Wimbledon 2013: Americans with the Best Chance of Reaching Week 2

There is no question the media is putting a lot of emphasis and pressure on American tennis at Wimbledon.

Some have done well by winning the first round, but others have not had the same luxury.

Here is a list of the 15 Americans on both the men's and women's sides that lost in the opening round—Steve Johnson, Ryan Harrison, Wayne Odesnik, Sam Querrey, Alex Kuznetsov, Michael Russell, Mallory Burdette, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Varvara Lepchenko, Jamie Hampton, Alexa Glatch, Lauren Davis, Melanie Oudin, Coco Vandeweghe and Vania King.  

Still, there a few Americans remaining that could do some damage and potentially reach the second week of the tournament. Let's see who they are.

Christina McHale

Christina McHale, the youngster from New Jersey, is in Maria Sharapova's quarter.

She has a chance to meet her in the fourth round, where she would likely lose to the in-form Russian.

Next up for her is the No. 15 seed, Marion Bartoli, who has had much success on grass in the past.

I think this is a very winnable affair for McHale, as Bartoli has been in a sluggish state as of late.

She would face the winner of Camila Giorgi's and Sorana Cirstea's (No. 22) match in the following round, which means McHale potentially has three straight seeds to face. This could be a tougher task for her than usual, but don't count her out just yet.

Sloane Stephens

The No. 17-seeded up and comer, Sloane Stephens, is looking to make her mark on the world of Wimbledon. She has the game to go deep in the tournament, and her draw has played out nicely thus far.

With Sara Errani losing to the young Monica Puig, the only trouble Stephens faces is the clash with Caroline Wozniacki in the third round.

Should she win that, she will nearly guarantee herself a spot in the quarterfinals, as she is levels ahead of the competition in her section.

Her quarterfinal opponent is likely to be Maria Sharapova. 

Madison Keys

Keys has the worst chance of reaching the second week on the women's side, but there is a chance regardless.

She plays Mona Barthel (No. 30) in her next match, which she is capable of winning in straight sets.

After that, though, her journey may end at the hands of last year's runner-up, Agnieska Radwanska, but like I said, the hope and possibility is still there.

Her fourth-round opponent would not be a seeded player, as they have all lost in the first round.

Serena Williams

The No. 1 player in the world, No. 1 seed in the tournament, defending Wimbledon champion and favorite to win the title this year is Serena Williams.

In fact, she really needs no introduction at this point. She certainly has a great shot to do just more than reach the second week, as her mind may be on the semis and final.

Her power game and smarts will allow her to beat anybody in her path in the first week.

James Blake

James Blake, the old-timer and infamous ball-smacker, had a solid win over Thiemo de Bakker in the first match of the day on Tuesday.

Since Bernard Tomic upset Sam Querrey in five sets, he is Blake's next opponent.

This is a clash of exactly opposite styles, as Tomic lulls players to sleep and Blake smacks people around.

Should Blake win that, which is very possible, he would play Richard Gasquet.

The Frenchman is a definitely a different caliber player than Tomic, but this one upset would get him into the final week of the Slam.

Denis Kudla

Kudla had a quality five-set win over James Duckworth and is looking to keep his form while moving forward.

Ivan Dodig, who upset Philipp Kohlschreiber in five sets, would be his next opponent.

This would be a step up for Kudla, but it is an achievable task, as Dodig is also struggling to reach the top 25 in the men's game.

Milos Raonic would be waiting for the young American in the third round, but upsetting this giant would be great for his confidence and would allow him to reach his first fourth round in a Slam (not counting Juniors of course).

Rajeev Ram

Rajeev Ram, the Pete Sampras copycat, has never had much success on the singles court.

Maybe this week is a different story, though he would probably only reach the third round at the All England Club.

He plays the seeded Juan Monaco next, but I think he matches up on grass better than the Argentine.

I'm calling upset alert on this match, so watch out for Mr. Ram.

His third-round opponent would be Marin Cilic, and it's safe to call his run over there.

John Isner

On the opening day of play, Lleyton Hewitt stunned Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets. On top of that Steve Darcis took out Rafael Nadal in straights, leaving John Isner as the highest seed in his subsection of Roger Federer's quarter.

Giant-serving Isner should beat Adrian Mannarino with ease in the second round.

The third will feature either Lleyton Hewitt or Dustin Brown of Germany (who is a terrific player with a strange arsenal of shots).

With a win there (which I am putting my money on) John Isner will probably play Lukasz Kubot, Steve Darcis, Stephane Robert or Benoit Paire.

He should beat all of the men listed, except maybe Paire.

In other words Isner has the best shot of all the American men to reach the quarterfinals, wherein he would play defending champion Roger Federer.