NBey6's Blog

"People don't resent having nothing nearly as much as having too little. "

- Ivy Compton-Burnett -

As of July 5, 2010

1 (1) WILLIAMS, SERENA USA 8475.00 15 2000.00 .00 .00

2 (3) JANKOVIC, JELENA SRB 5900.00 20 280.00 .00 120.00

3 (4) WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE DEN 5630.00 25 280.00 200.00 125.00

4 (2) WILLIAMS, VENUS USA 5606.00 17 500.00 .00 1.00

5 (6) STOSUR, SAMANTHA AUS 4890.00 20 5.00 .00 60.00

6 (5) DEMENTIEVA, ELENA RUS 4670.00 19 .00 .00 1.00

7 (8) CLIJSTERS, KIM BEL 4510.00 13 500.00 .00 .00

8 (7) SCHIAVONE, FRANCESCA ITA 4425.00 26 5.00 1.00 60.00

9 (21) ZVONAREVA, VERA RUS 3965.00 21 1400.00 .00 1.00

10 (12) LI, NA CHN 3756.00 19 500.00 .00 1.00

As of July 5, 2010

1 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 10,745 0 18

2 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 6,905 1 21

3 Federer, Roger (SUI) 6,885 -1 20

4 Murray, Andy (GBR) 5,155 0 17

5 Soderling, Robin (SWE) 4,935 1 25

6 Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) 4,740 -1 25

7 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 4,350 1 17

8 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 3,845 5 25

9 Roddick, Andy (USA) 3,490 -2 20

10 Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) 3,475 -1 25

"Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."

- Benjamin Franklin -

Sunday, July 4, 2010
Nadal tops Berdych for eighth Slam title

---

Associated Press

WIMBLEDON, England -- A year after knee problems prevented him from defending the title, Rafael Nadal has the Wimbledon trophy back in his hands.

 

The top-ranked Spaniard swept 12th-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday to reclaim the championship at the All England Club, winning his second Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam crown.

 

Nadal broke the Czech four times and never lost serve in 15 service games, winning in 2 hours, 13 minutes. He extended his record to 5-0 in his last five major finals and reinforced his current status as the No. 1 player in the game.

 

Nadal "retained" the title he first won here in 2008, when he beat Roger Federer in an epic five-set final after losing to the Swiss star in the previous two finals.

 

Last year, hobbled by tendinitis in both knees, Nadal stayed at home and watched on television as Federer took advantage of the Spaniard's absence to win his sixth Wimbledon.

 

"It was probably one of the toughest moments in my career," Nadal said after accepting the winner's trophy Sunday from the Duke of Kent.

 

But Nadal came back strongly this year and has now won 14 straight matches at Wimbledon.

 

"After not an easy year for me, to be back at my favorite tournament of the world and to play well another time, and not only play well [but] to finish with the trophy, is amazing for me," he said.

 

After ripping a crosscourt forehand passing shot on match point, Nadal collapsed on his back on the turf at the baseline and covered his face with his hands. After congratulating Berdych, Nadal leapt out of his chair and did a front somersault on the grass, rising to his feet with both fists clenched.

 

It's the second time Nadal has won the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, making the tough transition from clay to grass. Until he and Federer accomplished the feat for the last three years, the last man to do it was Bjorn Borg in 1980.

 

"If you really want to play well on one surface and you are a good player, I think in the end you are going to find a way," Nadal said. "I move very well on this court and that's a very important part of the game."

 

With eight Grand Slam titles, Nadal joins a list of greats that includes Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall. He also has five French Open championships and one Australian Open title.

 

All that's missing for a career Grand Slam is the U.S. Open title.

 

 

"For sure the U.S. Open is going to be one of my goals for the rest of my career," Nadal said. "But right now [my goal] is to enjoy the beach, fishing, golf, friends, party, and Mallorca."

 

Nadal posed with the trophy in the clubhouse next to the green board with his name already etched as the 2010 winner. He cradled the trophy under his left arm as he signed autographs outside the members' entrance, where hundreds of fans gathered to see him.

 

Nadal is the first Spanish man to win Wimbledon twice. Manolo Santana took the title in 1966.

 

"For the Spanish players for the last 40 years it was very difficult to play here," Nadal said. "We are doing better right now. We are very satisfied for that."

 

In a match short on drama and spectacular points, played in windy conditions, Nadal beat Berdych for the seventh straight time -- a span covering 17 consecutive sets.

 

Berdych was playing in his first Grand Slam final and was the first Czech to reach the Wimbledon final since Ivan Lendl in 1987. He had beaten top-seeded Federer and No. 3 Novak Djokovic en route to the final, but couldn't find a way to take out the second-seeded Nadal as well.

 

Nadal won all the big points against the 24-year-old Czech, who failed to convert any of his four break points.

 

"He was strong," Berdych said. "I think the biggest difference between us was that when he got a chance, he just took it. He gave me one [break point] in the second set, one in the third set, and none of them I can bring to my side and just make a break. That just shows how strong he is."

