before another birdie on 14 finally brought much relief.
"It was frustrating because I hit many good shots but was just not making the putts. But I was conscious not to be too hard on myself as it's so easy to tell yourself you are not going to get too many opportunities and you got to make a lot of them count.
"I was very patient and that was the key for me today," said Lahiri, who then closed with four straight pars to set himself up for the weekend.
The 28-year-old from Pune has won twice this year already on the European tour and he is aiming to beat the best-ever performance by an Indian at The Open - Jyoti Randhawa's tie for 27th in 2004 at Royal Troon.
St. Andrews: Three bogeys on the back nine halted Anirban Lahiri's charge as the Indian golfer settled for a one-under 71 in the third round of the 144th British Open at the Old Course on Sunday.
After his round, world No.58 Lahiri was tied 26th with a three-day total of six-under 210. The current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader earlier made 69 and 70 in the first two rounds respectively.
Lahiri was tied 26th with a three-day total of six-under 210. The current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader earlier made 69 and 70 in the first two rounds respectively.
Bengaluru-based Lahiri, who is playing in his sixth Major, went off to a rollicking start as he birdied the par-four first hole. He scored more birdies on the fourth, ninth and 11th holes.
However, two consecutive bogeys on the par-four 13th and par-five 14th marred the 28-year-old's effort. He also dropped a shot on the par-four 17th, thereby setting with a 71 in the third round of the oldest Major.
Irish Paul Dunne (66), South African Louis Oosthuizen (67) and Australian Jason Day (67) shared the lead at the top with identical 54-hole totals of 12-under 204.
Reigning Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth (66) was one shot back while Padraig Harrington, who scored 65, was fifth with a total of 10-under 206.
ZURICH (Reuters) – World football’s troubled governing body FIFA will vote for a new president, to replace Sepp Blatter, at a special congress to be held on Feb. 26 in Zurich, the organisation said on Monday.
An “extraordinary elective congress” with all 209 member associations invited will decide on the successor to Blatter, who has been at the helm ofFIFA since 1998.
The timing of the congress is later than many expected, with Europe’s governing body UEFA widely reported to have pushed for a December vote.
FIFA statutes stipulate candidates need to have the written support of five member associations to stand and must announce their intention to run four months ahead of a vote, meaning the deadline for nominations is Oct. 26.
Blatter announced on June 2 that he was standing down, just four days after winning a fifth term with an election victory at a congress overshadowed by the arrest of seven football officials.
The 79-year-old had been re-elected after his only rival, Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, withdrew after gaining 73 votes to Blatter’s 133 in the first round of voting.
UEFA president Michel Platini has emerged as the early frontrunner, with a source close to European football’s governing body saying the Frenchman enjoys support from four of the six regional confederations that make upFIFA.
Platini, a former France international who played for Italian club Juventus, has yet to state whether he intends to run, with the source saying he would decide within the next 10 days or so.
Blatter’s election at the congress in May was overshadowed by the raids on a five-star hotel in Zurich which saw seven FIFA officials, including Vice President Jeffrey Webb, arrested.
Webb faces U.S. charges of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. He pleaded not guilty at a U.S. court on Saturday and was released on bail.
The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted 14 football officials and sports marketing executives on various charges.
Blatter has repeatedly said that he will not stand again and while he has reneged on that promise before, saying his election in 2011 was his last before changing his mind, it would be a major surprise if he made another U-turn.
FIFA will hold a special election on February 26 to replace president Sepp Blatter, football''s scandal-tainted world body said today as French football great Michel Platini moved closer to launching a campaign.
Reuters
FIFA will hold a special election on February 26 to replace president Sepp Blatter, football''s scandal-tainted world body said today as French football greatMichel Platini moved closer to launching a campaign.
The FIFA executive, including rivals Blatter and Platini, agreed the date at a meeting in Zurich where the "exraordinary elective FIFA congress" will be held.
Blatter announced on June 2, four days after winning a fifth term as president, that he would stand down as a major corruption storm hit world football''s ruling body.
The decision was a victory for Blatter who had wanted the vote pushed back until 2016. UEFA and some other regional bodies had sought a December election.
Blatter was to announce at a later press conference whether the executive committee agreed to first reform measures for the multi-billion dollar body. FIFA is still reeling from the arrest of seven officials at a Zurich congress two days before Blatter won reelection on May 29.
