WTA - Bank of West Classic - Stanford - Day two

Day two of the Stanford Open and Venus Williams beat Paula Kania in straight sets. This was a good solid win for Venus who has put the Wimbledon disappointment behind her. 

Venus now plays Victoria Azarenka in the second round and if she can get past Vika then I can see her at least making to the semi-finals and beyond. 

Ana Ivanovic beat Sabine Lisicki in straight and It was a very competitive first set. Which Sabine set the World Record for the fastest serve. 

However the second set was a not very eventful and Ana won the set comfortably and the match.

WTA - Citi Open - Washington

Day two of the Citi Open and Taylor Townsend beat Julia Georges in three sets. This was a fantastic win for Taylor who is certainly inform and at this rate she will be top one hundred before the end of the year. 

Kiki Mladenovic beat Lucie Safarova in three sets and Kiki is also inform and has been have a reasonable summer and seems have put the Wimbledon disappointment behind her. 

Kirsten Flipkens beat Heather Watson in three sets and I was disappointed that Heather didn't win this match. It was a match I feel she should have won. 

At this stage in Heather's career the reality is she needs to be getting wins like this or before she knows it she will go from a potential Grand Slam winner to a journey women. 

I hope she can get some decent wins before the US Open starts as this the time when she can pick up some points and at least make into the top fifty. 

World Cup - A review of the beautiful game.

The World Cup is over now and  for the winners Germany it is probably just sinking in what they have achieved. 

I thought the the some of the group games where fantastic and teams played without fear. 

One of the group games  I enjoyed watching was when France beat Switzerland by five goals to two and the French played amazing free flowing footballs. 

The game that I found most exciting was the Ghana versus Germany match and this match could have gone either way but ended up in the draw. 

However the match that almost put me sleep was Nigeria versus Iran was an incredibly boring match with both teams trying hard not to score....

So I thought the knock out games where going to be just as good and sadly it was not the case. The free flowing football had been replaced with edgy and defensive football. 

The stand out game of the knock out stages was Germany beating the host Brazil by seven goals to one. It was a little embarrassing to watch and this was compounded by the crying fans in the stadium. 

So the two most efficient and consistent teams of the tournament Germany and Argentina who made it to the final. 

However it was a little bit of a damp squib with little or no entertainment but the German team where the worthy winners. 

Argentina v Germany - Final review

The final took place yesterday and Germany beat Argentina by a goal to nil in extra time. 

It was a pretty dull match with both teams being very careful but somehow you got the feeling that this was more of an advantage for Germany.

Argentina's Lionel Messi failed to shine and Argentina did not have a single shot on target in the whole match. 

Germany had few chances but where unable to convert them into goals and it took the sub Mario Gotze to come on and break the deadlock late into the second half of extra time. 

For me it was more defending that lead to the goal but the BBC pundits where waxing lyrical about it being an amazing goal. 

Yes it was a well taken goal but I don't think it would even be in my top five goals. 

So Germany won the World Cup and it was well deserved but  I don't like their style of football. 

Which has very little to do with being entertaining and is more about being clinical and efficient. 

But at they end of the day they won the World Cup so they must be doing something right. 

Holland v Argentina - Semi final review

In the second semi final match Argentina beat Holland by four goals to two on penalties. It was a pretty dire affair with little interesting parts. 

This was a surprise as Holland had been playing fantastic free flowing football with Arjen Robben doing some amazing runs and as well as trying to dive for the odd penalty. 

Whilst Argentina had Lionel Messi scoring some very good goals. But I think the fact that all the play went through Lionel Messi somewhat stifled their creativity. 

So in the end it had to be decided on penalties and Argentina where more clinical and therefore won the game. 

World Cup - Brazil v Germany review

In the semi-finals match Germany beat Brazil by seven goals to one! It really was a shocker of a match. 

Brazil defended so poorly and the Germans capitalised on this and where scoring goals at will. 

I thought that Brazil would wake up and start scoring goals but once it became  five goals to nil, the likelyhood of them having any impact on the game looked remote. 

I think Brazilian fans realised this and television pictures captured a lot of crying Brazilians. It was Brazil worst World Cup and too much for many of their fans to take. 

Without Neymar and the suspended Thiago Silva it was always going to be a difficult and this was compounded by there inability to score and desparately poor defending. 

However the Germans will be very pleased with themselves and will hoping that they can carry this form into next weeks final and win the trophy. 

