Youzhny, Nadal reach U.S. Open semis
Tennis Betting Lines
09/09/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mikhail Youzhny and eight-time major titlist Rafael Nadal won their quarterfinal matches on Thursday at the 2010 U.S. Open.
Nadal, the world No. 1, handled eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in the night match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, Nadal needs a U.S. Open title to complete the career Golden Slam, which is all four majors and an Olympic gold medal.
If Nadal can capture the title here, he would become just the seventh man in history to complete the career Grand Slam.
Nadal, who has yet to drop a set at this year's event, was actually trailing 4-2 in the first set. However, Nadal won the next three games to turn the tables against his fellow Spaniard. After each player held serve, Nadal broke Verdasco's serve to take the first set.
With the score tied at 2-2 in the second stanza, Nadal won three consecutive games to take control. He cruised to victory from there to set up a meeting with Youzhny in Saturday's semifinals.
Verdasco lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarters here last year.
The 12th-seeded Youzhny earned a 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the 25th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka in four hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Russian advanced to a Grand Slam semifinal for the second time in his career. Youzhny, who reached the semis here back in 2006, is the first Russian into the semifinals of a Grand Slam since Marat Safin at Wimbledon in 2008.
Wawrinka, playing in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, cruised past Youzhny in the first set before things heated up in the second.
The tight second stanza ultimately went to a tiebreak, which saw the Swiss stave off three set points before the Russian finally captured it with a smash forehand winner.
Wawrinka then eased his way past Youzhny in the third, serving the set out with some big blasts.
Youzhny had no trouble taking the fourth set after racing out to a 3-0 lead. The Russian kept the momentum going in the final frame by breaking Wawrinka's serve. Youzhny then held serve and seemed to be in control.
The Swiss, though, fought right back with a hold and break of his own to even things at 2-2. The Russian followed with a break and hold to take a 4-2 edge. After each player held serve, Youzhny broke Wawrinka's serve to take the match.
Nadal owns a 7-4 advantage in the all-time series with Youzhny.
Saturday's other semi will pit second-seeded Swiss icon Roger Federer against third-seeded Serbian star Djokovic. Federer is 10-5 lifetime against Djokovic, including wins here in New York in each of the previous three years. The Swiss topped the Serb in the 2007 U.S. Open final and the 2008 and 2009 semifinals.
The 16-time major titlist Federer is 4-1 versus the former Aussie Open champion Djokovic in Grand Slam competition.
Federer has played in the last six U.S. Open finals, including a loss against Juan Martin del Potro here a year ago. The reigning Aussie Open champion Federer captured five straight U.S. Open championships from 2004-08.
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cameron Newton threw for a pair of touchdowns to help the 21st-ranked Auburn Tigers hold off the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 17-14, in SEC action. Newton completed 11-of-19 passes for 136 yard
<< Rasmus, Cardinals dominate Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Rasmus went 4-for-4 with a pair of home
runs and four RBI as St. Louis dominated Atlanta, 11-4, in the opener of a
four-game set.
Skip Schumaker went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs sc
<< Rangers edge Blue Jays to earn split
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mitch Moreland drove in three runs as Texas
doubled up Toronto, 4-2, in the finale of a four-game series from Rogers
Centre.
Vladimir Guerrero added three hits and scored twice while Nelson Cruz
<< Los Angels Galaxy
Activated midfielder David Beckham from the disabled list, making him eligible for selection on Saturday against the Columbus Crew.
<< Revs, Goats desperate for points in Friday fixture
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution travel to take on
Chivas USA on Friday night in a Major League Soccer fixture between two clubs
desperate for points.
Both teams sit at or near the bottom of their respective conf
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady have finalized a four-year contract extension worth about $19 million per season, according to a report from the Boston Herald. The report, which cites
Johnson's homer lifts Astros over Dodgers >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Johnson's three-run homer in the sixth
inning lifted the Houston Astros over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2, in the
opener of a four-game series at Minute Maid Park.
Bud Norris (7-8), who was winle
Saints start title defense with win over Vikings >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Brees threw for 237 yards and a score
and Pierre Thomas ran for the decisive touchdown in the third quarter, as the
Saints opened their title defense and the 2010 season with a 14-9 win over
the Vik
Giants down Padres to being key series >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain threw eight-plus solid innings and
was backed by an offense that smacked four home runs, as the San Francisco
Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 7-3, in the opener of a critical four-game
series.
Findley misses PK as RSL, Seattle battle to draw >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders FC battled
to a scoreless draw in Major League Soccer action in front of over 36,000
fans at Qwest Field on Thursday night.
RSL (12-4-8) moves into a tie with Columbus
Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.