 

Later Sunday, Berdych pulled out of the Czech Republic's Davis Cup quarterfinal against Chile, which starts July 9, citing an abdominal muscle injury. He did not mention any injury during his post-match Wimbledon news conference and showed no sign of injury during the match.

 

It was typical grass-court Wimbledon tennis, with play dominated by serves and only a few break points here and there making the difference. Nadal lost only 24 points on serve.

 

Nadal played his usual grinding baseline game featuring whippet forehands. Yet it wasn't a vintage performance from Nadal, who had 21 unforced errors compared to 17 for Berdych. Nadal had 29 winners, two more than the Czech.

 

Nadal broke twice in the first set, dropping only four points in his own four service games. Nadal won five games in a row from 3-2 down in the first set to go up 1-0 in the second.

 

Berdych's chances may have evaporated in the first game of the second set, when he failed to convert on three break points. In a game that lasted about 10 minutes, Nadal overcame two double faults and four forehand errors.

 

Berdych will rue his chance on the second break point, when Nadal hit a relatively weak approach shot and the Czech had plenty of time to line up a forehand passing shot but slapped the ball into the net.

 

Nadal broke Berdych at love in the 12th game to go up two sets to love. Nadal saved another break point at 1-1 in the third set, then broke Berdych again in the last game to close out the match.

 

Serena Williams won her fourth women's title Saturday, beating Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in a one-sided encounter. The men's final was also a disappointment following thrillers in the last three years -- two classics between Federer and Nadal and last year's 16-14 fifth set victory by Federer over Andy Roddick.

 

This year's tournament will be remembered particularly for a first-round match -- the record-setting 11 hour, 5-minute marathon between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut that stretched over three days and ended with Isner winning 70-68 in the fifth set.

 

Also notable: For the time since 1995, the tournament was completely rain-free. The Centre Court roof -- unveiled last year -- was used mainly as a sun shade.

Tomorrow at approximately 9:00am EDT, Nadal and Berdych will battle it out for the coveted title of Men's Singles Champion. This should be a very interesting match because Berdych has super power with the forehand and backhand, while Nadal has the variety and one of the best return games in the world. I feel that the serve will be the determining factor in this match and will give the nod to Nadal, for his second Wimbledon title!!

"The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly."

- Cecil B. DeMille -

Saturday 7-3-10 Saturday

147, 219, 453, 923, 168, 601, 555, 327, 482

530, 146, 176, 165, 916, 322, 367, 370, 701

801, 109, 455, 201, 222, 333, 444, 777, 888

1815, 1556, 8811, 0061, 0760, 0778, 4566

Defending champion Serena Williams beats Vera Zvonareva in straight sets { 6-3, 6-2 } to win the women's singles title at Wimbledon. Serena set a record by serving 89 aces in the tournament, now has 13 grand slam titles and is still the no. 1 player in the world.

!! Congratulations Serena !!

Midday & Evening

** until 7-4-10 **

012 017 026 035 039 048 057 089 125 129 134 138 147 156 179 237 246 269 278 345 359 368 458 467 489 579 678 003 008 116 224 228 233 336 044 449 255 557 066 566 669 377 188 588 399 899 111 444 777

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson's Racist Rant Caught On Tape - Tells Oksana She Would Get 'Raped By N***ers'

By Doug

Created 07/01/2010 - 12:58pm

 

In one of the most explosive, racist and vile outbursts by a celebrity ever caught on tape, Mel Gibson told the mother of his love child that the way she was dressed would get her "raped by a pack of n***ers," RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

It's a shocking and blockbuster development in the couple's bitter legal battle, and Mel's disgusting words are on audio tape. His racist, misogynist statement is one of the secrets lurking in his war with his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

RadarOnline.com has heard the tape, which also includes Mel telling Oksana he will burn down her home.

Drunken Mel previously shocked the world with his anti-Semetic comments when busted for DUI. Now, the new racist outburst has taken the Oscar winner to an even deeper low.

His outburst came during a series of explosive arguments with Oksana, mother of his infant daughter Lucia. They have been battling in court, with documents under seal, for the past several weeks.

 

And there is more than one disgusting outburst from Mel. RadarOnline.com has listened to the hate-fuelled rants the Braveheart star unleashed during fights with Oksana as their relationship unraveled.

"You're an embarrassment to me," Mel tells her at one point.

"You look like a f***ing pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault."

Mel's attorney told RadarOnline.com that he is no longer commenting on the case and said Mel's publicist is the only Mel official who will speak for him.

Mel's profane outbursts are littered with references to Oksana being a "whore" and "c**t".

In another tirade, Mel tells Oksana: "How dare you act like such a bitch when I have been so f**king nice."

He warns, "I am going to come and burn the f**king house down... but you will blow me first."

The emergence of the explicit tapes is a stunning development in the couple's bitter separation and court battle over custody of their young daughter.

RadarOnline.com first broke the story about how Mel, 54, and Oksana, 40, filed dueling restraining orders against each other under seal.

Published reports say Oksana is alleging Gibson punched her in the face twice during a fit of rage, giving her a concussion and knocking out two of her front teeth.

