Ferrer wins; Safin loses in Barcelona

Tennis Betting Lines

04/21/2009 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's runner-up David Ferrer posted a second-round win, while former world No. 1 Marat Safin came up a first-round loser Tuesday at the $2.6 million Barcelona Open.

The fourth-seeded Ferrer held off Kazakhstani qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. Ferrer was last year's runner-up here to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Ferrer was joined in the third round by 12th-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, who flattened Spanish wild card Alberto Martin 6-2, 6-2 on Day 2.

The 2000 Barcelona titlist Safin, meanwhile, lost to gritty Argentine Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-1 in the big Russian's last appearance here. The two-time major champion Safin announced months ago that this would mark his final season on the ATP World Tour.

Four other seeds avoided opening-round upsets, as No. 9 Czech Radek Stepanek snuck past Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, No. 13 Frenchman Richard Gasquet overcame Czech Jan Hernych 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, No. 14 Swede Robin Soderling subdued Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-1, 6-4, and No. 16 Spanish favorite Feliciano Lopez leveled Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 6-1 at this French Open tuneup.

Former French Open champ Gaston Gaudio, playing in only his second ATP match of the year, reached the second round by outlasting fellow Argentine Diego Junqueira 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The wild card Gaudio was the 2004 titlist at Roland Garros and captured the Barcelona title in 2002.

In some other first-round play, Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver whipped Italian and fellow qualifier Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-3; Spaniard Oscar Hernandez humbled Argentine Eduardo Schwank 6-2, 6-4; Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti topped Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 2-6, 6-2; Frenchman Arnaud Clement doused Argentine Guillermo Canas 7-6 (7-0), 6-3; and Russian Mikhail Youzhny edged out Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.

This week's top seeds are Spanish favorites Nadal and Fernando Verdasco and Russian Nikolay Davydenko. Nadal is the reigning four-time Barcelona champ.

The reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic titlist Nadal is fresh off his fifth straight Monte-Carlo championship, having beaten Serb Novak Djokovic in this past Sunday's finale in Monaco.

Nadal will open defense of his Barcelona title against Portuguese Frederico Gil here on Wednesday, while Verdasco will encounter the qualifier Lapentti and Davydenko will battle Clement.

The Day-3 schedule will also feature second-rounders for fifth-seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, sixth-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo and seventh-seeded Argentine David Nalbandian. The 2004 Barcelona champion Robredo will take on his fellow former champ Gaudio.

This week's champion will pocket $370,000. The top-eight seeds all received first-round byes.

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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup

September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com.  The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans. 

Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to  name a  few.  Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR.  They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.

The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer.  Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.

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

Ryder Cup Odds

Europe
Tie
USA
4-5
10-1
6-5


Ryder Cup Top US point scorer
Tiger Woods
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Chris DiMarco
David Toms
Stewart Cink
Chad Campbell
Scott Verplank
Zach Johnson
Vaughan Taylor
JJ Henry
Brett Wetterich
9-4
4-1
5-1
7-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
50-1


Ryder Cup Top European scorer
Sergio Garcia
Luke Donald
Padraig Harrington
Colin Montgomerie
Darren Clarke
David Howell
Lee Westwood
Paul Casey
Henrik Stenson
Jose Maria Olazabal
Paul McGinley
Robert Karlsson
5-1
5-1
6-1
13-2
8-1
9-1
9-1
11-1
12-1
12-1
20-1
25-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com