Wimbledon - review from the sofa:)

This years Wimbledon was almost as strange as the previous year. In the ladies draw the top two seeds Serena Williams and Li Na went out early. 

The women'sdraw was uneven and this is how Petra Kvitova managed to get to the final without playing a single top ten seed. 

The women's final was a little embarrassing to watch and Petra did what she needed to do to win the match. 

But it was rather painful watching Eugenie Bouchard making the same errors over and over again. 

It was one of those finals that few will be talking about as players were so unevenly matched. 

The men's draw was a little better but it was sad to see both Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal go out early. 

But at least the final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer was entertaining.

 However I would say that both play quite a predictable game and so it took the match a while to warm up and when it did it was well worth the wait.

So it was a a rather strange Wimbledon especially in the women's draw but the men's draw definitely lived up to expectations. 

Wimbledon - Day thirteen

Day thirteen at Wimbledon and it is the Men's final day and Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in five amazing sets. 

It was a bit of a slow burner to start of with but that soon changed and by the fourth set it became an incredibly tense match that could have gone either way. 

Roger served well and served about twenty nine aces but he is now a step slower and he was unable to move round the court like could maybe three or four years ago. 

Novak played well and physically he was struggling and in the fourth set he had match point but nerves got the better of him. 

However he was able to regroup and win the final set to take the title. Although it was a gripping game both Roger and Novak can be very one dimensional hence why it took about four sets for the match to really get going. 

It was a hard fought but deserved victory for Novak who like I said could have won it earlier if his nerves had not got the better of him in the fourth set. 

Wimbledon - day twelve

Day twelve at Wimbledon and it is the Women's final day and Petra Kvitova beat Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets. 

It was the most one sided final since 1992! Petra controlled the game from tbs start to the end. Eugenie could barely get her racket on Petra's serve. 

Petra broke Eugenie's serve with such ease that it was embarrassing to watch. Time and time again Eugenie made the same errors and Petra got the same winners 

To be fair Eugenie made Petra look better than she is. Petra has not had a great year so far but must have saved all her best tennis for Wimbledon!

It was a bit of demolition job but Eugenie has a lot to be proud of. it is not easy to get to a Grand Slam final and Eugenie was able to do that. 

She now needs to work on improving her serve and her fitness to have any real realistic chances of winning a Grand Slam.  

Wimbledon - Day eleven

Day eleven at Wimbledon and it is the men's semi - finals day and Novak Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov in four sets. 

It was a highly entertaining match and however hard Dimitrov tried to win this match Novak never looked like he was going to lose the match. 

Novak was solid tnroughout match and made few errors. Whilst Grigor played well he served quite a few double faults which in the end proved quite costly. 

Only time will tell if Grigor can live up to the hype round him and actually get a grand slam title. 

In the second semi- final Roger Federer beat Milos Raonic in straight sets and this was a routine win for Rogerer who barely broke sweat to win this match. 

However in the final he faces a tough a opponent in Novak Djokovic and will have to work alot harder than he did today.  

Wimbledon - Day ten

Day ten at Wimbledon and it is Women 's semi-finals day and Petra Kivitova beat Lucie Safarova in straight sets. 

To be fair on paper it always looked like a routine win for Petra and with the strong serve that she has it always going to be a real challenge for Lucie. 

In the second semi final Eugenie Bouchard beat Simona Halep in straight sets and this was a surprise result. However Simona get and ankle injury in the fourth game made it Eugenie's challenge a lot easier. 

I would say that the standard of tennis for both semi-finals was low in the first semi -final it was all about the serve and in the second semi final Eugenie and Simona slugged it out from the baseline and it certainly did not showcase women's tennis. 

Wimbledon - Day nine

Day nine at Wimbledon and Simona Halep beat Sabine Lisicki in straight sets. After leading four games to one in the first set Sabine fell away and never recovered. 

Euguene Bouchard beat Angelique Kerber in straight sets and this was a good win for Eugene. Who used her strong serve and court craft to out manoeuvre and out power Angelique. 

In the men's draw Roger Federer beat Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets and it was a good win for Roger against Stan who was not well and needed a medical time out. 

Roger was able to capitalize on Stan's health problems to win the fourth set and the match. 

The shock of the day was Grigor Dimitrov beating Andy Murray in straight sets. Andy did not look himself and I have never watched a match where he has lost the first set so easily. 

