Nadal cruises into Rome final; Djokovic rallies past Federer

Tennis Betting Lines

05/02/2009 - Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal continued his clay-court dominance, and defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down to beat Roger Federer in semifinal action at the Italian Masters.

Nadal, a three-time Rome champion, easily handled Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in a 6-3, 6-3 triumph to run his clay-court winning streak to 29 matches. He is 146-4 on the surface since 2005, including a perfect 15-0 this season.

Djokovic, in the first semifinal of the day, took advantage of a rain delay in the second set to regroup and rally from a set and a break down to earn a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Federer.

The third-seeded Serb beat Federer for the first time in three meetings on clay and improved to 4-7 lifetime against the second-ranked Swiss superstar.

Federer, who also lost to Djokovic in the Miami semifinals last month, has yet to win a title in 2009. His lone appearance in a final was a five-set loss to Nadal at the Australian Open.

Nadal had little trouble Saturday against the 12th-seeded Gonzalez in a rematch of the 2007 Rome final. He had three breaks of serve in the first set, wrapping it up in 34 minutes, then opened a 3-0 lead in the second and cruised to the finish.

The top-seeded Spanish superstar has already claimed clay titles at Monte Carlo and Barcelona -- in addition to hardcourt wins at the Australian Open and Indian Wells -- in preparation for a run at a fifth straight French Open crown. The year's second Grand Slam gets under way at Roland Garros on May 24.

Nadal captured this French Open tuneup three years in a row from 2005-07 but was a second-round loser last year to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero. That setback is the last time Nadal was beaten on his beloved clay.

Djokovic took advantage last year and beat Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the final.

To reach his second straight Rome final and third Masters title match in the last three events, Djokovic took advantage of an hour-long rain delay to stage a rally.

Federer failed to take advantage of five break point chances in the first set before finally converting the sixth, which gave him a 5-4 lead. He held serve to take the set, then broke serve in the first game of the second set and had another break point chance for a 3-0 lead.

Djokovic managed to save that point and went on to take the game to trail 2-1 before rain halted play.

After the delay, Federer held serve and had another chance to break for a 4-1 edge. Djokovic, though, again battled back and won the next five games to square the match at a set apiece.

Federer again gained the upper hand early in the third set with a break for a 3-1 lead, but Djokovic immediately broke back at love and rolled from there. He didn't drop another game and finished it on his second match point when Federer dumped a backhand into the net.

Djokovic will play in his third straight final, having lost to Andy Murray in Miami last month before dropping a three-set match to Nadal two weeks ago in Monte Carlo. He did win his other 2009 title match, beating David Ferrer in Dubai, and owns a career record of 12-8 in ATP finals.

Nadal, meanwhile, is 35-9 all-time in ATP finals with an astounding 24 of those title wins coming on clay.

Sunday will mark the 17th meeting between Nadal and Djokovic. The Spaniard has a dominant 12-4 record against the Serb, including 7-0 on clay, with a Davis Cup win this year in addition to the Monte Carlo victory two weeks ago.

Should Djokovic lose on Sunday, he would also relinquish his No. 3 ranking to Murray on May 11.

The 2009 Rome titlist will take home a first prize of $565,000.

Freesoccerchance Tennis Betting News


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Stanley Cup betting

New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.

MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.

Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds    

 Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings 
Carolina Hurricanes  
San Jose Sharks     
Anaheim Ducks    
Philadelphia Flyers 
Calgary Flames     
New Jersey Devils 
Buffalo Sabres   
Dallas Stars    
New York Rangers  
Nashville Predators  
Vancouver Canucks 
Colorado Avalanche  
Minnesota Wild    
Tampa Bay Lightning    
Boston Bruins    
Florida Panthers   
Montreal Canadiens   
Atlanta Thrashers 
Toronto Maple Leafs  
Edmonton Oilers      
Phoenix Coyotes    
Los Angeles Kings      
New York Islanders   
Columbus Blue Jackets  
St. Louis Blues      
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals   
Chicago Blackhawks    
7-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
80-1
80-1
100-1
100-1 

NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games 

Team     
Ottawa Senators      
Anaheim Ducks 
Detroit Red Wings   
Nashville Predators 
San Jose Sharks 
Calgary Flames     
Philadelphia Flyers    
New Jersey Devils     
Buffalo Sabres    
Carolina Hurricanes       
Dallas Stars          
New York Rangers   
Minnesota Wild     
Atlanta Thrashers     
Montreal Canadiens    
Team        
Los Angeles Kings           
Tampa Bay Lightening   
Vancouver Canucks 
Boston Bruins       
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers  
Phoenix Coyotes  
Toronto Maple Leafs   
Florida Panthers 
Columbus Blue Jackets   
New York Islanders   
Chicago Blackhawks  
St. Louis Blues  
Washington Capitals 
Pittsburgh Penguins  
Over/Under
108.5
106.5
104.5
104.5
103.5
101.5
100.5
99.5
97.5
97.5
97.5
95.5
94.5
93.5
92.5
Over/Under
91.5
91.5
91.5
89.5
89.5
88.5
88.5
86.5
84.5
82.5
80.5
72.5
72.5
72.5
71.5

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