Federer, Nadal roll into Wimbledon quarters
Tennis Betting Lines
06/30/2008 -
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer moved into his sixth
straight Wimbledon quarterfinal on Monday by handling former world No. 1
Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets, while two-time runner-up Rafael Nadal also
moved on in straights in fourth-round action at the storied All England Club.
The top-seeded and current No. 1 Federer erased the 20th-seeded Hewitt 7-6
(9-7), 6-2, 6-4 on Day 7 at the year's third Grand Slam event, while a second-
seeded Nadal cruised past helpless 17th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3,
6-3, 6-1.
Following a tight first-set tiebreak, Federer wound up rolling in 1 hour, 49
minutes against the overmatched Hewitt, who was nursing a sore hip. The
sublime Swiss swatted 21 aces and held his serve throughout the match, as the
speedy Aussie went 0-for-8 on his break-point chances and had his serve broken
on three occasions.
"That first set tiebreaker really put me on the winning streak and after that
I played consistently well," Federer said.
The two-time major titlist Hewitt is the last man not named Federer to capture
Wimbledon, which he did six years ago.
Federer is now 14-7 lifetime against Hewitt, including wins in their last 12
matchups. The Swiss is 3-0 in their Wimbledon encounters and 6-0 in meetings
at majors.
The 12-time Grand Slam titlist Federer is the reigning five-time Wimbledon
champ and has won his last 38 matches at the All England Club. Bjorn Borg
holds the record with 41 consecutive wins here.
Federer's quarterfinal opponent will be capable Croat Mario Ancic, the last
man to beat the Swiss on grass. Federer is 5-1 lifetime against Ancic,
including a 1-1 mark at the AEC and a recent victory over the Croat at Roland
Garros.
'I completely underestimated him back in 2002," Federer said of Ancic. "I was
a little shellshocked and didn't know what happened to me. What it taught me
was not to underestimate any opponent."
The 26-year-old Federer hasn't lost on grass since falling against Ancic in
the opening round at Wimbledon back in 2002. The super Swiss has won 63
straight on the fast surface, including victories over Nadal in the last two
Wimbledon finals.
The reigning four-time French Open champion Nadal brushed aside Youzhny in 2
hours, 10 minutes by breaking the Russian's serve a whopping six times in 12
tries on Day 7. Youzhny could manage only one break in the setback on Court 1.
Nadal injured his right knee in the second game of the match against Youzhny,
as he slipped on some worn turf behind the baseline. He took a medical timeout
and a trainer wrapped his leg below the knee. The powerful Spaniard, however,
showed no signs of trouble after that and would dominate the bout.
"I feel something behind the knee, but it seems better," Nadal said. "I'm
going to get it checked for a precaution but I hope that I'm fine."
Nadal beat Youzhny in five sets in the fourth round here a year ago after the
Russian jumped out to a two-sets-to-none lead.
The 22-year-old Nadal is currently riding a 21-match overall winning streak,
including his first-ever grass-court title, in London, three weeks ago and a
pasting of Federer in the French Open finale.
Nadal's quarterfinal opponent on Wednesday will be heavy British crowd
favorite Andy Murray.
In one of the most entertaining men's matches of the fortnight, a 12th-seeded
Murray came all the way back to beat eighth-seeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet
5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 6-4 in 3 hours, 58 minutes. Murray closed out the
bout on his second match point by firing an unreturnable serve at 9:30 p.m.
local time, this after Gasquet clearly had the better of the play through the
first two sets and a half.
Murray, appearing in his third main draw at the All England Club, will compete
in his first-ever Wimbledon quarter on Day 9 here.
A British male hasn't titled here since Fred Perry all the way back in 1936.
Former world No. 1 Marat Safin, unseeded here, continued his surprising run
with a 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 victory over 13th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka,
the No. 9 player in the ATP rankings.
The 28-year-old currently 75th-ranked Safin is a two-time Grand Slam champion
who has never advanced beyond the quarters at Wimbledon. His round-of-eight
opponent will be tough Spanish lefthander Feliciano Lopez.
An unseeded Ancic advanced with a brilliant 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 13-11 come-
from-behind victory against 22nd-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Monday.
The Croat needed 3 hours, 49 minutes to prevail, including a 1-hour, 35-minute
fifth set. Verdasco was a grass-court runner-up in Nottingham two weeks ago.
Another upset occurred when a 31st-seeded Lopez came back to bounce 10th-
seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 8-6. Baghdatis
reached the quarterfinals here last year and the semifinals two years ago.
Lopez will now play in his second quarterfinal here in four years.
Veteran Frenchman Arnaud Clement dismissed 19-year-old Croat Marin Cilic 6-3,
7-5, 6-2, while German veteran Rainer Schuettler snuck into the round of eight
with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, who
upended two-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick here last week. The 30-year-
old Clement, the 2001 Australian Open runner-up, will appear in his third
career Grand Slam quarterfinal and his first-ever Wimbledon quarter, while the
32-year-old Schuettler, the 2003 Aussie Open runner-up, will appear in his
first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal and his second career major quarter.
Clement and Schuettler will square off here on Wednesday, as the men, in terms
of singles play, will have the day off here on Tuesday.
<< Sabres sign C Gaustad to four-year contract
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres re-signed centerman
Paul Gaustad to a four-year, contract on Monday.
"We felt it was very important to sign Paul to a multi-year deal at this stage
of his career," Buffalo genera
<< Tigers' 1B Cabrera departs
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel
Cabrera departed Monday's game against the Minnesota Twins in the top of the
third inning due to a tight left hip flexor.
Clete Thomas pinch hit for Cabrera
<< Report: Colorado re-signs Liles, Foote
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche have reportedly re-
signed defensemen John-Michael Liles and Adam Foote.
TSN of Canada reports Liles came to terms on a four-year deal worth just over
$4 million per season. He w
<< Lightning acquire rights to Rolston
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning continued their expansive
offseason dealings Sunday night, acquiring the rights to veteran right wing
Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional 2009 or
2010 dr
<< Oilers acquire Visnovsky from Kings
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman
Lubomir Visnovsky from the Los Angeles Kings Sunday in exchange for defenseman
Matt Greene and forward Jarret Stoll.
The 31-year-old Visnovsky, drafted in the f
Lohse continues winning streak, Mulder returns as Cards crush Mets >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Lohse threw seven strong innings to win
his seventh consecutive decision as the Cardinals blew out the New York Mets,
7-1, on a night Mark Mulder made his return to the majors.
Lohse (10-2) allowed fi
Lightning quick: Tampa Bay signs Malone, Prospal, Roberts >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning made a big splash in the
free agent market on Monday, signing forwards Ryan Malone, Vinny Prospal and
Gary Roberts.
Malone's deal is for seventh years and worth an estimated $31.5 mi
Griffey's late blast leads Reds past Pirates >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ken Griffey Jr. blasted a game-winning two-
run home run in the ninth for his 603rd career four-bagger, giving the
Cincinnati Reds a dramatic come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh
Pirates
Cool heads prevail as Rays nip Red Sox >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gabe Gross smacked a two-run homer to
help the Tampa Bay Rays down the Boston Red Sox, 5-4, in the opener of a
three-game AL East battle at Tropicana Field.
B.J. Upton hit a solo home run, whil
Jamison staying with Wizards >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Antawn Jamison will be staying in
Washington as the two-time All-Star signed a contract extension on Monday.
Reports earlier on Monday had the deal at four years and $50 million.
"Signing Antaw
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for Bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.
|