Andy looked distracted and this was in a sharp contrast to how he had played his previous rounds. But credit goes to Grigor for playing a sound match and getting this important win. 

Wimbledon - Day eight

Day eight at Wimbledon and Angelique Kerber beat Maria Sharapova in three sets and it was three very tight sets and could have gone either way. 

However Angelique was able to serve better when it mattered and was able to put away some amazing winners. 

Petra Kivitova beat Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in straight sets and to be fair it would have been a bigger surprise if Barbora had won. 

Petra has a big serve so it is incredibly difficult to get the ball back and out of her hitting zone. But Barbora gave it her all and put up an amazing fight which was sadly not good enough. 

Simona Halep beat Zarina Diyas in straight sets and it was a tough match for Zarina who was unable to show case her talent and I think this was probably not helped by nerves and this being her first fourth round draw. 

In the men's draw Roger Federer beat Tommy Rebredo in straight sets and it was a routine win for Roger but he faces tougher challenges ahead. 

The shock of day was Nick Kyrgios beating Rafael Nadal in four sets and it was difficult day for Rafal as Nick's serve was a little too hot to handle.

Rafael seemed a little tired and did not seem to have the energy to run around and Nick just seem to have little more energy and that great serve. 

World Cup - Day twenty

Day twenty of the World Cup and Argentina beat Switzerland one nil after extra time. 

The Swiss team where very unlucky to concede a goal so close to the end of extra time and they will look back at their missed chances with regret. 

However Argentinans seems to have a little bit more and where able to score that important goal when it mattered. 

Elsewhere Belguim beat the USA by two goals to one and after extra time. If it had not been for the heroic efforts of the USA goalkeeper Tim Howard they probably would not have made it to extra time. 

However I for one question the team selection of Jurgen Klinsman. He seemed to have an awful lot of talent on the bench and other than the injured players, he seemed to be chopping and changing players around a lot which I don't think help them. 

However Belguim had the most of the possession and richly deserve to go through. They will now face Argentina and will be present them with different set of problems and hopefully they will be more clinical in front of goal. 

World Cup - day nineteen

Day nineteen at the World Cup and France beat Nigeria by two goals to nil. It was a very high tempo and competitive match but in the end the French had that little more cutting edge and where able to get the goals and win the game. 

The French are my personal favourites to win the World Cup as they have the best players and seem to have at least two players for ever position. 

Nigeria did well but at this stage of the competition they lacked that clinical finish that could have seen them into the quarter finals. 

Elsewhere Germany beat Algeria two goals to one but this was after extra time. The Algerians gave everything and defensively they where brilliant but they did not have that clinical finish that is needed at this stage of the competition. 

The Germans will be breathing a huge sigh of relief that they are still in this competition but they face France who can attack and defend so pose a different problem to the German team. 

World Cup - Day eighteen

Day eighteen at the World Cup and Costa Rica drew one all with Greece but beat them five goals to three on penalties. 

This has been an amazing World Cup for both Costa Rica and Greece most people did not see either of these countries getting out of the groups.

But they both prevailed and Costa Rica just had a little bit more and beat them on penalties to win the match and progress to the quarter finals. 

Netherlands beat Mexico by two goals to one and it was a controversial scoreline mainly because Arjen Robben looked like he dived to get The Netherlands their second goal which ulitmately helped them to win the match. 

World Cup - day seventeen

Day seventeen of the World Cup and it is now the knock out stages. So Brazil drew one all with Chile but beat them three goals to two on penalties. 

I think that others are now beginning to realise that this Brazil team is average and they are definitely not the Brazil of old. 

I suspect if this World Cup had not been held in Brazil then might have been knocked out already. 

 Colombia beat Uruguay by two goals to nil and Colombia probably would have got this win. 

However Uruguay being with  their banned striker Luis Suarez made it even harder for Uruguay but Colombia very much deserved this victory. 

World Cup - Day fifteen

Day fifteen at the World Cup and Germany beat the USA by a goal to nil, however curtesy to other group results going their way USA where able to qualify for the knock out stages. 

In the other group game Portugal beat Ghana by two goals to one. This was tough match for both countries because result could have gone either way. 

However I was disappointed with the way the World Cup ended for Ghana. Two players sent home in disgrace and the others demanding their bonus. 