Gibson does not deny that they had a confrontation but has simply described it, through his lawyer, as a loud argument.

In a further outburst, Mel is heard telling her, "You're a bitch" to which Oksana insists, "I didn't do anything."

"Did so," Mel responds.

 

The tapes do not make it clear what the couple was arguing about.

But Mel tells Oksana, "Look what you did to me... look what you are... look what every part of you is... f**king fake... f**king fake.

"You are the most synthetic person... who the f*** are you?"

He also takes aim at Oksana's previous relationship with former James Bond star Timothy Dalton, with whom she has a 13-year-old son, Alexander.

A source close to the situation says Oksana claims she was forced to tape Mel after he made a series of death threats.

 

The source says she hopes the recordings will be admissible in any potential trial.

"Oksana's motivation for recording this was to show Mel how mean he was, and because she feared for her life," said the insider.

"She wanted to get evidence that he was dangerous and violent."

The source claims that Mel has heard two of the tapes.

Said the source, "Mel is doing everything he can to suppress this... they are the rantings of a mad man."

When cops arrested Mel in 2006 on suspicion of drunk driving, Mel barraged them with obscenities, tried to escape custody and spewed bizarre anti-Semitic remarks.

"F**king Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," Mel said.

He also allegedly told a female officer, "What do you think you're looking at, sugar t*ts?"

The news sparked worldwide outrage and the Mad Max star later apologized.

Gibson has seven children with former wife Robyn, whom he split with in 2009 after 27 years of marriage.

Accused Charlotte banker worked as fraud specialist

'Ironic' job for former Charlotte banker, one of 35 people charged in mortgage scam.

By Stella M. Hopkins

Posted: Thursday, Jul. 01, 2010

Maggots force Charlotte-bound plane back to gate in Atlanta

By KATE BRUMBACK

Associated Press Writer

Posted: Wednesday, Jun. 30, 2010

Thursday, July 1, 2010
Serena, Zvonareva in Wimbledon final

---

ESPN.com news services

WIMBLEDON, England -- Three-time champion Serena Williams has advanced to the final of Wimbledon after defeating unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova 7-6 (5), 6-2.

 

She'll face 21st-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva of in the final. Zvonareva reached her first Grand Slam final by rallying to beat Tsvetana Pironkova in three sets.

 

The top-seeded Williams needed more than 90 minutes to overcome Kvitova, who was playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal.

 

Williams was broken in the fifth game of the first set but forced a tiebreaker after breaking back in the eighth game.

 

The American squandered two set points before winning the tiebreaker after racing to a 4-0 lead.

 

Williams converted her third match point in the second set after breaking Kvitova on consecutive occasions in the fifth and seventh games.

 

Zvonareva came back from a set down to beat the 82nd-ranked Bulgarian 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the day's first semifinal. She was in command after breaking in the sixth game of the second set, winning 10 of the last 13 games.

 

Zvonareva has battled a reputation for fading in big matches but held her nerve on the biggest stage in tennis.

 

Zvonareva became the second-lowest ranked player to make the Wimbledon women's final. In the process, she prevented Pironkova from becoming the first unseeded women's singles finalist at the All England Club.

 

"I'm very excited. I think I'm not realizing it at the moment," said Zvonareva, who wore a towel over her head during changeovers to maintain concentration. "It was very tough out there. She's a very young player but a very, very tough opponent and she started so well. I'm happy with the way I was able to hang in the match and able to turn it around."

 

 

The 25-year-old Zvonareva's previous best showing in a Grand Slam was a semifinal appearance at the 2009 Australian Open.

 

Pironkova, who stunned five-time champion Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, seemed in control after breaking Zvonareva in the sixth game and taking the first set in 32 minutes.

 

But the matched turned around completely after the Russian converted on her first break point to go up 4-2 in the second set. She came to net behind a forehand approach and put away a backhand winner for the break.

 

"I was thinking about what I got to do," Zvonareva said. "I've got to be a little bit quicker. I've got to play a little bit more aggressive. I was not thinking about that I lost the first set."

 

From the middle of the second set, Zvonareva dictated the pace and won six of seven games at one stage. She broke two more times in the third set and served out the match convincingly, finishing with an inside-out forehand winner.

 

Zvonareva had 31 winners and 13 unforced errors, while Pironkova had 23 winners and 16 errors.

 

Zvonareva has long been considered a top talent in the game, but someone who has failed to live up to her potential, even breaking into tears during matches.

 

"She was so emotional and would get down on herself, and now she seems like one of the most composed players on the WTA Tour," said former Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport. "For her it was a mental game, and so far it hasn't been a problem."

Well, the semifinals are set and Vera Zvonareva vs Tsvetana Pironkova first to play today and then afterwards, Serena Williams vs Petra Kvitova. I think that the Ladies' Finals, which will take place on Saturday, July 3, 2010, will be played by Serena Williams and Tsvetana Pironkova. Either way, we will find out very shortly because the Ladies will be underway momentarily. Good Luck All!!