Serena Williams has avenged last year's Wimbledon final defeat by sister Venus to claim the grass-court major for the third time. The 27-year-old, who also beat her older sibling in winning in 2002 and 2003, triumphed 7-6 (7-3) -2 with a powerful display on Center Court on Saturday to celebrate American Independence Day. Defending champion Venus, who was seeking her sixth Wimbledon title, matched her sister for intensity in the opening set but fell away badly after losing the tie-break. ...

Roger Federer served notice of his determination to claim a record 15th Grand Slam crown by firing 23 aces as he shot down Robin Soderling to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals on the day the Centre Court roof was closed. Federer triumphed 6-4 7-6 7-6 in a repeat of the recent French Open final win that saw him defeat Swede Soderling and equal Pete Sampras's haul of major titles. "Today was pretty much a serving contest," admitted Federer of ...

On June 7, as Roger Federer was on his way to equaling Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam victories by winning the French Open, James Blake and a group of fellow pros watched on a television in the players' lounge at the Aegon Championships at The Queen's Club in London, a warm-up event to Wimbledon. It's hard to imagine NBA stars congregating to cheer on Kobe Bryant, or pro golfers arranging to watch a Tiger Woods play-off, but ...

French Open champion Roger Federer dramatically withdrew from the Halle Open tournament on Tuesday saying he was "overwhelmed and exhausted" after his Paris triumph. Federer beat Swede Robin Soderling in Sunday's Roland Garros final to complete his Grand Slam haul and equal the record 14 'major' wins by Pete Sampras. He traditionally uses the German follow-up event as his warm-up for Wimbledon which starts on June 22. "I sincerely apologise to the tournament organisers, my competitors, and my fans ...

Former winner Serena Williams crashed out of the French Open on Wednesday leaving seventh-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova to face Australian Samantha Stosur for a place in the final at Roland Garros. Kuznetsova fended off a determined fightback by U.S. world number two Williams to reach the last four with a draining 7-6 5-7 7-5 triumph over the 10-time Grand Slam champion in two hours 46 minutes. Earlier doubles specialist Stosur celebrated a straightforward 6-1 6-3 success over Romanian Sorana Cirstea ...

Swede Robin Soderling swept into his first career Grand Slam semifinal with a spectacular 6-1 6-3 6-1 demolition of Russian 10th seed Nikolay Davydenko at the French Open on Tuesday. The 23rd-seeded Soderling had inflicted a first Roland Garros defeat on four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in the previous round and was in equally impressive form as he saw off his Russian rival. Soderling will now face either British world No. 3 Andy Murray or Chile's 12th seed Fernando Gonzalez ...

Rafael Nadal's shock French Open exit at the hands of a player ranked outside the top 20 is already attracting suggestions that it may be the biggest upset in tennis history. Nadal, the world number one had never lost a game at Roland Garros, winning the previous four titles in a row. However, Sweden's Robin Soderling proved too good for the "King of Clay," beating him 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6. The official French Open Web site called it "one ...

World tennis number two Roger Federer has given his fans some hope that this year could be the year he finally conquers all at Roland Garros. The 27-year-old from Switzerland has won 13 Grand Slam titles, but never the clay court-contested French Open. Federer's nemesis, Rafael Nadal, has already claimed the Australian Open in a strong start to 2009, and his preparations towards a fifth consecutive French Open title seemed to be all in order until the Swiss player struck ...

Former world tennis number one Andre Agassi is picking Rafael Nadal as a huge chance of completing a rare "Grand Slam" by claiming all four major singles tournaments this year. Speaking ahead of the French Open which begins at Roland Garros in Paris this weekend, Agassi tipped Nadal as the best chance to become the third ever male player to complete the Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open all in the same year. ...

Denny's, one of the many casual dining chains whose sales are suffering in the recession, needs a few thousand customers like Cory McGrath. On Apr. 7 McGrath, 20, saw a television ad for a Denny's promotion that was taking place the next day. The deal: buy one of it famous $5.99 "Grand Slam"breakfasts, and get a free "Grand Slamwich," a tasty heart attack consisting of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, shaved ham, mayonnaise and American cheese on potato bread, for a pal . Sold. The following ...