Sharapova Out in 2nd Round at Wimbledon

(NEWSER) - If you’ve been—AUUGGGHHH!!!—watching women’s tennis lately, you’ll have noticed a whole lot of—VVVUUUUHT!!— grunting. “Close your eyes when you watch Wimbledon,” suggests Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated. “You could be forgiven for thinking the remote had inadvertently moved to a pay channel.” Tennis purists hate it, and some players argue that it’s artificial gamesmanship. But Wertheim doesn’t think it’s so bad. More»

Surprise challenger upsets third seed in second round

(AP) - Former champion Maria Sharapova was ousted today in the second round at Wimbledon by 154th-ranked Alla Kudryavtseva. Kudryavtseva recovered an early break in the second set to beat the 2004 champion 6-2, 6-4; it was Sharapova's earliest exit from a Grand Slam event since her first full season on the circuit in 2003. More»

Williams almost a first-round casualty on the "Graveyard of Champions"

(NEWSER) - Venus Williams recovered to win after a mediocre performance In the Wimbledon opener left her two points from disaster against an unheralded Russian. The three-time champion rallied from 1-3 and 4-5 down in the third set to take advantage of her opponent's meltdown. Her early play was marred by bad serves and other errors. More»

Serb will ascend to No. 1 tomorrow

(AP) - Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title today, and he beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to do it. Djokovic, who was already guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking from the Spaniard tomorrow, extended his mastery over Nadal this season with a fifth straight head-to-head victory. More»

Czech upsets Maria Sharapova for first Grand Slam win

(NEWSER) - The new women's Wimbledon champ is Petra Kvitova, a Czech player who upset Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 today, reports AP . The victory is the first Grand Slam win for the 21-year-old, who is the first lefty to win since Martina Navratilova in 1990. She's a "new star," declared Navratilova herself afterward. Bleacher Report wonders whether Sharapova, who double-faulted six times, simply choked under pressure. More»