Clijsters and Williams to clash in the semifinals
Tennis Betting Lines
09/07/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champions Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Tuesday night. The two will face off against one another on Friday.
Clijsters, the 2005 and 2009 champion, held off Australian Samantha Stosur, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 to win her 19th straight match on the New York hard courts, while Williams advanced with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victory over Italian Francesca Schiavone.
The second-seeded Clijsters trailed 3-1 in the first before battling back to level the set at four games apiece with a service break. After holding serve, the Belgian broke the fifth-seeded Stosur again to take the first set.
Trailing 2-0 in the second, the former world No. 1 Clijsters broke Stosur to level the set at two apiece and then held serve to move in front for the first time.
However, Stosur broke back to move into a 5-4 lead only to have Clijsters return the favor to even things up at five each. The 26-year-old Australian then claimed the next two games to force the third and deciding set.
Tied at one in the decisive set, Stosur and Clijsters alternated four straight service breaks to get to 3-3. Clijsters then won the next three games to move on and lift her record to 4-1 in U.S. Open quarterfinals.
Clijsters has won all four of their head-to-head meetings, including two this season.
Stosur was the first Australian woman to advance the quarterfinals here since Wendy Turnbull in 1986 and was blunted in her attempt to become the first Aussie female to reach the semis since Turnbull did so in 1984.
The third-seeded Williams, the last woman to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles when she triumphed here in 2000 and 2001, broke to move ahead 3-2 in the first set but then lost three straight games to fall behind, 5-4. The two-time U.S. Open runner-up held serve to force the tiebreak and claimed the last two points to take the first set.
The sixth-seeded Schiavone broke to get within 4-3 in the second set, only to have the American break back to move to the precipice of winning the match. However, the French Open champion answered with a break of her own to pull within 5-4 before Williams broke back again to move on after winning for a 52nd time in 53 matches in the last major of the season when taking the first set.
Schiavone, the only Italian woman to win a Grand slam title, did not drop a set in tournament before falling to Williams, who has not lost a set in her first five matches.
Williams improved to 8-0 in her career against Schiavone.
"I know when I play her, I'm going to have to play good tennis," Williams said about her numerous encounters with Schiavone. "I really do enjoy our matchups. There have been times when she's had me down, but fortunately, I was able to come back."
Williams and Clijsters have split 12 all-time matchups, but the Belgian has won the last four encounters. That includes a pair of wins at the U.S. Open and in a tournament on hardcourts this year in Miami.
The quarterfinals will continue on Wednesday, as top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki will meet unseeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova and seventh-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonareva will encounter 31st-seeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee's two-run single in the fifth inning proved to be the difference, as the Milwaukee Brewers held off the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, on a night that saw all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman record
<< Bourn, Astros top Cubs
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Bourn finished 3-for-4 with three RBI
and fell a home run shy of the cycle as Houston downed Chicago, 7-3, in the
middle test of a three-game set from Wrigley Field.
Jeff Keppinger had a pair of
<< Twins blast Royals, expand lead in AL Central
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francisco Liriano pitched seven solid
innings and Delmon Young drove in four runs, as the Minnesota Twins cruised to
a 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals in the middle contest of a three-game
series.
<< Back in first: Phillies edge Marlins to grab top spot in NL East
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Placido Polanco's eighth-inning two-out
RBI single was the difference, as Philadelphia nipped Florida, 8-7, in the
third installment of a four-game series.
The victory, coupled with Atlanta's los
<< Pirates blank Braves, who fall out of division lead
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delwyn Young capped a five-run seventh with
a two-run homer and James McDonald tossed seven scoreless innings, as the
Pittsburgh Pirates shut down the Atlanta Braves, 5-0, in the second test of a
three-g
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos running back LenDale White underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. The Denver Post reported Tuesday that White had the procedure done as the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Col
Verdasco rallies from two-set deficit to shock Ferrer >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Verdasco came back from a
two-set deficit to stun fellow Spaniard David Ferrer and reach the
quarterfinals at the U.S. Open.
The eighth-seeded Verdasco reached the quarterfinals here for a sec
Gonzalez continues torrid pace as Rockies down Reds >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez, arguably the league's hottest
hitter, blasted an early three-run homer to help lift the streaking Colorado
Rockies to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Gonzalez extended his hit streak
Giants use three HRs, Lincecum's pitching to down D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Lincecum pitched solidly into the seventh
inning and the San Francisco Giants used three home runs to defeat the Arizona
Diamondbacks, 6-3, at Chase Field.
Lincecum (13-9) allowed three runs on five hi
Angels release longtime utilityman Quinlan >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels cut ties with utilityman
Robb Quinlan, who has been with the team since 2003.
Quinlan has played sparingly this year, recording only four hits in 33 at-
bats. Never a starter but
Football Betting Sportsbook Accepts Credit Cards
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
SPORTS BETTING
NFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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