11/13/2008 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko defeated seventh-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets on Thursday to reach the semifinals at the $4.45 million Tennis Masters Cup.
Davydenko prevailed in 87 minutes in easy 6-3, 6-2 fashion against the 6- foot-5 del Potro, who made his Masters Cup debut this week. Davydenko went 2-1 in this week's Gold Group round-robin action and will now play in Saturday's semifinals, while del Potro settled for a 1-2 mark and is done for the week.
The gritty Russian jumped out to 4-1 leads in both sets and was never challenged on Day 5. Davydenko broke del Potro no less than four times, while allowing only one break against, and the big-hitting Argentine failed to record even one ace in defeat, compared to five for the winning Russian.
Davydenko is now 2-1 lifetime against del Potro, including a 1-1 mark this year. The Argentine beat the Russian in a Davis Cup semifinal tie back in September.
The 20-year-old del Potro will represent Argentina in next week's Davis Cup final against visiting Spain in Mar del Plata. His fine ATP season featured four straight tournament titles at one point just before the U.S. Open.
In another Gold Group match on Day 5, sixth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga picked up his only win of the week by overcoming second-seeded Serbian star Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 in 1 hour, 38 minutes on the indoor hardcourt at Qi Zhong Stadium. Tsonga popped seven aces and broke Djokovic on three occasions.
The bout marked a rematch of January's Australian Open final, which was won by Djokovic. Tsonga, however, wound up winning three of their four encounters for the year, including three straight and a victory at the Paris Masters just two weeks ago.
The 23-year-old Tsonga, like del Potro, was also making his Masters Cup debut this week. He went 1-2 in the Gold Group, while the group-winner Djokovic was 2-1 and had already booked a spot in Saturday's semis. The Serb was 0-3 in last year's round-robin portion.
The ever-improving Tsonga went 8-5 against Top-10 competition this season.
Red Group round-robin play will wrap up here on Friday when top-seeded Swiss Roger Federer (1-1) meets third-seeded Brit Andy Murray (2-0) and eighth- seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon (1-1) battles Czech alternate Radek Stepanek (0-1), who joined the field on Wednesday when fifth-seeded American star Andy Roddick (0-1) pulled out due to an ankle injury. Federer and Simon are still trying to secure a semifinal berth, while Murray has already qualified for the final four. Stepanek will not play here beyond Friday.
The 13-time major champion Federer, who has won the last five U.S. Opens, is a four-time overall and two-time defending Masters Cup champion. The Wimbledon and French Open runner-up beat Spaniard David Ferrer in last year's finale here in Shanghai and is the only former Masters Cup champion in this year's field.
Federer and Murray will meet in a rematch of the U.S. Open final, which was won by the super Swiss. Murray, however, is 3-2 lifetime against Federer, including a 2-1 record this season.
The red-hot 21-year-old Murray has won 16 of his last 17 matches overall, including titles in St. Petersburg and Madrid.
Murray and Simon, like Tsonga and del Potro, are Masters Cup rookies.
<< Udrih leads Kings to win over Clippers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Beno Udrih poured in a career-high 30
points and doled out seven assists to lead the Sacramento Kings past the Los
Angeles Clippers, 103-98, from Staples Center.
Jason Thompson and Brad Miller both
<< Shoving match overshadows Houston's rout of Suns
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tracy McGrady scored 27 points -- including 15
in the third quarter -- leading the Houston Rockets to a 94-82 win over the
Phoenix Suns in a game marred by a fracas toward the end of the third quarter.
With
<< Seahawks QB Hasselbeck back at practice
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck
practiced Wednesday and was awaiting clearance to start Sunday's home game
against Arizona.
Hasselbeck has been out the last five games due to a continued wea
<< UCLA routs Prairie View
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Collison began his senior season on
a solid note, plugging in a team-high 19 points to go with four assists in
fourth-ranked UCLA's 82-58 drubbing of the Prairie View Panthers in opening
round a
Iverson leads Pistons into Oakland to face Warriors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons continue a four-game Western road swing
Thursday when they visit Oakland and the Golden State Warriors.
Allen Iverson posted a terrific all-around effort in getting his first win in
a Pistons uniform, l
Mavs try to get back on track vs. Bulls in Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Dallas Mavericks will try and halt a three-
game skid when they make the trek to the Windy City Thursday to face the
Chicago Bulls at the United Center.
Los Angeles' Pau Gasol had 22 points and 11 rebounds,
Pats-Jets Grudge Match for First Place This Time >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The residue of the Spygate controversy and the simmering
bad blood between head coaches Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini will have to
take a back seat on Thursday night.
The headline in the primetime tilt between the New En
Habs try to win 13th straight test versus Bruins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A battle for first place in the Northeast Division is on
tap tonight in Boston, as the Bruins welcome the Montreal Canadiens for a
matchup between Original Six teams at TD Banknorth Garden.
The Bruins and the Buffalo Sabre
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting