Greatest Upsets In Sports History

For 31 matches, dating to his debut on May 23, 2005, Nadal never truly was challenged, much less defeated, at the French Open, allowing him to win four consecutive titles and close in on becoming the first player in history with five in a row. Until the fourth round of the 2009 French Open, when 23rd-seeded Robin Soderling, a 24-year-old from Sweden who never had won so much as a third-round match at any major tournament before this one, defeated Nadal 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). Soderling finished with 61 winners, 28 more than Nadal, and won the point on 27 of 35 trips to the net.

Eugene Kingsale (center) scored the winning run in the 11th inning, giving the Netherlands an upset win in the World Baseball Classic over the heavily favored Dominican Republic. The Dominicans featured professional players David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Tejada and Pedro Martinez, but lost twice to the Netherlands in the opening round of the tournament.

One of the biggest underdogs in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants made some history of their own in Super Bowl 42, upsetting the previously undefeated New England Patriots with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the clincher with 35 seconds left in the game. The victory capped an improbable run of 11 straight road victories by the Giants, including four straight in the playoffs.What upset would you add to the list. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.

Making his first career start, Stanford QB Tavita Pritchard guided Stanford -- a 41-point underdog -- to a stunning victory in the Los Angeles Coliseum last year. With 49 seconds left, Pritchard finished off a miraculous game-winning drive (in which Stanford converted a fourth-and-20) by tossing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bradford on fourth-and-goal.What upset would you add to the list. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.

Ranked No. 5 entering the season, Michigan had national-championship aspirations. But Appalachian State had different plans. Led by dynamic QB Armanti Edwards and speedy WR Dexter Jackson, the Mountaineers became the first Division I-AA team to beat a ranked Division I-A team.

Pick a storyline, this series had it all. Golden State becoming the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 in a seven-game series. Coach Don Nelson getting revenge on his former team and bitter enemy, Mavs owner Mark Cuban. The Warriors winning their first playoff series in 16 seasons. Baron Davis, on a gimpy hamstring, pulling a Willis Reed to score 20 points in the Game 6 clincher.

While St. Louis piled up 427 yards of offense, the 14-point favorites held only one lead (3-0) and the Patriots' dynasty was born as Tom Brady set up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard, game-winning field goal.

Though they barely finished over .500 (42-40), the Nuggets, fueled by Dikembe Mutombo (pictured), defeated top-seeded Seattle in overtime of Game 5 to win the series. It was the first time in history that an eighth seed defeated a No. 1. Seattle, led by Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, was plagued by Mutombo, whose 31 blocks set a record for a five-game series.

Talk of a dynasty followed the A's into the 1990 World Series. The Reds ended that notion by sweeping Oakland and outscoring the A's 22-8.

Douglas was a 42-1 underdog against unbeaten ''Iron Mike'' in February 1990 but Douglas scored a knockout and the undisputed heavyweight title.

In the upset of all upsets, No. 8-seeded Villanova shot an astonishing 78.6 percent for the game to shock the top-seeded Hoyas and end Georgetown's hopes of a repeat.

Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma hit a defensive wall against N.C. State. The Cougars converted just one dunk in the game, while the Wolfpack had two -- the most famous coming when Lorenzo Charles tossed in a Dereck Whittenburg air ball at the buzzer.

In the Miracle on Ice, a scrappy bunch of U.S. amateur and collegiate players knocked off the favored Soviets 4-3 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The Orioles led Game 5 of the '69 World Series 3-0 when Mets manager Gil Hodges proved that a pitch thrown by Baltimore's Dave McNally had hit Cleon Jones in the foot. Hodges showed the umpire that there was shoe polish on the ball. Donn Clendenon, pictured left, followed with a crucial two-run home run in the Mets' 5-3 victory that clinched the Series.

It was the first game to officially carry the ''Super Bowl'' moniker, but it will forever be remembered for ''The Guarantee'' as Joe Namath, QB of the heavy underdog Jets said, ''We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it.''

The Yankees outscored the Pirates 55-27 in the 1960 World Series but lost on Bill Mazeroski's one-out homer off Ralph Terry in the ninth inning of Game 7 at Forbes Field.What upset would you add to the list. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.