The seven are among 14 people -- soccer officials and sports business executives -- accused by US authorities over more than $150 million in bribes paid to secure television and marketing contracts for football tournaments. Former FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb appeared in a New York court on Saturday after being extradited from Switzerland last week. He denied bribery charges but was only released on $10 million bail.
Swiss authorities are in parallel investigating the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Candidates gather Candidates for the FIFA presidency have until October 26 to put their names forward. So far only Brazilian football great Zico has officially declared himself. But Platini is considered the favourite to take over if he decides to stand.
Platini will decide in the next two weeks whether to run, a source close to the UEFA leadership said.
The 60-year-old Frenchman is closing on a campaign after getting verbal support from four of the six regional confederations that make up football''s world body, the source told AFP.
Only the Confederation of African Football (CAF) -- led by Blatter ally Issa Hiyatou -- and the Oceania confederation is not backing Platini.
The UEFA leader has made increasing calls for reform of the world body in recent months. These have been heightened since the raid on the Zurich hotel to detain the seven FIFA officials.
"He is seriously considering running. He will make a decision in the next two weeks maximum and then make an announcement," the source said. If Platini, now in his third term as president of Europe''s UEFA, decides not to stand he could reveal who he will back in the election.
"Platini knows that the decision must be taken quckly to close the door against any other challenger," the source said. Platini backed Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, a former FIFA vice president from Jordan, when he stood against Blatter in May. The prince could again be a candidate in February''s election.
Chung Mong-Joon, another former FIFA member from South Korea, is also considering a run. Brazilian football great and former sports minister Zico has already said he will stand. Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has also indicated he is ready to join a campaign.
European football leaders say Platini has been consulting widely about whether to stand in the election. This was confirmed by the source.
"He has been listening to a lot of people and weighing up everything they have said about FIFA''s future. He has been very touched by the warm comments of support he has had.
"But sometimes statements that are made are not worth as much as they should be," the source warned to explain the UEFA chief''s hesitation. Platini will also assess the level of support at the draw for the World Cup qualifying tournaments which is to be made in St Petersburg, Russia on Saturday.
England’s pacers struck repeatedly after lunch to leave Australia on the verge of a massive defeat on Day Four of the first Ashes 2015 Test at Cardiff on Saturday. Stuart Broad started the slide by getting Steven Smith out caught at slip by Ian Bell just seven balls after the break. Broad then took the massive wicket of Michael Clarke, virtually sealing the fate of the game. England are three wickets away from going 1-0 up in the series. Live Scorecard: England (ENG) vs Australia (AUS) Ashes 2015 1st Test at Cardiff, Day 3
It was a case of Australian batsmen not being able to cope with some sensible English bowling, with Broad being the star of the show. As he has done so often, Broad bowled a decisive spell on either side of lunch, first getting Chris Rogers to edge to Ian Bell at slip and then getting rid of Smith. He was not done though; Michael Clarke was pushed on the back foot and ended up driving one in the air to point without moving his feet. Live Blog: England (ENG) vs Australia (AUS) Ashes 2015 1st Test at Cardiff, Day 4
Once Australia’s top four were back in the hut, it was always going to be a battle of survival. Adam Voges nibbled at a straightforward ball from Mark Wood and edged behind to Jos Buttler. Brad Haddin played as he usually does, looking to dominate Moeen Ali only to succumb to a wonderful catch by skipper Alastair Cook.
