Wimbledon 2013 | Serena Williams v Caroline Garcia | June 27, 2013

Wimbledon 2013 | Serena Williams v Caroline Garcia | June 27, 2013

 

Serena Williams takes on Caroline Garcia this afternoon in the second round of Wimbledon 2013 (13:00 BST start). Serena Williams continues to be the dominant force in the WTA and her status as the favourite to win this year's Wimbledon title - if it was ever in doubt - has been strengthened by the unexpected exits of Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka on Wednesday. Serena Williams made a strong start to her campaign earlier in the week beating Mandy Minella 6-1 6-3, and should be ready for the challenge of Garcia. Serena Williams faced Caroline Garcia just a few weeks ago at the French Open. She took apart the young gun in straight sets in that clash, leaving the court as a 6-1 6-2 victor. Playing on grass is a different proposition entirely, but hardly a problematic one for the reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champion. 

Wimbledon 2013 | Serena Williams v Caroline Garcia | June 27, 2013

Credit is due to Caroline Garcia though. She's gone through qualifying and a tough first round clash against Jie Zheng without dropping a single set. She's clearly an adept player on the SW19 lawns and could well be capable of going a long way here at some point in her career. Following the result in Paris, and with Serena's outstanding form in mind, any prediction other than a Serena victory would be wild. Any talk of the surface being slippery doesn't necessarily hint towards an upset either. You only need to look back to the 2012 Madrid Masters and the controversial blue clay to see that Serena handles adverse conditions far better than most.

Wimbledon 2013 | Novak Djokovic v Bobby Reynolds June 27

Wimbledon 2013 | Novak Djokovic v Bobby Reynolds June 27

In the Day 4 of Wimbledon 2013 tennis tournament, world number 1 Novak Djokovic will face Bobby Reynolds from USA.

The match between Novak Djokovic and Bobby Reynolds will start at 1 pm in June 27 and it will be played on Centre Court. 

After Roger Federer and French Open champion Rafael Nadal is eliminated from Wimbledon 2013, Novak Djokovic seems to be the only favorite of the tournament. However, many famous players are defeated in first rounds this year and Wimbledon 2013 is continuously giving us surprises. 

Not only Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova is also eliminated from the Wimbledon 2013.

Though, Novak Djokovic seems to be the favorite of the match(even Wimbledon 2013), it is not guaranteed that we will not see any surprises.

Wimbledon 2013 | Novak Djokovic v Bobby Reynolds June 27

Wimbledon 2013 | Novak Djokovic v Bobby Reynolds June 27

Wimbledon 2013 | Novak Djokovic v Bobby Reynolds June 27

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

In the second match of the 2013 Confederations Cup semifinals, Italy will face world No. 1 Spain on Thursday in Fortaleza for the right to advance to the final.

Both teams come into the match with injuries, but each is hoping its players will step up on the pitch in Brazil. Spain placed third in the 2009 Confederations Cup, while this is Italy's first trip to the semifinals. Let's take a look at the keys to Thursday's match.

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

Both Italy and Spain will be without several key players in Thursday's clash. For Italy, top forward Mario Balotelli and defender Ignazio Abate have both been ruled out, per FIFA.com. For Spain, midfielder Cesc Fabregas and striker Roberto Soldado have been ruled out. There are also question marks surrounding Italy's Andrea Pirlo (calf) and Riccardo Montolivo, per the report.

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

Italy headed into the 2013 Confederations Cup with a 4-3-2-1 formation, aimed at directing the attack through Balotelli.

But, after Balotelli's injury, coach Cesare Prandelli could go with a 3-5-2 formation, slotting Alberto Gilardino into Balotelli's place, according to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, via FIFA.com. Stephan El Shaarawy or Sebastian Giovinco will reportedly be the option alongside Gilardino. Giovinco scored the game-winner against Japan in the group stage. El Shaarawy has played one game for Italy in the tournament, registering one shot (zero on goal). As for Spain, Fabregas has played in three games in the tournament (two starts), notching an assist. Soldado has two starts, registering one goal on four shots on goal.

Confederations Cup 2013 | Spain v Italy June 27, 2013

Balotelli's absence may hurt Italy more. He had registered a team-high two goals in the tournament before going down to injury, ranking fourth in the Castrol Index Top 10. Italy was able to allow just one goal against disappointing Mexico in the group stage, but also allowed three goals to Japan and four goals to Brazil. A lot of the emphasis has been on Balotelli's absence, but the Italian defense may actually be the more important factor in Thursday's clash. After all, Spain has scored a tournament-best 15 goals already, with the scoring coming from various players, including Fernando Torres, who boasts five goals in the Confederations Cup this year. Going up against the world No. 1 is enough of a challenge for Italy, especially without Balotelli.

 The Italians must capitalize on their scoring opportunities, and there aren't likely to be many. They don't want to be overly aggressive, considering Spain's ability to score in a heartbeat off a defensive stop, but they do want to be on point early.In the 4-2 defeat to Brazil in the group stage, Brazil's Dante scored in first-half stoppage time, giving the Brazilians a 1-0 lead headed into the second half. That may have been just one goal, but it gave the Brazilians a psychological advantage early on. If Italy scores first on Thursday, perhaps the side can take away some of Spain's thunder.