Whither the women of Wimbledon?

If Serena loses, it's a surprise. But surprises do happen, occasionally. She defeated sister Venus (not a surprise), and it won't be a surprise if she wins the next round, either, against Azarenka or Bencic.

If things go according to form, guess who Serena will play in the semifinal round? Yes, indeed, Maria. Maria is through past Diyas, and next on the docket is the well-known C. Vandeweghe of the USA, who defeated Safarova, merely ranked sixth in the world.

Wait a minute, WHO? (Coco) And how many Vandeweghes are there in the world, anyway? Turns out, not so many. She is part of the athletic Vandeweghe family - her mother is Tauna, who was a world-class swimmer AND volleyball player, and her uncle is thus Kiki, NBA pro, and her grandfather is also a former New York Knickerbocker. Speaking of genetics, it just so happens that her grandmother was Miss America in 1952.

So I guess I should say that the Vandeweghes are well-known, even if Coco isn't. Yet. If she knocks off Sharapova, that will change.

Coco Vandeweghe links:

Tauna Vandeweghe (Wikipedia)

Former Miss America Vandeweghe left a legacy of family and faith

An athletic temper all her own

Coco Vandeweghe

Suddenly, this syllable fest has become must-watch tennis.

But wait, there's more. Unfortunately, Caro Wozniacki, who has yet to get to the semifinals of a Grand Slam this year (and is running out of chances), lost to 20th-seed Muguruza. There's a lot of syllables available in the Muguruza-Bacsinszky match -- though perhaps Muguruza can lend Bacsinszky a badly-needed vowel.

And American Madison Keys, who is better known than Coco Vandeweghe at this point, is also through to the quarters, along with Radwanska, who I think should win a Grand Slam eventually.

A lot depends on when Serena stops winning them.  And I don't think she's planning on stopping yet.