India origin girl Uma Baker-Bahl performs coin toss at Wimbledon 2016 final

Uma Baker-Bahl, wimbledon 2016, wimbledon, wimbledon singles final, serena williams, serena, angelique kerber, kerber vs serena, tennis news, tennis Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber before the Wimbledon 2016 women’s singles final. (Source: Wimbledon)

Serena Williams will be chasing glory when she takes the court in Wimbledon 2016 for the final against Angelique Kerber.

If she wins, she will draw level with Settfi Graf from 22 Grand Slam title and will be only two behind the all time record of Margret Court of 24.

But it will also be a special moment for 11-year-old Uma Baker-Bahl.

Uma was chosen to do the pre-match toss at the Centre Court for the women’s singles final between Serena and Kerber.

Hailing from East London, Uma has to take care of her mother and aunt who are suffering from multiple sclerosis. While her mother is ‘tired all the time and she can’t do much’, her aunt is in a wheelchair.

Lewis Hamilton grabs pole at British GP, teammate Nico Rosberg in second

Lewis Hamilton, Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Rosberg, British GP, British GP qualifying, British Grand Prix qualifying, Formula 1, F1 Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg made it 1-2 at the British Grand Prix for Mercedes. (Source: Reuters)

Lewis Hamilton put in a sensational late lap under intense pressure to seize pole position for his home British Formula One Grand Prix from Mercedes team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg on Saturday.

The triple world champion had just one chance to secure the top slot after an initial effort in the final top 10 shootout was deleted because he exceeded the track limits at Copse corner.

With championship leader Rosberg on provisional pole, and Hamilton 10th as the clock ticked away and fans held their breath, the home hero made sure of his 56th career pole and fourth at Silverstone.

“It was not the cleanest qualifying session,” said Hamilton who set a time of one minute 29.287 seconds. “I touched the kerb and it just pulled me further… the car bottomed and kind of bounced just outside of the line.

“So a lot of pressure on that last lap. I was just sitting in the garage and I knew that I couldn’t let the guys down… The second lap wasn’t as good but I was making sure I got that lap in. I’m grateful that I did.”

Huge cheers went up around the circuit as Hamilton lit up the screens, with a 140,000 crowd expecting to witness his third successive British Grand Prix win on Sunday and fourth in total.

“Lewis in Silverstone with the crowd behind him, it gives him an extra one tenth,” said the team’s non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

Rosberg, who has an 11 point advantage over Hamilton after nine of 21 races, had to settle for second place on the grid.

ROSBERG SCARE
The German also had a scare when he was summoned to see stewards for an alleged rules breach at the start of qualifying, but they decided to take no further action.

Mercedes team bosses will be watching nervously on Sunday after collisions between their drivers in three of the last five races.

Hamilton and Rosberg have been told they are on a final warning, with new rules of engagement and the threat of tough sanctions if they make contact again to the detriment of the dominant team.

“I will try not to be in that position again,” said Hamilton, while Rosberg added that the rules were ‘very clear’.

Dutch teenager Max Verstappen outqualified his Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo for the first time since his promotion to the senior team from Toro Rosso, with the pair filling the second row with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen fifth.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel qualified sixth but will have a five place grid penalty for the second race in a row due to a gearbox change.

That will move the Williams of Finland’s Valtteri Bottas alongside compatriot Raikkonen on the third row in sixth place.

TRACK LIMITS
Hamilton was not the only driver to have a lap deleted for exceeding the track limits, with Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg suffering the same fate and dropping to eighth behind Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso will start ninth but his 2009 world champion team mate Jenson Button failed to get through the first phase and starts 17th for what could be his final home appearance.

The team said a rear-wing endplate on Button’s car became detached from the floor during the lap, causing a loss of downforce. Mechanics tried to fix it but ran out of time.

There was confusion after the first phase with Button thinking he was out and leaving the garage, before returning to the car when it looked like Renault’s Kevin Magnussen was going to have his time deleted.

That would have sent Button through to the second phase but it turned out to be a false alarm.

Sauber’s Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson did not take part in qualifying after being taken to hospital for checks following a big crash in final practice. The team said he had been given the all-clear and was returning to the track.

Wimbledon 2016 final: Angelique Kerber holds her own in Wimbledon final against Serena Williams

Wimbledon 2016, Wimbledon 2016 news, Wimbledon 2016 updates, Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, sports news, sports, tennis news, Tennis Angelique Kerber was bidding to become the first player to beat the sisters back-to-back in the semifinals and final at a Grand Slam. (Source: AP)

Angelique Kerber scrapped and scrambled and pushed Serena Williams to the limit.

The German hustled from corner to corner for great gets, crouched low for squat shots, and mixed off-speed slices with searing flat winners.

