Azarenka, Sharapova to clash in Aussie final
Tennis Betting Lines
01/26/2012 -
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova
will square off in Saturday's women's Australian Open final after they both
survived tense three-set semifinal matches on Thursday.
Azarenka, seeded third, ended Kim Clijsters' run at consecutive Australian
Open titles by besting the four-time Grand Slam champion, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, at
Rod Laver Arena.
After that battle, Sharapova downed second-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
to avenge her loss to the Czech in last year's Wimbledon finale.
The winner of Saturday's title match will become the new world No. 1,
supplanting Clijsters' quarterfinal victim, Caroline Wozniacki. Sharapova has
not held the top ranking since the week of June 8, 2007.
Kvitova beat Sharapova in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam last July,
but trailed early against the three-time major titlist on Thursday at
Melbourne Park.
The 21-year-old Kvitova missed wildly on an overhead smash to lose her
second service game, the first of three breaks for Sharapova in the opening
set.
Sharapova, seeded fourth, lost the second set, and was down 0-30 at 4-4 in the
third before a replay reversal gave her new life. The Russian won the next
four points to put the pressure back on Kvitova, who could not hold serve
thanks to several unforced errors in the final game.
"In the third set, I felt she always had the advantage because I was always
down on my serve," said Sharapova, who piled up five double faults in the
third set and 10 in the match. "I just told myself "You just gotta go for it,
don't let her finish off the points like she likes to."'
The former world No. 1 Sharapova's last major title came at the 2008 Aussie
Open. The Russian was the Aussie runner-up in 2007.
The 22-year-old Azarenka, meanwhile, became the first Belarusian woman to
reach a Grand Slam final since Natasha Zvereva was the runner-up at Roland
Garros in 1988 when she was representing the Soviet Union.
In doing so, Azarenka ended another memorable performance Down Under by
Clijsters, who has stated she will retire after the Summer Olympics in London.
If this was, in fact, the Belgian's final visit to the season's first major,
she went down fighting. Azarenka broke Clijsters' second service game of the
match, then fought off four break chances in the proceeding game.
Azarenka held serve with relative ease the rest of the opening set to stay
in the driver's seat, but Clijsters began her comeback by breaking at love on
Azarenka's first service game in the second.
Clijsters, the 11th seed, quickly evened the match before falling behind 4-1
in the third. She held serve and trailed 40-0 in the next game before earning
another break to get back on serve.
But Azarenka, riding a 10-match winning streak after winning in Sydney earlier
this month, earned her fourth break of the match to serve for a spot in the
final.
"I felt like my hand is about 200 kilograms and my body is about 1,000 and
everything is shaking, but that feeling when you finally win is such a relief.
My God I cannot believe it's over. I just want to cry," Azarenka said as she
fought off tears, then put her face in a towel.
"It was just trying to stay in the moment. Kim really took over the second set
and I felt there was nothing I could do. I just tried to regroup," Azarenka
added.
In the quarterfinals, Clijsters fought off four match points against last
year's Aussie runner-up to her, Li Na.
A repeat performance was not meant to be, as Clijsters was wide on match point
to end any chance at becoming the eighth woman to repeat as Aussie champion.
"The match was very close. There were a few deciding moments where I think I
maybe had a little bit of an advantage, in the third set, especially that
first game where I had break point," Clijsters said. "But she definitely
played really well. So she deserved to win at the end."
Both semifinal matches lasted 2 hours, 12 minutes on Day 11.
Azarenka and Sharapova have split six career matchups, with two of Azarenka's
wins coming in finals. Saturday will mark their first-ever Grand Slam meeting.
Sharapova is 3-2 in her career Grand Slam finals. Her other titles came at
Wimbledon in 2004 and the 2006 U.S. Open. The Russian bomber is 24-13 in her
career finals overall.
Azarenka is 9-8 in her career finals, including 1-0 this year.
<< Sharapova, Azarenka to meet in Aussie finals
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka
will square off in the Australian Open final after they each survived tense
three-set semifinal matches on Thursday.