Shane Watson was the last man to be dismissed in the session. Unsurprisingly, he was out LBW to a straight ball from Wood. As usual, he opted for a DRS review, and as usual he was adjudged out. Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc were the two unbeaten batsmen at tea, with the former batting on 26. READ: Ashes 2015, Cardiff: Tale of Two Tails
Earlier, David Warner was dismissed at the stroke of lunch for 52. Steven Smith was in at No. 3 and ensured that runs kept coming at a decent clip.Warner looked in much discomfort in the first hour of play. He was on 17 off 41 balls at one stage before exploding against Moeen Ali, hitting him for a back-to-back six and four. That over from proved Moeen proved to be the spark that Warner and Australia needed. They managed to find a boundary off virtually every over after that. However, Moeen Ali — who had gone for 22 off his first two overs — managed to breach Warner’s defence, getting him out LBW for 52 at the stroke of lunch to ensure England ended the session on top. READ: The Moeen Ali conundrum
Half-centuries from Joe Root and Ian Bell and a late cameo from Mark Wood ensured that England ended Day Three in control. England managed to take a 411-run lead after being bowled out for 289. Root and Bell were dismissed for identical scores of 60 off 89 balls, while Wood hit some lusty blows to remain unbeaten on 32 off only 18 balls. READ: Australia paying price for being slack against England
Brief scores:
England 430 (Gary Ballance 61, Joe Root 134, Ben Stokes 52, Moeen Ali 77; Mitchell Starc 5 for 114, Josh Hazlewood 3 for 83) and 289 (Ian Bell 60, Joe Root 60; Nathan Lyon 4 for 75) leadAustralia 308 (Chris Rogers 95; James Anderson 3 for 43) and 162 for 7 (David Warner 52; Stuart broad 3 for 22) by 250 runs.
New Delhi: Television actress Kavita Kaushik, best known for her role of a tough female cop Chandramukhi Chautala in comedy sitcom "FIR", says she does not want to to compromise her TV career to get into films.
The 34-year-old actress, who will be seen competing with other stars on dance-based reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded", says she does not carry "false dreams" to be a big Bollywood actress and is very happy and content with her success on television.
"TV is my territory and I am never going to leave it for films. I don't keep false dreams. I know no one will cast me opposite Salman or Shahrukh and I am not going to play side roles like sister or bhabhi. Television is where I have made it big, can work on my terms and play meaty roles," Kavita told PTI.
The actress, who calls herself "very filmy", said she is going to miss the presence of former "Jhalak" judge Madhuri Dixit on the show. The Bollywood diva was part of the judging panel for the past three years but has opted out this season.
"All the four judges this season are great and master of their art. But I am a very filmy person and with no Madhuri, I am surely going to miss that Bollywood heroine masala on the show," she said.
Talking about the reason for taking up "Jhalak..." and not any other reality show the actress says, she wants to make herself grow not only as a performer but as a person and this show solves the purpose.
"I have been doing 'FIR' for the past nine years and have ended up adapting the body language of my character. I wanted to bring change in the way I present myself as an actor and in personal life, and I feel dancing is the best way to improve one's overall persona.
Jhalak..." came at the right time when I was looking for a change," she said. Kavita, who has been associated with "FIR" for the past nine years and is still starring in it, said the comedy sitcom has "spoilt" her by giving both professional success and personal space.
"FIR has spoilt me. I am the king of the show. I start shooting at 11am and not stretch it after 8.30pm. I am getting to play a strong character which is different from any other female character on television," she said.
"Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded", to be judged by Shahid Kapoor, Karan Johar, Ganesh Hegde and Lauren Gottlieb.
Colors' most loved dance reality show Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa is returning for its eighth season but of course you know that by now. You must also know that Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor is replacing Madhuri Dixit as a judge while Karan Johar will be joining him again. Rumour has it that choreographer Ganesh Hegde or Lauren Gottileb will be holding the judge's chair too.
The show will air on July 11 and in case you missed it, we have the complete list of participants from this season.
Dipika Samson
Known for essaying the role of Simar from Sasural Simar Ka for about four years!
Shamita Shetty
First seen in Yash Chopra's Mohobbatein with Uday Chopra. Did some more films after that, none of which took off.
Sanaya Irani
Hindi telly's cutest offering. She is known for her role as Khushi in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Du.
Kavita Kaushik
Dubsmash sensation and SAB TV's Chandramukhi Chautala will also been seen with her dancing shoes on.
Radhika Madan
Newbie in the industry, she known for her role as Ishani from Meri Ashiqui Tumse Hi.
Vivian Dsena
TV's own vampire, Vivian Dsena will also be participating.
Parth Samthan
He is known for Kaisi Yeh Yaariyaan.
Ashish Chaudhary
He recently won the Khatron Ke Khiladi, will lady luck favour him on Jhalak too?
Raftaar
He will be this season's music connect. The rapper is known for songs like Swag Mera Desi.
London - Martina Hingis reached her first Wimbledon finals for 17 years on Friday when she and Sania Mirza qualified for the women's doubles championship match before she teamed with Leander Paes to make the mixed doubles final.
Hingis and Mirza, the top seeds, defeated Racquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears of the United States 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-finals.
