Category Archives: Tennis

Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in epic Grand Slam final

Posted on by
Reply

wore down in the longest Grand Slam singles final in the history of professional tennis today, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 after five hours, 53 minutes to claim his third title.

Djokovic sealed victory at 1:37am local time and became the fifth man since the Open Era began in 1968 to win three straight Grand Slam finals. The 24-year-old Djokovic tore off his shirt in celebration after one of the most dramatic finals in the history of the game. He went to his support camp and repeatedly thumped the side of the arena in delight and relief.

Djokovic’s win mantained his mastery of Nadal, who has lost seven straight finals against the Serb since March last year. After coming from 5-3 down to win the fourth-set tiebreaker, Nadal was up a break at 4-2 in the fifth set against Djokovic, who seemed to be tiring. But the No. 1-ranked Djokovic responded, breaking for a 6-5 lead and saved a break point before finally claiming the win. The previous longest major singles final was Mats Wilander’s win over Ivan Lendl at the US Open in 1988, which lasted four hours, 54 minutes.

Vegas Online Casino

Australian Open women’s final: Maria Sharapova vs. Victoria Azarenka

Posted on by
Reply

Not only is the first Grand Slam title of the season on the line Saturday in Melbourne (Friday night U.S. time) when and face off in the women’s final, but the winner also will replace Caroline Wozniacki as the No. 1 player in the world. Azarenka is the -140 tennis bets favorite on WagerWeb.com.

Sharapova, the 2008 Australian Open winner, beat reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova’s serve in the last game to finish off a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the semis. Azarenka beat defending Aussie Open champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, twice recovering from periods in which a resurgent Clijsters seemed to have the upper hand, breaking the veteran Belgian’s serve three times in the third set to secure victory in only her second appearance in a major semifinal. Azarenka has won 11 matches in a row after claiming the Sydney International title ahead of the Australian Open.

Sharapova is a three-time Grand Slam champion but hasn’t won one since that 2008 Aussie title; her other titles are at Wimbledon in 2004 and the 2006 U.S. Open.

Azarenka and Sharapova have played six times in their careers, with each winning three. However, Azarenka won the past two meetings on hard courts, the most recent in the 2011 Miami tournament where the Belarusian won 6-1, 6-4. But their most recent meeting was last spring in the clay in Rome, with Sharapova winning when Azarenka withdrew in the second set with an injury.

If Azarenka wins the final, she would be only the third player to rise to the top ranking after her first Grand Slam win. Martina Navratilova rose to No. 1 for the first time after winning Wimbledon in 1978, while Ana Ivanovic did the same after winning the 2008 French Open.

A win by Sharapova would mark the fourth time in the Russian’s career that she’s held the top ranking, the most recent in June 2008. Overall, she’s been No. 1 for 17 nonconsecutive weeks.

Expect a noisy final as these are the two loudest “grunters” on the tour. Decibel counters set up at Melbourne Park this week have measured Azarenka’s wail at 91.4, while Sharapova is understood to have reached 98. At her peak, the Russian has been recorded at an ear-splitting 105.

“We are in the process of exploring how to reduce excessive grunting, especially for younger players just starting out, without adversely affecting players who have developed their game under current training, rules and procedures,” a spokeswoman said

Place your tennis bets at our online sportsbook!

Vegas Online Casino

Novak Djokovic Favored to Beat Rafael Nadal for Australian Open Crown

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a chalk final for the men’s Australian Open crown on Saturday night U.S. time (Sunday in Melbourne) as world No. 1Novak Djokovic faces No. 2 Rafael Nadal for the first Grand Slam championship of the season. Djokovic opened as the -160 favorite with live betting available on Bovada’s tennis odds.

Get all your tennis odds at Bovada Sportsbook!

Nadal might have a slight advantage as he will have had an extra day of rest. The Spanish lefty, a 2009 Aussie Open winner, beat No. 3 seed Roger Federer6-7 (5), 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in his semifinal match. This is the first time that Nadal, who says he will take some time off after this tournament to heal some nagging injuries, has reached the finals of the Aussie Open since his ’09 title.

