Blockbuster Nadal-Federer Aussie semi set
Tennis Betting Lines
01/24/2012 -
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 greats Rafael
Nadal and Roger Federer will do battle in the semifinals Thursday at the
2012 Australian Open.
The second-seeded Nadal snuck past seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in four
sets, while a third-seeded Federer whipped 11th-seeded Argentine slugger Juan
Martin del Potro in straights in a rematch of the 2009 U.S. Open final, which
was won by the towering del Potro. Nadal beat Berdych in the 2010 Wimbledon
championship match.
The 30-year-old Federer played in his 1,000th ATP-level match on Tuesday and
secured a berth in his 30th Grand Slam semifinal.
"It's a lot of matches and a lot tennis," Federer said. "Either I have been
around for a long time or I'm extremely fit. You decide which way you want to
describe it. But I'm happy."
The 10-time major champion and reigning French Open titlist Nadal was tested
mightily in a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Berdych at Rod Laver
Arena, where the legendary Aussie Laver was on hand to watch on Day 9. The 16-
time Grand Slam titlist Federer dismantled del Potro 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 earlier
Tuesday in quarterfinal action at Laver.
Nadal needed a whopping 4 hours, 16 minutes to stave off a game Berdych, who
finally succumbed on Nadal's first match point by framing one final forehand
into the court, as the mighty Spaniard broke to close out the quality affair.
The fiery Nadal saved four set points in the opening stanza, including one
with an incredible cross-court passing shot on the 29th point of a rally. But
Berdych would win the ensuing tiebreak.
Nadal then snuck out the second-set tiebreak on his way to taking the last
three sets of the match, as he simply got stronger at the bout wore one.
"Happy with how I finished match physically, I was able to keep running with
high intensity," Nadal said.
Berdych fired 17 aces, but also piled up 56 unforced errors and had his serve
broken five times, compared to only two breaks he tallied against the
Spanish strongman, who beat the big Czech for a 10th straight time.
The four-time Aussie Open champion Federer, meanwhile, handled del Potro in
just 1 hour, 59 minutes, as the super Swiss recorded 38 winners to send the
Argentine home after he reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the
'09 U.S. Open.
"We have played some big matches against each other, so just knowing how well
he's been playing as of late, I was just hoping that I would get off a good
start," Federer said. "I was able to mix it up well and control the ball, and
right away sort of felt confident."
Federer, who hasn't won a Grand Slam event since titling here in Melbourne two
years ago, has yet to drop a set at this latest Aussie fortnight. He'll now
appear in his ninth straight Aussie semi.
The 25-year-old Nadal and Federer will meet for a 27th time, with the Spaniard
leading the all-time series 17-9. Nadal is 7-2 in their Grand Slam meetings,
including wins in their last four matchups. The two stalwarts have met in a
record eight major finals, with Nadal winning six of them. They are in the
same half of the draw at a major for the first time since 2005.
Nadal topped Federer in five sets in the 2009 Aussie Open finale.
The other quarterfinals will be staged on Wednesday, as current world No. 1
Novak Djokovic will face fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and fourth-seeded
Andy Murray will take on 24th-seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori.
Djokovic is 6-5 lifetime against Ferrer, who titled in Auckland two weeks ago
and is already a perfect 8-0 this season.
The high-flying Djokovic beat Murray in last year's Aussie final to capture
his second title here in four years. The four-time major champion is also the
reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open titlist.
Djokovic has won 36 of his last 38 Grand Slam matches and is seeking a third
straight major title. A title this week would put him in select company, as
only four players -- Laver, Pete Sampras, Federer and Nadal -- have captured
three straight Grand Slam championships in the Open Era (since 1968).
Murray, who titled in Brisbane three weeks ago, is a three-time major runner-
up, including a loss to Federer in the 2010 Aussie Open finale.
Nishikori is the first Japanese man to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam
event since Shuzo Matsuoka in 1995 (Wimbledon) and he's also the first
Japanese man in 80 years to advance to the Aussie Open quarters, since Ryosuki
Nunoi and Jiro Satoh turned the trick way back in 1932.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have combined to win seven of the last eight
Aussie Open titles.
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Mired in a season-high six-game losing streak, the Knicks start a four-game
road trip tonight against the
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back at it tonight as they host the South Florida Bulls for a Big East
Conference battle at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.
This will be the 20th meeting in the al
Maple Leafs aim for home-and-home sweep of Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to boost their postseason
chances with a sweep of a home-and-home against the New York Islanders tonight
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The Leafs have won two of three since a three-game slide and the
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primary rival for the top seed in the East in their last game and the Atlantic
Division leaders will try to enter the All-Star break on a positive note when
they host
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the Verizon Center from the press box, as his Washington Capitals try to halt
a two-game skid against the visiting Boston Bruins.
Ovechkin will miss the next three
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NFL Football Betting Online
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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