Hingis, 34, was Wimbledon singles champion in 1997 and took the doubles with Helena Sukova in 1996 and Jana Novotna two years later.
Russia's Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova will be the opponents for Hingis and Mirza after the second seeds beat Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Hingis and Mirza, who have three WTA doubles titles together at Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston, are through to their first Grand Slam doubles final together.
The Swiss star has has a 9-3 record in Grand Slam doubles finals -- she has four Australian Opens, two French Opens, two Wimbledons and a US Open to her name.
Meanwhile, Mirza is going for her first Grand Slam doubles title.
Makarova and Vesnina are two-time Grand Slam champions, winning the 2013 French Open and 2014 US Open.
Hingis and Mirza have beaten Makarova and Vesnina in both of the pairs' previous meetings, both this year and both in finals -- 6-3, 6-4 in the Indian Wells final and then 7-5, 6-1 in the Miami final.
"They're a really good team. They've been playing really well this year," Makarova said.
"We've played two finals against them already, at Indian Wells and Miami, and they beat us in both of them, but we're hoping tomorrow will be third time lucky. Hopefully we can win the title here."
Later Friday, Hingis and Paes, seeded seven, defeated top seeded American pair Mike Bryan and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 6-4 in the mixed doubles semi-finals.
In Sunday's final they will take on Alexander Peya and Babos who put out Robert Lindstedt and Anabel Medina Garrigues 4-6 6-3, 11-9.
Call it the Third Coming of Martina Hingis at the All England Club. Or perhaps that should be the Fourth?
Nostalgia, as well as re-imagining and re-inventing the past, are central to this faux Victorian idyll in south-west London, and this prize-giving weekend will see Hingis play in a Wimbledon final for the first time since the 1990s.
Even better, she will play in a couple; there will be two nostalgia trips for the fan club of this former ladies' singles champion and women's doubles winner. So successful on this grass as a teenager, can Hingis - who is now 34 years old and, in her own analysis, "no longer a spring chicken" - earn a chair at the Champions' Dinner once again?
The first of her two chances to make it to the party comes on Saturday when she will partner India's Sania Mirza in the women's doubles final against the all-Russian pairing of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
And then on Sunday she will play for the mixed doubles title alongside another Indian partner, Leander Paes, when they will face Austria's Alexander Peya and Hungary's Timea Babos. "Winning another Wimbledon title would be awesome," said Hingis.
So Hingis is only a year older than Serena Williams, but her history with the All England Club is considerably longer than the American's (though it has to be remembered that the Williams sisters didn't play any junior events).
More than anywhere else, this is the place that has defined her tennis life, with so many of the key moments in the Hingis narrative backdropped by green and purple.
First at Wimbledon, there was Hingis the junior. Can it really be 21 years - that's an entire lifetime for women's singles finalist Garbine Muguruza - since Hingis first played for a Wimbledon title? Yes, as an extraordinarily-gifted 13-year-old, she won the girls' singles prize in 1994.
That was the first phase of Hingis' tennis life. The second phase was what you might call her 'Swiss Miss' years when she moved up to the senior tournaments and almost immediately had an impact.
It was in 1996, when she was still only 15 years old, when she scored her first senior Wimbledon title; playing alongside Helena Sukova, she became the youngest women's doubles champion in the tournament's history.
But it was what she achieved as a teenage singles player that marked her out as a true grass-court great.
Her first appearance in the women's singles tournament had come in 1995, at the age of 14, when she had had the misfortune to be paired in the first round with Steffi Graf (she lost). The following summer, she ran into Graf again, this time in the fourth round, and again was beaten.
But in the summer of 1997, when Hingis was 16, she went through the draw sheet, with her victory over Jana Novotna in the final making her the youngest singles champion since the nineteenth century (since a 15-year-old Lottie Dod in 1887).
She would never win another singles title, but the following summer, aged 17 at the 1998 Championships, she would lift the doubles trophy again, on that occasion in collaboration with Novotna.
When she was a teenager in the 1990s was what you might call peak Hingis. She wouldn't win another Wimbledon title before retiring for the first time; in fact, she wouldn't reach another final.
Coming out of retirement, after deciding she still had more to give, Hingis didn't have anything like the same success on the Wimbledon grass as she had done either as a junior or as the Swiss Miss.