Djokovic looks for his third Aussie Open title, winning last year and in 2008. The Serb rallied to beat No. 4 seed Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 7-5 in a rematch of the 2011 final at Melbourne Park to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final. The match took nearly five hours and ended early Saturday morning local time.

Djokovic won three of the four majors last year, only falling in the semifinals of the French Open to Federer. Djokovic looks to become only the fifth man since the Open Era started in 1968 to win three straight majors — only Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Federer and Nadal have achieved it before him.

Nadal leads the all-time series with Djokovic 16-13, but that’s misleading. Djokovic won all six matches against Nadal last year and they all came in the finals of tournaments. Three of those were on hard courts, which is the surface at the Aussie Open. These two have never met at this tournament.

Join the Bovada Sportsbook now!

Vegas Online Casino

Victoria Azarenka Favored vs. Maria Sharapova in Australian Open Womens Final

Posted on by
Reply

The No. 1 ranking in the world is on the line on Saturday (Friday night U.S. time) in Melbourne when Victoria Azarenkafaces Maria Sharapova for the Australian Open women’s championship. Azarenka opened as the -135 favorite on Bovada’s tennis odds with live betting available.

Get all your tennis odds at Bovada Sportsbook!

Azarenka, the No. 3 seed, beat No. 11 seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the semifinals to reach the first Grand Slam final of her career. Azarenka, from Belarus, broke Clijsters’ serve twice in the third set in only her second appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal. The last time Azarenka was in a Grand Slam semi was at Wimbledon last year when she lost in three sets to eventual champion Petra Kvitova.

It is the final Aussie Open for Clijsters, who says she will retire again at the end of the year. She leaves Melbourne Park with one title to her name (2011), one finals appearance and five semifinals in 10 visits.

The fourth-seeded Sharapova, the 2008 Australian Open champion, beat No. 2 Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Sharapova struggled with her serve, especially in the third set where she posted five of her 10 double faults in the match. The Russian lost to Kvitova in the Wimbledon final last year. Sharapova is a three-time Grand Slam champion but hasn’t won one since that 2008 Aussie title; her other titles are at Wimbledon in 2004 and the 2006 U.S. Open.

Azarenka and Sharapova have played six times in their careers, with each winning three. However, Azarenka won the past two meetings on hard courts, the most recent in the 2011 Miami tournament where the Belarusian won 6-1, 6-4. But their most recent meeting was last spring in the clay in Rome, with Sharapova winning when Azarenka withdrew in the second set with an injury.

The winner replaces Caroline Wozniacki as the top-ranked player in the world, a spot Sharapova has previously held.

Join the Bovada Sportsbook now!

Vegas Online Casino

Semifinales en el Abierto de Australia: Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic

Posted on by
Reply

No conseguirá la publicidad de los hombres del otro partido de la semifinal de Australia Open, pero cabeza de serie Novak Djokovic y Andy Murray N º 4 tienen su propia historia, ya que se enfrentan en Melbourne por un puesto en la final del domingo del primer evento de Grand Slam del año. Djokovic, el campeón reinante aquí, abrió sus puertas como el-120 apuestas de tenis favoritas en WagerWeb.com para el partido del viernes por la noche en Melbourne.

Con Djokovic en sets corridos victoria sobre David Ferrer y barrido de Murray a Kei Nishikori, las semifinales será una vez más todas las tizas. El cuarteto Roger / Rafa /Novak / Andy completado las semifinales en tanto que los franceses y los EE.UU. Se abre la temporada pasada y tres de las avanzadas a las semifinales en Wimbledon y el Abierto de Australia cuatro. Desde el 2005 el Abierto de Australia, sólo un jugador – Juan Martín del Potro en el del Abierto los EE.UU. 2009 - ha ganado un Grand Slam.

Esto marca la tercera vez que las cuatro primeras semillas han avanzado a las semifinales del Abierto de Australia - que ya ocurrió en 1988 y 2005. También fue la 14 ª vez en todos los torneos de Grand Slam desde la Era Abierta comenzó en 1968.

