DonaldPierce.com

8 July 2018
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Today is the middle Sunday at Wimbledon, the “rest day” for the players, although you can be sure that the people behind the scenes–broadcasters, Wimbledon managers and organizers, groundskeepers and shopkeepers and the whole team it takes to stage the world’s oldest tennis tournament–will be working to keep things running smoothly. When play begins on Monday, the tournament will move into the Round of 16 phase, which means that both men and women will be on court as the pressure mounts toward the weekend Championship matches.  Check out the Direct Link to the Official Wimbledon Site for complete information.
Results to Date
It’s been a brutal year for the top ranked women. Nine out of the top ten seeded women have lost in the first week. Top seeded Simona Halep went down yesterday, knocked out of the tournament by Su-Wei Hsieh, who was unseeded and brought a very unique style of play (two hands off both sides and, as one commentator noted, more of a “country club style” of play than a pro tour style). Makes no difference: it was effective and Halep is out. Still remaining among women’s seeds is Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.  Also still in: Serena Williams, returning to the majors after having a baby and taking time off the tour.
On the men’s side, Nadal, Djokovic (a little cranky at not getting crowd support when he ousted Britain’s Kyle Edmund), Federer and perennial favorite Juan Martin del Poltro all made it through to the Round of 16. Surprise of the day: Nick Kyrgios, the big serving, very talented Australian player who has inexplicable lapses in concentration, was beaten by Kei Nishikori of Japan in straight sets, 6-1. 7-6. 6-4. Maybe, someday, at a major, Kyrgios will put it all together for an entire tournament and will reach his spectacular potential. But, as legendary Texas football coach Darrell Royal often said, “Potential means you ain’t done it yet”.  Royal did it often enough at Texas that they named the stadium after him. Nick’s got a way to go; the next major is the U.S. Open, maybe then……
Other Notes
England went wild on Saturday after their soccer team took out Sweden in a quarter final match of the World Cup, played in Russia. The entire country celebrated a very good English side that won without a goal from team captain Harry Kane, the tournament’s leading scorer. England’s play was sparked again by goalie Jordan Pickford, who made a series of point blank saves that were breathtaking for their quickness and the ferocity of  goal tending. Pickford’s the real thing……  A great win for the Lions; they will next face Croatia, who beat Russia in a shootout. That match will be on Wednesday. France will play Belgium on Tuesday to decide the other half of the World Cup finals matchup. Coming to the end of a great sports drama and, so far, it’s been a very entertaining World Cup. Without Wimbledon today, Britain could pay attention to the British F1 Grand Prix and the second day of the Tour de France. Basically, a very good sports weekend for all.
 
ICYMI
If you have not had a chance  to see the tournament wall-to-wall, you should at least have the opportunity to see some of the best shots of the day. Through the courtesy of YouTube and the Wimbledon Channel here’s a video review of the best shots from Day 6

We have added a link to Wimbledon’s YouTube channel to our resources. Signup to see exclusive videos and special features. Maybe even get a chance to see the Raonic serve and Monfils behind the back groundie. If you’re a tennis fan, check it out.
Resources
You know the drill by now: Nightshift Sports provides overnight updates on the previous day’s play, along with relevant links to the best coverage (print, on the net, TV, and streaming) and an amazing collection of photos from the event. Let’s start with some basics:
Direct Link to The Official Wimbledon Website
The Wimbledon Dress Code
The 2018 Draw
Time Magazine Deep Background on the Wimbledon Dress Code 
Wimbledon Background and History
Wimbledon Results (updated Continuously)
Where to Watch Wimbledon 
Wimbledon Apps Link
Wimbledon YouTube Channel 
The Guardian Covers Wimbledon (great print coverage, continuous update)
 
The Fine Print: Embed courtesy of our friends at Getty Images (gettyimages.com) who have photographic history of the 20th and 21st century on file. This photo has not bee altered in any way. We thank them, deeply, for sharing. Video Embed courtesy of YouTube and Wimbledon. It has not been altered in any way; we thank for sharing. Nightshift Sports is produced by Perception Engineering and The Media Bunker. All rights–except those expressly reserved by others–are reserved by donald pierce. All text, copyright (c)2018 donald pierce. Enjoy the tournament, and check in often, as the site will be updated as often as possible.