After losing in the third round of the 2007 singles tournament she gave a urine sample that was found to contain trace amounts of cocaine (she denied using the drug, but didn't appeal).
Banned for two years, Hingis appeared to have played her last tennis at the All England Club. But she came back again, returning to the top of the game as a doubles player.
As she told ESPN during this tournament, she doesn't feel as though she has the weaponry to still compete in the singles (her involvement in that event was restricted to mentoring her fellow Swiss Belinda Bencic, who made the fourth round). But as a doubles player, in both women's and mixed tournaments, she still has a lot of game.
"If I had a little of Serena Williams' physical abilities, I would probably still be playing singles"
Martina Hingis
"If I had a little of Serena Williams' physical abilities, power and serve, I would probably still be out there myself, playing singles," she observed.
During her Swiss Miss days as a Wimbledon singles champion, she was never the biggest hitter of a tennis ball, and won matches with her clever-clogs use of touch, angles and changes of pace.
Be in no doubt that she has lost a little pace in her shots since then. But that craft and intelligence is even more useful on a doubles court than it was when playing singles.
"It's not about hitting the ball hard, but about finesse and strategy, and more about placement," she has reflected. The game of doubles somehow feels "easier and more natural" to her.
Back in the 1990s, Hingis used to laugh and say that she was a better doubles player than singles player. Almost 20 years on, she is reflecting that maybe that wasn't a joke after all.
Manchester United have agreed a deal with Bayern Munich to sign midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The statement-making move, which is subject to a medical and personal terms, would see the 30-year-old World Cup winner, who has spent his entire career at Bayern, link up once again with manager Louis van Gaal.
“Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Bayern Munich to sign midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, subject to a medical and personal terms,” a statement on United’s official website said of a move which will be the stand-out deal of the summer so fa
United boss Van Gaal worked with Schweinsteiger during his own spell in Munich and has been keen to recruit his former charge to bolster a midfield which currently relies heavily on Michael Carrick, 34 later this month, and Daley Blind, with concerns over the amount of cover offered in front of defence.
The Old Trafford club confirmed the news after Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge revealed the agreement between the two clubs earlier on Saturday.
Speaking to the Bayern website, Rummenigge said he met with Schweinsteiger on Friday and the midfielder said he had decided to go.
“We have responded to this request,” Rummenigge said. “My colleague from Manchester United has contacted me. We have agreed on a transfer.”
Rummenigge added: “We tried to convince him to stay with Bayern Munich. But I also understand that a player who has spent 17 years at Bayern Munich, at the end of his career still wants to gain a new experience.”
Describing him as “an icon, a legend”, the chairman also said he hoped to see Schweinsteiger back at the club in the future.
“He has done great things here, he has won everything,” he said. “I suggest to him that we will give him a great farewell match in Munich when he finishes his career, whenever that will be. And when he stops, we will talk about whether there is a second career for him here at Bayern.”
Schweinsteiger has won the Bundesliga eight times, lifted the Champions League with Bayern in 2013 and was part of Germany’s World Cup winning squad last summer.
Schweinsteiger, who has won 111 caps for Germany, is now poised to become United’s second signing of the summer following the arrival of Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven.
Germany coach Joachim Löw said the midfielder would thrive at United.
“Basti is an absolute leader and world-class player who can put his stamp on any team, including of course Manchester United,” he said on www.dfb.de.
“He knows Louis van Gaal, who wanted him unconditionally.
“I know from him that he still has big ambitions and goals.
“He will approach his new challenge in England like we all know him – with dedication and highly-motivated.
“For Bayern and the Bundesliga his departure is without question a loss.”
Bayern team-mate Franck Ribery admitted to being “very, very sad”, adding: “I believe that all of Bayern is sad. He won everything with us. He is a really good friend of mine. But such is football. I can only wish him lots of luck.”
United head to America on their pre-season tour on Monday, with Schweinsteiger now expected to be part of the group.
After announcing that a deal has been agreed for the transfer of the 30-year-old midfielder, the Bavarians confirmed that no other players will leave for the club for Old Trafford
The Bavarians confirmed the sale of Schweinsteiger to United on Saturday, with the German international joining the Premier League giants for an estimated £12 million on a three-year contract.