Azarenka, seeded third, ended Kim Clijs
<< Lakers win Round 2 against Clippers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant netted 24 points to go with
seven rebounds and six assists as the Lakers squeaked past the Clippers, 96-91
in the second round of the battle of Los Angeles at Staples Center.
Pau Gasol cont
<< Double the pleasure: Raptors end another skid in Utah
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrea Bargnani and Linas Kleiza scored
25 points apiece Wednesday night and the Toronto Raptors snapped a 12-game
losing streak against the Utah Jazz with a 111-106 win in double-overtime.
It was T
<< Nuggets cap 5-0 road trip with rout of Kings
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danilo Gallinari led seven players in double
figures with 23 points, as the Nuggets wrapped up a historically successful
road trip with a 122-93 blowout of the Kings.
Since joining the NBA prior to the
<< UNLV slips past Boise State in OT
Boise, ID (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Moser had a monster night with 18 points and
21 rebounds as No. 12 UNLV escaped with a 77-72 overtime win over Boise State.
Chace Stanback added 15 points for the Rebels (19-3, 3-1 MWC), who won their
thir
Nadal beats Federer to reach Aussie final >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the all-time greats did
battle in a Grand Slam event once again on Thursday, and once again it was
Rafael Nadal beating his fellow former world No. 1 star Roger Federer, this
time in the Austral
Bryans reach eighth Aussie doubles final >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The world No. 1 twin Bryan brothers,
Bob and Mike, were come-from-behind semifinal winners Thursday at the
Australian Open.
The Bryans saved a match point and overcame a 2-5 deficit in
Mallon named 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup team captain >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meg Mallon was named captain of the 2013
United States Solheim Cup team on Thursday at the PGA Merchandise Show.
She will have the task of trying to win back the Cup after the Americans lost
a heartbrea
In the FCS Huddle: URI recruiting really has eye on future >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a second straight offseason, football
recruiting at the University of Rhode Island may be the toughest job in CAA
Football, yet the easiest in the Northeast Conference.
A year ago, URI head coach Joe T
McIlroy, Karlsson lead Abu Dhabi; Tiger 3 back >>
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlroy and Robert
Karlsson both fired rounds of five-under 67 on Thursday to share the opening-
round lead of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Tiger Woods made his 2012 debut and pl
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
your source for online betting
As the web was just getting it's footing in the business world in 1997, My Sportsbook was breaking new
ground in the online sportsbook arena. Offering over 20 Las Vegas Games and backed by Sporting Bet UK,
the largest publicly traded Internet gaming company in the world today, My Sportsbook offers betting lines
on every major sporting event in the world, including Online MLB Baseball Betting. With a wide array of bonuses including a 10% Free Money bonus
to all new customers, My Sportsbook is a top online sportsbook, poker room, casino and racebook -- join today!For those that feel that a site like My Sportsbook is only a sportsbook we would like to introduce you to
a place where a single login allows you to not only bet on every major sporting event in the world but also
to bet on horses at over 90 different tracks or play at over 20 Las Vegas style table games in their top online
casino. My Sportsbook has won many awards for it's site design and ease of use as well as it's 24/7
customer support. Get all your gaming done in one spot - try My Sportsbook Today!
|
Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
read more
|
online sportsbook and casino
Since 2000, Best eCasino has maintained a 98.5% payout rate on all their more than 20 Las Vegas style games.
Each of their award winning games including, blackjack (and blackjack super 7s), Baccarat, Roulette and Craps are
available as either a downloadable program or as java programs that can be played directly within your browser. Don't
know how to play a certain game? Read the details and strategy here and start with their Play for Fun section which
allows you to practice a game before taking on the casino. Let's see any Vegas casino do that... Best eCasino doesn't stop there, they now offer horse wagering and sportsbook lines to round off all the online
gaming industry have to offer. They are consistently at the forefront of the industry with new innovations consistently
starting with their site. These guys are the entrepreneur's of the online gaming world and they set the standard for others
to follow. So bet with a leader that's backed by the largest online gaming company in the world with 24 hour customer support,
Best eCasino.
|
