Serena ousts Petrova; Mauresmo, Kuznetsova roll on at Oz Open

Tennis Betting Lines

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.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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