Schweinsteiger is not the only Bayern star to have been linked with a move to the Red Devils, with Thomas Muller also reported to be a top target for Louis van Gaal as the Dutchman looks to revamp his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.
But Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has asserted that Muller will not follow Schweinsteiger to Old Trafford.
"I can calm the worries of all Bayern supporters: We will not let another player leave for Manchester United,” he told reporters.
Matthias Sammer, sporting director at the Allianz Arena, stressed that Bayern would leap into the transfer market as they seek a replacement for Schweinsteiger.
"Bastian is already a club legend,” he added. “He should be replaced with someone who has his personality, not necessarily a like-for-like signing.
"However, we have a very good mix with this team. We have 20 pretty seasoned squad members already."
Schweinsteiger follows reserve goalkeeper Pepe Reina (Napoli), young midfielder Mitchell Weiser (Hertha Berlin) and Swiss attacker Xherdan Shaqiri (Inter) out of the Bayern door on a permanent basis.
Serena Williams withstood early and late surges from Garbine Muguruza to capture the women's title in straight sets at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday. The 6-4, 6-4 triumph gives her 21 career Grand Slam singles titles, three behind Margaret Court for the most in history.
Williams now holds all four major titles at once—the Serena Slam—and earned a chance to go for the calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open. It's one of the few accomplishments she's yet to pull off in her illustrious career.
Muguruza came into the match with a rare amount of confidence for a 21-year-old player making her first appearance in a major final. Along with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 victory over the veteran American at the French Open last year, she also took her to three sets in Australia back in January.
Chris Lehourites of the Associated Press noted the rising Spanish star felt those results would put even more pressure on the top seed.
"She knows that I can win against her, that I'm not afraid," Muguruza said. "I don't think she's really used to this. Serena, she doesn't lose so many matches in the year."
Those comments appeared prophetic in the first game, as Williams struggled mightily to get first serves in, struck three double-faults and immediately got broken. Nick McCarvel of USA Today illustrated the contrast between that poor effort and how she's played throughout the event:
15 = number of Serena's DFs in SIX MATCHES. 3 = number of SW DFs in first game... so far #Wimbledon
She found herself in trouble once again during her second service game but fought back from a 0-30 hole to hold, and that really seemed to help her settle in.
The level of play, which was lackluster in the early going with plenty of disjointed rallies, started to rise as the set went on. Williams got the break back to equalize the set at 4-4 and then held to grab her first lead of the match.
Muguruza didn't respond well to the improved form of the top-ranked player in the world. She played several tight points and then tossed in her first double-fault at deuce, giving Williams a break opportunity. The American didn't let it slip away, hitting her 16th winner of the set to close it out.
While the underdog shined at times, she wasn't able to maintain the high quality that's necessary to keep pace with Williams, as Matt Cronin of Tennis Reporters pointed out:
Muguruza throws in a couple UE's, Serena jumps on top of her, grabs 1st set 6-4 with a booming FH cross court. GM plays spectacular or gone
The early portion of the second set looked like a coronation for Williams, as she rather routinely raced out to a 5-1 lead. The weight of being one game from another Serena Slam seemingly had an impact on her, however, as she started missing shots and visible frustration began to mount.
Muguruza capitalized, battling hard to get back on serve at 5-4 with some sublime ball-striking. It's typical for a player to start hitting better when she's on the brink of losing—there's a certain freedom to it—but once she got back in the set, the mistakes returned.
Williams answered back with an anticlimactic break to win the match. Muguruza's missed shot was close to the line, and everybody in Centre Court awaited a challenge that never came, which subdued the initial celebration.
Now the focus for Williams obviously shifts toward New York. There will be warm-up events during the U.S. Open Series, but those results matter little compared to the final major of the season, where she's the three-time defending champion.
She doesn't need the calendar Grand Slam to complete her career. The resume she's put together already places her firmly in the conversation for the greatest player ever. But it would nevertheless be an extraordinary accomplishment.
Marc Berman of the New York Post provided a quote from Serena on the possibility of a calendar Grand Slam:
Serena on Grand Slam possibility: "I don't want to talk about. I've done well in NY but worst-case scenario I have another Serena Slam.''
Wimbledon still has one more treat to provide: a rematch between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the men's title on Sunday. Djokovic won a five-set thriller one year ago, and it wouldn't be a surprise if this year's clash lives up to the same standard.
Reuters
