Vanendert claims stage 14 victory

Dates: 2 July - 24 JulyCoverage: Listen live to every stage finish on the BBC Sport website (UK only); live text commentary on key stages; updates on BBC Radio 5 live & sports extraGet involved: Tweet with the hashtag #bbcTdF Vanendert claimed his maiden Tour victory Belgian Jelle Vanendert took the 168.5km mountainous trek from St Gaudens to Plateau de Beille to claim victory in the 14th stage of the Tour de France - his maiden win.

Spain's Samuel Sanchez finished second behind the Omega Pharma-Lotto rider and Luxembourg's Andy Schleck was third.

France's Thomas Voeckler retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Voeckler had been expected to lose his lead on Saturday, but held onto his one minute, 49 second advantage.

"I would be lying if I said I expected to be with the best climbers today," admitted Voeckler.

"I thought I had a chance to keep the jersey, but I was really surprised to be up there with them. But it was a good surprise."

Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) finished 21 seconds behind, with Andy Schleck (Leopard Trek) leading the group of favourites home, 46 seconds adrift.

Andy Schleck finished two seconds ahead of Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky), Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard), Voeckler and Frank Schleck, who were all 48 seconds adrift of Vanendert.

On four previous occasions when a stage has finished at Plateau de Beille, the winner has gone on to stand on top of the podium in Paris.

However, with seven days of racing and the Alps to come, it is premature to announce Vanendert as a successor to Marco Pantani (1998), Lance Armstrong (2002 and 2004) and Alberto Contador (2007) - particularly due to his already-hefty deficit.

With six classified climbs, including the 15.8km ascent to the finish, it was always likely to be a day for the general classification contenders, including Contador, racing with a large support who had flooded over the Spanish border.

But, as on Thursday's 12th stage to Luz-Ardiden, defending champion Contador appeared short of his best and remained four minutes behind Voeckler.

Sunday's 193km 15th stage from Limoux to Montpellier is likely to end in a sprint finish, where green jersey holder Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) comes into his own, giving the general classification hopefuls time to gather breath before the Alps.

STAGE 14 RESULT

1. Jelle Vanendert (Belgium/Omega Pharma-Lotto) 5h 13m 25s

2. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +21"

3. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg / Leopard) +46"

4. Cadel Evans (Australia / BMC Racing) +48"

5. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Team Sky)

6. Alberto Contador (Spain / Saxo Bank)

7. Thomas Voeckler (France / Europcar)

8. Fraenk Schleck (Luxembourg / Leopard)

9. Jean Christophe Peraud (France / AG2R)

10. Pierre Rolland (France / Europcar)

11. Ivan Basso (Italy / Liquigas)

OVERALL STANDINGS

1. Thomas Voeckler (France/Europcar) 61hrs 04mins 10secs

2. Fraenk Schleck (Luxembourg / Leopard) +1:49"

3. Cadel Evans (Australia / BMC Racing) +2:06"

4. Andy Schleck (Luxembourg / Leopard) +2:15"

5. Ivan Basso (Italy / Liquigas) +3:16"

6. Samuel Sanchez (Spain / Euskaltel) +3:44"

7. Alberto Contador (Spain / Saxo Bank) +4:00"

8. Damiano Cunego (Italy / Lampre) +4:01"

9. Tom Danielson (U.S. / Garmin) +5:46"

10. Kevin De Weert (Belgium / Quick-Step) +6:18"

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Serena stretched in Rezai victory

By Mike Henson
BBC Sport at Wimbledon Williams lost to top seed Vera Zvonareva at Eastbourne Defending champion Serena Williams survived a gruelling first-round encounter with Aravane Rezai to advance 6-3 3-6 6-1 at Wimbledon.

Williams has not lost in the first round of her previous 44 Grand Slams, but was pushed hard in a 96-minute win.

Rezai, ranked 61st in the world, took the second set after going toe-to-toe with Williams' powerful groundstrokes.

But the Frenchwoman's momentum seeped away over the course of the decider as Williams swept to an emotional win.

"It has been a disaster year but I have been praying, I have my family and I love tennis, and to come back at Wimbledon and win is just awesome," said a tearful Williams told BBC Sport after the match.

She will face either Simona Halep and Bojana Jovanovski next.

World number 61 Rezai had led by a set and 5-2 in the pair's only previous meeting before slipping to defeat in 2010's Sydney International.

But she has endured a difficult start to 2011 securing only five wins in 12 tournaments after the removal of her controversial father from her team.

As her emotions after the match betrayed, Williams has also had a difficult year.

She spent almost 12 months out of the sport with a foot injury and a subsequent pulmonary embolism before her recent return at Eastbourne,

It was a more commonplace complaint - an eye irritation - that troubled the American as her serve was broken in a see-sawing first game.

Rezai played her part in establishing a surprise early lead with some energetic hitting from the baseline and a fortunate and decisive drop shot, but never looked secure in her brief time out in front.

As her serve cranked into gear, Serena held at her second attempt and broke back to level in the fourth.

After surrending her serve again in the sixth, Rezai was limited to occasional crowd-pleasing ripostes for the rest of the set in the face of Williams' onslaught.

The 24-year-old checked Williams' momentum as she held her serve after losing the previous five games, but could only briefly stall Williams with a winning return on the first of three set points.

Galvinised by the start of the new set, Rezai rediscovered a length of shot and power that had troubled Williams early on in the match.

Her scurrying and hustling built the pressure on Williams and the world number 25 cracked as her previously impregnable serve faltered to surrender the sixth game with a double fault.

This time Rezai retained her composure, her serve and the second-set lead and moved level as Williams accompanied a skewed forehand with a little scream on Rezai's second set point.

Despite her lengthy absence from the sport, it was Williams who came through the stronger in the final set.

After ominously holding her serve to love to move 2-1 up, she made the breakthrough in the next game before an emphatic break to love in the sixth sealed a fading Rezai's fate.

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