Wozniacki cruises into second round at U.S. Open

Tennis Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki had no trouble advancing through to the second round at the 2010 U.S. Open, while former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova were also among Tuesday's first-round winners.

Wozniacki, who can become the top player in the world with a win in this tournament, needed just 61 minutes to breeze past American Chelsey Gullickson 6-1, 6-1.

Fresh off a title in New Haven, Wozniacki is looking to build off last year's runner-up finish at the U.S. Open to Kim Clijsters. She will next face Kai- Chen Chang, who beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-4.

The fourth-seeded Jankovic went the distance to sneak past Romanian Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Jankovic moved on in 2 hours, 20 minutes, despite piling up 48 unforced errors in a sloppy match on a very hot day in New York. On-court temperatures soared well over 100 degrees. The promising 18-year-old Halep actually served for the match.

"It was a tough match," Jankovic said. "It was, you know, my first match here. For me, those first matches are always the toughest. It was really hot and windy."

Jankovic, who was the 2008 U.S. Open runner-up to American great Serena Williams, will face Croat Mirjana Lucic in the second round.

Sharapova, the 14th seed, avoided the upset with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Jarmila Groth. The three-time major champion and 2006 U.S. Open titlist has not advanced past the third round here since her win and has failed to make a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam event since the 2009 French Open.

"(Groth) came out there today and really swung and didn't give me much time to do anything out there," Sharapova said. "She served really well in the first set, and I wasn't returning that well. She was quite difficult to get a rhythm in the beginning, but I just hung in there. In tennis, you have three sets to play."

Former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia joined Jankovic and Sharapova in the second round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 decision against 39-year- old Japanese Kimiko Date Krumm. Kuznetsova prevailed in just under two hours on the Grandstand Court.

The two-time major champion Kuznetsova, seeded 11th at this particular fortnight, titled here in Flushing in 2004.

Also advancing was seventh-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, who rolled over Zuzana Kucova 6-2, 6-1. Zvonareva is coming off her best performance at Grand Slam, finishing as runner-up to the injured Serena Williams at this year's Wimbledon. She has never advanced past the fourth round here.

A big upset came when Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko upended eighth-seeded Chinese Li Na 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. The big-hitting Li was an Australian Open semifinalist back in January.

Another upset was recorded when Andrea Petkovic toppled 17th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4). Petrova was coming off a runner-up finish to Wozniacki in last week's Pilot Pen Tennis event at New Haven.

Ninth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska rolled past Spaniard Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-4, 6-3, while 15th-seeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer mauled Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-2. Wickmayer was a surprise semifinalist here a year ago.

Eighteenth-seeded Aravane Rezai of France advanced with a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7) victory over Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova.

Other seeded winners on Day 2 were No. 22 Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, No. 23 Maria Kirilenko, No. 25 Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru and No. 31 Kaia Kanepi.

A mild upset came when once-promising Austrian Tamira Paszek overcame 26th- seeded Czech Lucie Safarova 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Another mild upset came in the form of Lourdes Dominguez Lino, who beat 30th-seeded Yaroslava Shvedova 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Also reaching the round of 64 were the aforementioned Lucic, Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder, Chinese Peng Shuai, Austrian Yvonne Meusburger, Poland's Urszula Radwanska, German Julia Goerges, Taipei's Yung-Jan Chan, Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, American Beatrice Capra, Czech Iveta Benesova, and Swede Sofia Arvidsson.

Other winners on Tuesday included Akgul Amanmuradova, Dominika Cibulkova, Sabine Lisicki and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

The 2010 U.S. Open champion will earn at least $1.7 million.

Freefootballchance Tennis Betting News

<< Rodriguez solid as Astros shut down Cardinals
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez combined with three other pitchers in a three-hit shutout as the Houston Astros blanked the reeling St. Louis Cardinals, 3-0, in the second of three games. Rodriguez (11-12) gave up two

<< Giants top Rockies with late rally, inch closer in NL West race
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andres Torres sparked a three-run eighth inning with a solo homer, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies, 5-2, in the second test of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

<< Kennedy, Diamondbacks beat reeling Padres
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Kennedy pitched seven solid innings and the Diamondbacks used a balanced offensive attack to defeat the reeling San Diego Padres, 7-4, in the second of three games at Chase Field. Kennedy (9-9) allowed t

<< Moore helps Mariners top Angels in Seattle
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Moore's two-out RBI single in the eighth lifted the Seattle Mariners to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second of three games at Safeco Field. Moore finished the game wit

<< Twins rally to down Detroit
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young's RBI single in the seventh put Minnesota ahead for good, and the Twins rallied with two two-run innings to down Detroit, 4-3, and maintain a four-game lead in the AL Central. Young finis

Red Sox release Hermida from minor league assignment >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox released outfielder Jeremy Hermida from his minor league assignment after it became apparent he would not be recalled to the major league club when rosters expand on September 1. Hermida h

Howard, Schneider power Phils past Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard and Brian Schneider each hit a three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4, in the second of three games. Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single f

Leafs sign Hanson >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday signed restricted free agent forward Christian Hanson to a one-year contract. In 32 games for Toronto last season, Hanson recorded two goals and seven assists.

Preseason finale a chance for Packers' backup QBs >>
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Aaron Rodgers knows from experience that it isn't easy to live life as an understudy in the NFL.Now that Rodgers finally has broken free from Brett Favre's shadow to become an elite starting quarterback, he sees a little bit o

Moreno returns to Broncos practice >>
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - The Denver Broncos' injured backfield is beginning to get healthy.Knowshon Moreno was back at practice Tuesday, one month after the starting running back hurt his right hamstring on the opening live drill of training camp.Mor

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.