Biggest Underdog Victories of 2014

Heading into their final game of the 2014 Rugby Championship, Argentina had never managed a victory in three years of involvement in the tournament. The Wallabies had just stood down Kurtley Beale and were looking to end a tumultuous week on a high note, but the Pumas had other plans. Trailing 14-0 at the break, Argentina stormed home to upset Australia and claim their first-ever victory in the four-nation event.

The Maroons were riding high on an eight-year winning streak when State of Origin rolled around in June. NSW were given virtually no hope of breaking their drought when rookie halves Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds were selected for the opening match. But with the series locked at 1-1 in the dying stages of the decider, it was Hodkinson who stepped up and scored a vital try and conversion to send the Blues to a historic series win.

19-year-old Australia phenom Nick Kyrgios shocked the world when he stormed into the last 16 at Wimbledon where he was pitted against world No.1 Rafael Nadal. Not even Kyrgios’ mum thought he could win, but the teen sensation produced the performance of his life, sending Rafa packing in straight sets to write his name in the history books.

No one gave Stanislas Wawrinka a chance when he managed to find himself in the Australian Open final against world No.1 Rafael Nadal. But when Nadal started feeling the effects of a calf injury midway through the third set, Wawrinka surged to an unlikely Grand Slam title, the first of his career.

Manchester United kicked off the 2014/15 football season in shocking fashion. With pressure mounting on new coach Louis van Gaal, the Red Devils were humiliated by third-tier club Milton Keynes Dons, who thrashed them 4-0 in the second round of the League Cup.

Australia fielded a very depleted squad for the 2014 Four Nations, and New Zealand took full advantage. For the first time since the 2010 final, New Zealand emerged victorious, snapping the Kangaroos' eight-game winning run in their opening encounter. They then went on to win the final against their Aussie counterparts, claiming just their fourth win in 24 meetings with Australia.

Australia headed to Pakistan in October after reclaiming the Ashes from England and Test cricket’s No.1 ranking from South Africa. But what ensued was an utter calamity. Pakistan swept the series 2-0 to claim their first series victory against Australia in 20 years. The winning margin of 356 runs in the second Test was the largest in Pakistan's history, and Australia's third-worst loss.

The semi-finals of the 2014 US Open appeared to be complete mismatches for Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic, who came up against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Everyone was predicting a Djoker v Roger final until the two underdogs completely wiped their more-fancied opponents off the court. Cilic went on to claim his first Grand Slam title, beating Nishikori in the decider.