Federer wins Open second-rounder

Tennis Betting Lines

08/29/2008 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning four-time champion Roger Federer extended his U.S. Open winning streak to 29 straight matches with a second-round victory Friday at the fourth and final major of the year.

The second-seeded Federer handled Brazilian qualifier Thiago Alves 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 at Ashe Stadium. The 12-time major champion from Switzerland hasn't lost here since the fourth round back in 2003.

Federer fired 19 aces at a game Alves, who was able to keep things relatively close while the Swiss scattered an uncharacteristic 46 unforced errors in a 2- hour, 14-minute affair.

The Wimbledon and French Open runner-up Federer beat Serbian star Novak Djokovic in last year's U.S. Open finale.

Federer had been ranked No. 1 in the world since February 2004 before being supplanted at the top by reigning Wimbledon, four-time French Open and Olympic titlist Rafael Nadal on August 18.

Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko doused Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) on Day 5 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The steady Davydenko, seeking a third straight trip into the U.S. Open semifinals, will meet fellow Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the round of 32. A 26th-seeded Tursunov came from behind to beat capable Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Former Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez also moved on, as the Chilean slugger handled American Bobby Reynolds 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4. The 11th- seeded "Gonzo" was an Olympic silver medalist in Beijing earlier this month.

A pair of unseeded gentlemen overcame two-set deficits on Friday, as Luxembourg's Gilles Muller came all the way back to stun former top-five star Tommy Haas of Germany 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-3 and Finn Jarkko Nieminen fought his way past Czech Ivo Minar 6-7 (2-7), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. The talented but oft-injured Haas reached the quarterfinals here the last two years and is still seeking that elusive first-ever trip into a Grand Slam final.

Wwwstarluck Tennis Betting News

<< Havret still on top at Johnnie Walker
Perthshire, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gregory Havret had a wild round on Friday that featured an eagle, five birdies, a double-bogey and three bogeys, but his two-under 71 was enough to stay atop the leaderboard at the Johnnie Walker

<< Knicks acquire Patrick Ewing Jr.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks acquired forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. from the Houston Rockets Friday in exchange for the draft rights to center Frederic Weis. Ewing was originally drafted by Sacramento in the 2008 NBA

<< Jankovic, Dementieva reach fourth round in Big Apple
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic and Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva were a pair of third-round victors Friday at the 2008 U.S. Open. The second-seeded Jankovic snuck past gritty Chinese Ji

<< Real Madrid eyes repeat, Champions League success
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid spent the entire summer trying to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to Spain, while putting Robinho on the market to pay for the possible addition of the likely FIFA World Player of the Year. With just days

<< FSU's Pressley done for season
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida State running back Tavares Pressley will miss the entire 2008 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during practice Thursday. An MRI on Friday morning confirmed the injury. Pr

Hurricane Gustav forces LSU to move up opener >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LSU has moved up the kickoff time of its home opener Saturday against Appalachian State due to concerns over Hurricane Gustav. Originally slated for 3 p.m. (et), kickoff will now be 11

Bayer Leverkusen ready for surprising Hoffenheim >>
Leverkusen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayer Leverkusen manager Bruno Labbadia has been impressed by newly promoted Hoffenheim, but the surprising Bundesliga leaders will not pick up points Saturday, according to the coach. "They will pick

Zenit holds off United to claim Super Cup >>
Fontvieille, Monaco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zenit St. Petersburg got goals from Pavel Pogrebniak and Danny as they upset last season's Champions League winners Manchester United, 2-1 on Friday to win the UEFA Super Cup. The defending

D-Backs claim Ledezma >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks claimed left-handed pitcher Wilfredo Ledezma off waivers from the San Diego Padres Friday. Ledezma, 27, was 0-2 with a 4.47 earned run average over 25 games (six starts) with the Pad

St. Etienne hopes to end 14-year skid against Lyon >>
Saint Etienne, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Etienne will try to end a 14-year winless streak against seven-time defending Ligue 1 champion Lyon on Sunday in one of the fiercest rivalries in France. St. Etienne hosts the derby at Stade Ge

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.