Djokovic reaches fourth straight U.S. Open semi
Tennis Betting Lines
09/08/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Novak Djokovic was an easy quarterfinal winner Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
The third-seeded Djokovic handled 17th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 6-2 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
A tough first set went to Djokovic when Monfils played a rather poor tiebreak, and the second set was a throw-away one for the Frenchman, as the Serb simply dominated the stanza.
In the third set, Monfils had a chance to break Djokovic to pull within 3-4 and then serve to tie things up, but the Serb managed a key hold to go up 5-2 and then broke his French counterpart to reach the semis.
Djokovic moved on in 2 hours, 28 minutes, as he broke Monfils no less than seven times en route to victory. The Serb tallied 13 more unforced errors (50-37) on Day 10 of the fortnight, but he also connected for 21 more winners (38-17).
The 23-year-old Djokovic is now a perfect 5-0 lifetime against Monfils, including a first-round win here in New York back in 2005.
Djokovic awaits Wednesday night's Roger Federer-Robin Soderling victor.
The former world No. 2 Djokovic will perform in his fourth U.S. Open and ninth career Grand Slam semifinal (2-6). The steady Serbian star was the 2007 U.S. Open runner-up to the great Federer and captured the Aussie Open championship in 2008.
Two more quarterfinals will be staged here on Thursday, when top-ranked Rafael Nadal meets eighth-seeded fellow Spanish lefthander Fernando Verdasco and 12th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny takes on 25th-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. Nadal is the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champ and owns eight major titles overall, but he still needs a U.S. Open one to complete a rare men's career Grand Slam. Youzhny reached the final four here back in 2006.
Nadal is a laughable 10-0 lifetime against Verdasco, including 2-0 in Grand Slam events.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada did not play in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over Baltimore, and may have a concussion after a foul ball struck him during Tuesday's game. "He got a foul tip, somewhat,
<< This Week in Auto Racing September 10 - 12
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sprint Cup Series' "Chase cut-off race" at
Richmond International Raceway headlines this week in motorsports. The
Nationwide Series also will be at Richmond, and Formula One concludes its
"European schedule"
<< Jyles to replace injured Bombers QB Pierce
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Jyles will replace injured Winnipeg
quarterback Buck Pierce for the foreseeable future, and possibly the remainder
of the season.
Pierce dislocated his right elbow during Sunday's 27-23 loss at Sas
<< Eskimos sign WR Mitchell among numerous roster moves
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos on Wednesday added a
former NFL wide receiver to their roster by signing Marko Mitchell.
A seventh round pick of the Redskins in the 2009 NFL draft. The 6-foot-3, 218-
pounder record
<< Georgia WR Green given four-game suspension
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green was given a
four-game suspension because he sold his Independence Bowl game jersey to an
individual who meets the NCAA definition of an agent.
The NCAA's student-athlete
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday, September 11. Race: Air Guard 400. Site: Richmond International Raceway. Track:0.75-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 400. Miles: 300. 2009 winner: Denny Haml
New Nationwide car running its first short-track race >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Friday,
September 10. Race: Virginia 529 College Savings 250. Site: Richmond
International Raceway. Track: 0.75-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et).
Laps: 250. Miles: 187.5. 200
City's Balotelli faces six-week injury absence >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City announced on Wednesday
that new signing Mario Balotelli will undergo knee surgery that could keep him
out for up to six weeks.
Balotelli moved to City from Inter Milan in August, but
Kosier, Colombo held out of Wednesday's practice >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys could be without two key
members of their offensive line for the season-opener, as left guard Kyle
Kosier and right tackle Marc Colombo both missed practice Wednesday.
Colombo was
Houllier takes charge at Villa >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that
Gerard Houllier has been hired as the club's new manager.
The 63-year-old Houllier was the technical director of French football, but
after stepping down from
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
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Teams that should be in: Stanford
Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds | |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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