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01/19/2007 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Serena Williams made a statement on Friday, as the American can now officially be considered among the serious contenders at the Australian Open after dismissing fifth- seeded Russian Nadia Petrova. Second-seeded and defending champion Amelie Mauresmo also moved into the fourth round on Day 5 here.
An unseeded Williams, currently ranked 81st in the world, dropped the first set against Petrova before fighting back for a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 decision at Melbourne Park. Petrova served for the match at 6-1, 5-3, but the American survived and wound up winning 10 of the final 13 games.
"I really had no other option than for my game to go up," Williams said. "I was down 3-5 and on the verge of being out of the tournament, and I obviously didn't want that to happen."
The seven-time Grand Slam champion overcame 39 unforced errors in order to advance.
Up next for the two-time Aussie Open titlist Williams, who ran the table here in Melbourne in 2003 and 2005, will be hot 11th-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic.
The former world No. 1 Mauresmo won her 10th straight Aussie Open match by easily dousing Czech Eva Birnerova 6-3, 6-1. Mauresmo captured her first major title here a year ago by beating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final and also went on to defeat Henin-Hardenne in the title match at Wimbledon.
Mauresmo's fourth-round opponent will be unseeded Czech Lucie Safarova, who was leading Anastasiya Yakimova 6-3 when the Belarusian retired from the bout.
A third-seeded Kuznetsova, a former U.S. Open champ and last year's French Open runner-up to Henin-Hardenne, grounded her 26th-seeded fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-4. Kuznetsova will encounter 16th-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer in the next round, as Peer got past 20th-seeded Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Elena Dementieva, seeded seventh at this particular fortnight, cruised into the round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-3 pasting of Italian Maria Elena Camerin. Dementieva's fourth-round opponent will be 10th- seeded Czech slugger Nicole Vaidisova, who vaulted past 21st-seeded Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4 on Day 5.
The aforementioned Jankovic erased Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-4 to improve to a stellar 12-1 this season, including a season-opening title in Auckland two weeks ago.
<< Bailiff to take over at Rice
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rice has scheduled a news conference for Friday
to introduce its new head football coach and reports in Houston say it will be
David Bailiff.
The Houston Chronicle reported Friday that Bailiff will take over To
<< Broadway named football coach at Grambling
Grambling, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rod Broadway has been named the new head
football coach at Grambling State University.
Broadway spent the past four seasons at Division II North Carolina Central
University, where he posted a reco
<< Drake and Blues top Kings
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Drake had a two-goal game as the
St. Louis Blues skated past the Los Angeles Kings, 3-1, in head coach Andy
Murray's return to the Staples Center.
Bill Guerin also tallied for the Blues, w
<< Federer blasts into fourth round at Aussie Open
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed and world No. 1 Roger Federer
was a straight-set winner on Friday in the third round of the 2007 Australian
Open.
The defending champion eased past 25th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-3
Reynolds Plantation - Experiencing is Believing >>
Greensboro, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The guys want to play golf, the girls want
to be pampered, and the family wants the beach. Ah, yes, the quandary that
awaits. This country has so much to offer, from Myrtle Beach to Florida,
Califor
Hawks go for fourth straight win versus Bobcats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks aim for their fourth straight win
tonight when they open a home-and-home set against the Charlotte Bobcats at
Philips Arena.
Atlanta hasn't won four in a row since the first week of this season and
reco
Nets visit Atlantic Division-rival New York >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets shoot for their third straight win
tonight when they visit the division-rival New York Knicks at Madison Square
Garden.
New Jersey, which is tied atop the Atlantic Division with Toronto, is two
games
Pistons, Timberwolves battle at Target Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons try to halt a two-game losing streak
when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the Target Center.
This is the second and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs. On
January 15th, Ke
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard 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.
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