LONDON -- Serena Williams looked weary. She took small steps, staring at the ground. The racket, held gingerly by the very end of the grip, dangled loosely beside her leg. It looked like she might drop it.Williams stepped up to the service line and in what seemed the blink of an eye -- bang, crack, bang, bang -- hammered out three aces and one serve that Svetlana Kuznetsova barely touched. It was just the third game of the fourth-round clash Monday at Wimbledon, but by the time Williams won the match 7-5, 6-0 in an hour and 16 minutes, it seemed the world No. 1 of old was back among us.And it looked like her sister, Venus, is as well. While Serena was scorching the damp Centre Court with aces, Venus was ripping into Carla Suarez Navarros vulnerable serve over on Court No. 1 en route to a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win. Venus, at age 38, is up to No. 8 in the WTA rankings and in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010.[Venus] knows how to play, Serena reminded the assembled media after her win. I say this constantly. I feel like shes my best opponent, my toughest opponent.Venus might also be her real opponent come Saturday afternoon. Venus plays unseeded surprise quarterfinalist Yaroslava Shvedova next, and the winner gets either No. 4 Angelique Kerber or No. 5 Simona Halep.She served good, Suarez Navarro said of Venus. You know, shes there every time. She fight. Sometimes she looks like she was tired, but then she served and returned really good.Much the same could be said of Serena on this Fourth of July. Any American missing home needed only to peek into Centre Court to witness a spectacular display of fireworks. Williams smoked 14 aces, but her ground game was even more impressive.Kuznetsova, a free-spirited, two-time Grand Slam champion, is in resurgence again. Shes 31, but more dangerous than her No. 14 ranking because of her outstanding mobility and retrieving ability. The score line was deceptive: Despite that spectacular serving display in the third game, Kuznetsova would not cave.She engaged in spectacular rallies throughout the first set and broke Williams to take a 5-4 lead, then served a poor game to give the break back.By then, the grass was so greasy that both women feared for their safety. They complained, and the tournament referee ordered the roof closed. The interruption proved to be an unfortunate episode for Kuznetsova, because it allowed Williams to unwind and take a breather. It enabled her to get with her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Hes her stress-buster.Patrick gave me some tips on what I could do, Serena said, Hes very calm. Sometimes I dont understand because Im really worked up a lot, as you can see. Hes just so sangfroid all the time. I think that really helps me. It helps me realize that when Im calm, I usually can find answers. Hes been a wonderful coach to me. Hes great at what he does.When play resumed, Serena hit new heights. She didnt lose another game against one of the most proficient guerilla warfare specialists in the game. Williams backhands sounded like bones snapping, while forehands flew like tracers. Williams hit 43 winners in just 18 games, 22 from the baseline.I moved very well, as well, Williams said. Especially when I want to. Ive been wanting to lately just kind of get out there and pretty much get every ball back. Ive been working on my defensive game. I feel like Ive got an extremely strong defensive game, and always have throughout my career. I wanted to bring it up to par again the way it was.Neither of the Williams sisters gets enough credit for her ability to play defense. Its an easy oversight to commit, because the offense of each is so persuasive. But Venus has always had remarkable range around the court, and even now, shes still running down and digging out balls like a 25-year-old.Ironically, Serenas defensive abilities have been interdicted by her service return. Its still the best in the womens game. Certainly, its the most aggressive. Serenas biggest problem when it comes to having her defense acknowledged is the quality of her offense. It simply keeps points from developing.Its a nice problem to have.Flyers Jerseys From China . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Michal Neuvirth Jersey .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. http://www.cheapflyersjerseyschina.com/mark-howe-jersey/ . Just as Montreal was settling into the first full working week of a new year, the Impact announced the appointment of their new head coach. Dave Schultz Jersey . As he recorded his 23rd and 24th points of the evening, a segment of the sellout Air Canada Centre crowd expressed their appreciation for the Raptors point guard with a smattering of MVP chants. Robert Hagg Jersey . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate.BOSTON – For Johnny Boychuk and those on the Bruins side, this is nothing new. "Hes always in the zone," Boychuk stated, almost with a matter-of-fact tone ahead of Game 3 at TD Garden on Monday night. "Its not just right now. Hes always in the zone." But while hes managed brilliance at times in recent years in a secondary role, Tuukka Rask is performing at superlative heights in this 2013 post-season, his performance drawing suitable comparisons to Tim Thomas and his dominance en route to a Boston Stanley Cup in 2011. "Hes been incredible," said Brad Marchand of the Finnish keeper. "[But] its tough to really compare the two. Timmys obviously had a great career, won a Cup, a couple Vezinas so hes earned everything. Tuukka, hes coming in, hes playing great... hes the reason were here right now. Weve got to give him a ton of credit." Strictly by the numbers, Rask is actually scaling heights which supersede those of Thomas when the Bruins captured the Cup two years previous. The 28-year-old has registered a scintillating 1.73 goals-against-average and .944 save percentage through 18 games, besting the 1.98 goals-against-average and .940 save percentage Thomas tallied during his incredible Conn Smythe campaign. Lingering in the shadow of the American netminder, on a self-imposed sabbatical this year, since 2009-2010 – when he boasted a 1.97 goals-against-average and .931 save percentage – Rask has forcefully strode into the spotlight all by his lonesome this season, his first as the clubs defined number one netminder. Bruins coach Claude Julien believes the gradual process of acclimation into the starting role may have proved beneficial in the development of Rask. "In hindsight when you look back, it mightve been the best thing for him," said Julien. "It allowed him to mature at a reasonable rate, instead of being thrown to the wolves. Hes matured a lot. Im not talking about personality, but mentally, the mental toughness and then being able to be ready, game in and game out. This was his first year as a number one that he played consecutive games and I think he handled it well.dddddddddddd" In Game 2 at the Madhouse in Chicago on Saturday, Rask shouldered the woes of the Bruins slow start, turning aside all but one of a 19-shot barrage, his teammates rallying for a 2-1 overtime victory, knotting the series at one game apiece. "He saved us I dont know how many times," said Dennis Seidenberg. "You cant ask for more." Yielding 18 goals in a nail-biting seven-game conference quarterfinal series with Toronto, Rask has allowed just 17 markers in two-plus series since – a mere two in the Eastern Final with Pittsburgh – stopping 373 of the 390 shots hes faced for a .957 save percentage. Not quite the acrobat that Thomas was, Rask gets the job done quietly. "Timmy was really spectacular," Seidenberg continued, marking the differences between the two, "he jumped around from one corner to the other. But Tuukka is technically very sound, hes very square to the puck so it doesnt look as crazy as it wouldve been with Timmy. We know how good he is and how much hes helping us out." Chicagos lone goal in the second game this series required a crush of bodies in the immediate vicinity of Rask, the Bruins goaltender still sprawling back into position after a multitude of unlikely saves. Topping a performer of such superb caliber is not unfamiliar to the Blackhawks. In emerging with the Western Conference title, Chicago made Jonathan Quick, the Kings Conn Smythe winner in 2012, look reasonably ordinary, Quick posting a mediocre .897 save percentage in five games. "He seems to be making the first and second and sometimes the third save so youve just got to keep staying with it, stay on those loose pucks," Viktor Stalberg said of Rask, the Chicago winger re-entering the Blackhawks lineup for Game 3 after two games on the sideline. "I dont think theres going to be too many tap-tap goals out there. Its going to be shot and rebound or deflection or whatever it might be; thats the way to beat him." ' ' '