It has embarrassed Ghana and the focus should have been on how to beat Portugual. Hopefully these discpline and financial issues will not be repeated at the next World Cup. 

Elsewhere Algeria drew one all with Russia and with this win, Algeria qualified for the knock out stages.

Algeria where two of the only African countries to make it through to the knock out stages. Which is an amazing accomplishment for them. 

Now they face Germany in the knock out stages and this will probably see them bow out but it does not take away from there amazing achievements and they certainly have made Africa proud.  

World Cup - Day fourteen

Day fourteen at the World Cup and Argentina beat Nigeria by three goals two and this was a very entertaining game. 

In the first hour Nigeria looked like they where going to win this match, however somehow Argentina just seemed to have a little bit more in terms of attack and defence. 

France drew nil nil with Ecuador and France had already qualified so this draw meant that they would finish as group winners. 

Like I said in my previous blog France definitely had the strength and depth to do very well at this World Cup. 

Switzerland beat Honduras by three goals to nil and this win helped Switzerland to qualify for the knock out stages. 

Wimbledon - Day seven

Day seven at Wimbledon and Eugenie Bouchard beat Alize Cornet in straight sets. 

This was a good win for Eugenie and she  is having a great year after reaching the quarter finals in both the French and the Australian Open. 

Sabine Lisciki beat Ana Ivanovic in three sets and it was a good win for Sabine as Ana has had a good year. It was also a much needed win for Sabine as she has a lot points to defend for making it to the final last year. 

Petra Kivitova beat Shuai Peng in straight sets and this was a good routine win for Petra. Petra has that huge serve which is very effective on grass and it's difficult for any player to get it back.

In the men's draw Andy Murray beat Kevin Anderson in straight sets and this was a nice routine win for Andy who has been winning in clinical fashion. 

Novak Djokovic beat Jo Wilfred Tsonga in straight sets and he won the first two sets with ease but Jo Wilfred put up more of an effort in the third set. But Novak seem to have a little bit more to win the set and the match. 

Stan Wawrinka beat Denis Istomin in straight sets and this was a nice routine win for Stan who is aiming to win second grandslam of the year. 

Wimbledon - Day six

Day six at Wimbledon and it was a bit of a rainy day so not all the matches where completed. However Maria Sharapova beat Alison Riske in straight sets. 

It was a routine win for Maria who has yet to lose a set and Alison did get an early break but was unable to consolidate and Maria went on win the set and the match.

Eugene Bouchard beat Andrea Petkovic in straight sets and this was a good routine win for Eugene who will face tougher challenges as the tournament progresses. 

The shock of the day was Alize Cornet beating Serena Williams in three sets. It was a weird match Serena barely moved her feet and took all the power out of hitting the ball. 

I suspect that either there is a lingering injury or things are not great with her current coach Patrick. 

However it was a good win for Alize and her second consecutive win against Serena this year. This should give her the confidence to believe that she can do well this year. 

In the men's draw Rafael Nadal beat Mikhail Kukushin in four sets and Rafa dropped the first set on a tie break but on the next three sets and the match with ease. 

Roger Federer beat Santiago Giraldo in straight sets and this was a nice routine win for the seven time champion.

Wimbledon - Day Five

Day five at Wimbledon and Petra Kivitova beat Venus Williams in three sets and this was probably the match of the tournament. 

Venus played incredibly well and only dropped her serve once in the entire match. But sadly these days Venus does not have the movement that she once had. 

Therefore had to overly rely on her serve and to be fair Petra has a fantastic serve and it's difficult to get her serves back!

So all credit to Petra for getting this win and for Venus the furthest she has progressed in a grandslam in three years.

Simona Halep beat Lesia Tsurenko in three sets and it was a really topsy turvy match which really Simona should have won in straight sets. 

Especially as Lesia is ranked a hundred and seventy in the world. But Simona prevailed and won the third set and the match. 

The shock of the day was Barbora Zahlavova Strycova beating Li Na in straight sets. Li Na was not able to play her game  against Barbora who was able to win the big points when it mattered.  

In the men's draw Novak Djokovic beat Gilles Simon in straight sets and it was another routine win for Novak who has yet to be tested in this tournament. 

Andy Murray beat Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets and it was a routine win for Andy who has been playing without the pressure he was under last year. 

However he will face tougher opponents as he progresses through the draw. He may face Novak in the semi finals and who will be different to the kind of player to the ones he has faced so far.