In the end, Kerber’s stellar counter-punching defense was not enough to defuse the power game and booming serves of Williams, who prevailed 7-5, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.

Kerber beat Williams in three sets in the Australian Open final in January for her first Grand Slam title. But, this time, there was no stopping Williams from equaling Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 major championships.

READ: Serena Williams worries for nephews after U.S. shootings

“I think I played what I could today,” the fourth-seeded Kerber said. “Serena was serving unbelievable today. At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. I was not the one who lost the match. I think she won the match.”

The left-handed Kerber had not dropped a set on the way to her second Grand Slam final of the year and beat Serena’s sister, five-time champion Venus, in the semifinals.

The 28-year-old Kerber was bidding to become the first player to beat the sisters back-to-back in the semifinals and final at a Grand Slam.

But Serena had too much firepower: She served 13 aces, to none for Kerber.

The German had only nine unforced errors, to go with 12 winners. But Williams piled up 39 winners, along with 21 unforced errors.

Serena Williams wins seventh Wimbledon title, ties Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slams

“Today just her serve was much better,” Kerber said. “On grass the serve is also a little bit strange because it’s tougher to return it. That was the only thing which changed from Australia.”

Kerber came out fighting from the start, trading hard groundstrokes with Williams, mixing up her play and holding serve.

But a brief lapse in the 12th game proved costly.

Serving at 6-5 down, 15-all, Kerber made a forehand error followed by a backhand error to suddenly give Williams two break and set points.

Kerber saved the first with an easy forehand, but Williams converted on the next with a cross-court backhand winner to take the first set.

“I think I was still playing not bad,” Kerber said. “I think Serena was returning better there. She was just going for it. I played two points a little bit too short, and she was there, and she goes for it. She did everything right.”’

Kerber didn’t fold. She picked up her game in the second set, pumping her arms to celebrate winners as the Centre Court crowd tried to will her back into the match.

Serena Williams vs Angelique Kerber: Twitter reacts to Wimbledon final

Kerber finally earned a break point _ her only one of the match _ at 3-3. At 30-40, Williams turned to her biggest weapon: She hit a 117 mph ace to save the break point, followed with a 124 mph ace and held for 4-3.

“This is how Serena is playing,” Kerber said. “I had one breakpoint, and I couldn’t do (anything).”

In the next game, Kerber went up 40-15 but Williams began attacking and forced a break point. Kerber hit perhaps her worst shot of the match _ a backhand long _ to concede the break. Williams served out the match at love.

“Of course, I’m disappointed,” Kerber said. “But at the end I’m also proud about that what I did. That makes it a little easier for me.”

India origin girl Uma Baker-Bahl performs coin toss at Wimbledon 2016 final

Kerber will move up to No. 2 in the rankings next week behind Williams, who has been No. 1 since February 2013.

“I think it’s tough to follow in her footsteps,” Kerber said. “I’m going my own way. I think I’m on a good way to play better and better. I hope that I will reach a few more finals and maybe win a few more Grand Slams.”

Sourav Ganguly unlikely to face opposition in re-election as CAB president

sourav ganguly, ganguly, cricket india, india cricket, cricket bengal, cricket news, cricket Sourav Ganguly’s tenure has witnessed CAB hosting two marquee matches in World T20. (SOurce: Express photo)

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is unlikely to face much opposition at the 85th Annual General Meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on July 31 as he is set to retain his president’s chair without much hiccups.

While there are a few in the CAB, who are against Ganguly, but with blessings of the ruling Trinamool Congress government at the power, it is far fetched idea that anyone will like to file nomination to contest in the presidential election against India’s most charismatic captain.

While there are a few who would like to challenge current joint secretary Avishek Dalmiya, who was directly nominated to executive post of the association by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, that can also be considered a long shot.

“In CAB, two weeks is a long long time. The last date of filing nomination is July 23 and any member can withdraw on the floor. So it is a very fluid situation at the moment. Even if anyone wishes to contest against Avishek, a couple of phone calls from ruling dispensation can change the picture completely. So no one should speculate anything right now,” a senior CAB official told PTI on Saturday.

Ganguly’s tenure has witnessed CAB hosting two marquee matches in World T20 — India versus Pakistan and the final.

The association also made huge profits for the first time.

The former Indian captain was also instrumental in hosting country’s first ever pink ball day-night multiday match, which has also earned him a lot of praise.

Treasurer Biswarup Dey, who is seen as the face of opposition but the lawyer turned cricket administrator chose to be diplomatic.

“Let me be very clear, I’m not an opposition. CAB is a team and they will decide whether there would be any election,” Dey told reporters.

The annual awards will be held on July 22.