Youzhny reaches Open quarters; Querrey ousted in five sets

Tennis Betting Lines

09/07/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny was a fourth-round winner Tuesday at the 2010 U.S. Open, while Sam Querrey, the final American in the field, was beaten in five sets by Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka.

The 12th-seeded Youzhny handled former top-10 Spaniard Tommy Robredo, 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Russian prevailed in just over three hours in a mostly-uneventful match at Armstrong Stadium. Youzhny tallied four service breaks, compared to only one for the Spanish loser, who captured the third set with his lone break.

Robredo, who was the lowest-ranked man (41st) still standing here, won his second-and third-round matches when his opponents retired. The 28-year-old fell to 0-7 in his fourth-round U.S. Open matches.

Spain placed no less than six men in the round of 16 here, but only two will head into the quarters.

There were two other scheduled fourth-round matches Tuesday, both among Spaniards. Top-seeded Rafael Nadal was to play No. 23 seed Feliciano Lopez in the final match of the night session, while eighth-seeded Fernando Verdasco was on court against No. 10 seed David Ferrer. The eight-time major champion and top-ranked Nadal is the reigning Wimbledon and French Open titlist. He's never reached a U.S. Open final and needs this title to complete a career Golden Slam.

"They play really, really well," Youzhny said. "Why? They have a lot of courts; they have a lot of good facilities to practice well. I think it's not really expensive to practice in Spain for Spanish people. In Russia now it's very expensive to practice in Moscow. Not everybody can do this. Before they had only good results on clay, but now, in my opinion, the hard courts are going a little bit slower than previous years. That's why they can play also well on hard courts."

The 28-year-old Youzhny reached the U.S. Open final four back in 2006.

Youzhny, who will appear in his fourth career Grand Slam quarterfinal, awaits Wawrinka. The 25th-seeded Swiss was a 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 winner over the 20th-seeded Querrey.

This is the first Grand Slam quarterfinal berth for Wawrinka in his 23rd major tournament. The result also means there will be two Swiss men in the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam for the first time in the Open Era, the other this year being five-time U.S. Open champion Roger Federer.

The quarters will get underway here on Wednesday. The second-seeded Federer takes on fifth-seeded two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling in the final match of the night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Earlier on Ashe, third-seeded former Flushing runner-up Novak Djokovic will be opposed by 17th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils. The reigning Australian Open champion Federer was stunned by Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in last year's finale here.

Wfantasysharks Tennis Betting News

<< Chicago's Boquete wins WPS Player of the Week
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Red Stars attacker Veronica Boquete was named Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 21 on Tuesday. Boquete led the Red Stars to wins in their final two games of the 2010 sea

<< Alouettes QB Calvillo expected to sit vs. Ticats
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo will likely not play in his club's next game with the Hamilton Tiger- Cats on Saturday. TSN of Canada and CFL.ca both reported on Tuesday that while

<< Nats recall Maya for highly-anticipated debut
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals recalled pitcher Yunesky Maya from Triple-A Syracuse among a quartet of moves on Tuesday prior to their game with the New York Mets. Maya, a right-hander, is slated to make

<< Rockies recall Escalona among numerous roster moves
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies on Tuesday recalled right- handed pitcher Edgmer Escalona from Triple-A Colorado Springs. The 23-year-old Escalona will look to make his debut in the majors. The Venezuelan native

<< Broncos ink DL Vickerson, cut Smith
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos bolstered their defensive line on Tuesday by agreeing to terms with Keith Vickerson to a contract. Details were not released per team policy. The 6-foot-5, 321-pound defensive lineman

Jets bring back FB Richardson >>
Florham Park, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets re-signed Tony Richardson on Tuesday, just two days after releasing the veteran fullback. He had re-signed with the team in March after blocking last season for the NFL's t

Garcia leaves start early >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Freddy Garcia left Tuesday's start against Detroit with what appeared to be a lower body injury. Garcia lasted two innings and allowed two runs on three hits. The 3

Reds recall Volquez from Single-A Dayton >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds recalled pitcher Edinson Volquez from Single-A Dayton so he could be a part of the team's pitching staff down the stretch. Volquez missed most of the season after Tommy John sur

Williams advances to the semifinals >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champion Venus Williams advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Tuesday night with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win over French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. The third-seeded Williams, the las

Seahawks re-sign Babineaux >>
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday re-signed defensive back Jordan Babineaux. Babineaux, who was released by Seattle over the weekend, registered a career- high 105 tackles as the starting free safety last

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.