Djokovic ha sido el mejor de los cuatro torneos más importantes en los últimos tiempos, ganador de tres de los cuatro en 2011. Venció a Murray en sets corridos en la final del Abierto de Australia del año pasado. Que la victoria de Djokovic puso en marcha en una de las mejores temporadas en la historia del tenis y envió a Murray en un funk que duró hasta la temporada de tierra batida en abril. Pero Murray ha aceptado el cambio de este año, la contratación de un nuevo entrenador en Ivan Lendl, mientras que Djokovic se ha quedado por el equipo de soporte mismo, encabezado por su antiguo entrenador Marian Vajda.

El número 1 del mundo venció al español N º 5 David Ferrer por 6-4 y 7-6 (7-4) y 6-1 en sus cuartos de final. Djokovic superó a Ferrer en 2 horas, 44 minutos por golpear a 17 ganadores y romper el español en cinco ocasiones, en comparación con sólo dos pausas para el perdedor. Estaba lejos de ser un camino de rosas para el serbio, que también parecía luchar con una lesión en el muslo.

Pero él dijo: ”No tengo ninguna preocupación de recuperar para el próximo partido”.

Murray, uno de los tres títulos de Grand Slam subcampeón manejado 24to preclasificado Nishikori por 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 el miércoles. El escocés de 24 años de edad, golpeó 36 ganadores y ganó casi el 80 por ciento de su primer saque puntos, mientras que Nishikori acumulado 39 errores no forzados.

Murray ganó el torneo de preparación en Brisbane y se ve fabuloso, bajo la tutela de Lendl. Murray se reunirá con Djokovic por el momento 11, con el serbio con una ventaja de 6-4 de por vida. Su único Gran Slam de la reunión se produjo en la final del año pasado aquí, que Djokovic ganó con facilidad, por 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Djokovic tiene marca de 3-0 cuando se ha cumplido en las semifinales del torneo.

El ganador, por supuesto, se enfrenta al ganador de Nadal-Federer el domingo (sábado por la tarde en los EE.UU.) en Melbourne.

Haga clic aquí para colocar sus apuestas de Tenis abierto en Bovada Apuestas Deportivas

Vegas Online Casino

Las probabilidades del Abierto de Australia calor para arriba por anticipada Semifinal

Posted on by
Reply

Un choque muy esperado entre los feroces rivales de Roger Federer y Rafael Nadal se destacan las semifinales de acción en el Abierto de Australia en la acción Grand Slam de apuestas en la noche del miércoles en Melbourne, Australia.

Haga clic aquí para colocar sus apuestas de Tenis abierto en Bovada Apuestas Deportivas.

Federer, ex número 1 del ranking jugador del mundo que tiene un récord de 16 títulos de Grand Slam en su haber, incluyendo cuatro coronas anteriores en el Abierto de Australia,se muestra como un sólido -160 favoritos en las probabilidades de derrotar a Nadal y avanza a otra final de Grand Slam.

Nadal, que también ha sido el lugar número 1 en el mundo y cuenta con diez coronas de Grand Slam en su palmarés incluyendo uno en el Abierto de Australia en 2009, aparece como el favorito en 130 probabilidades. Nadal derrotó a Federer en cinco sets para ganar el título en solitario en el Melbourne Park, y también venció a Federer en cuatro sets en 2005 - la última vez que se reunieron en una semifinal del Abierto de Australia.

Federer, el sembrado N º 3, llega a este duelo de semifinales en los talones de una impresionante victoria en sets corridos a Juan Martín del Potro el martes. Más tarde esa noche, el segundo cabeza de serie, Nadal necesitó cuatro sets para derrotar a extenuante Tomas Berdych y avanzar para hacer frente a Federer en la noche del miércoles.

En la otra semifinal, el campeón defensor y máximo preclasificado Novak Djokovic de Serbia se enreda con Andy Murray de Escocia en un partido de repetición de la final del Abierto de Australia del año pasado que fue ganado en sets corridos por Djokovic.

Djokovic venció a David Ferrer por 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 en los cuartos de final, mientras que Murray venció a Kei 6-3, 6-3 Nishikori, por 6-1. Djokovic es el favorito -250, mientras que Murray es un underdog 185.

Estar allí por cada victoria.
Haga clic aquí para colocar sus apuestas de Tenis abierto en Bovada Apuestas Deportivas.

Vegas Online Casino

Australian Open men’s semifinals: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal

Posted on by
Reply

The best rivalry in tennis for the past decade or so resumes in the semifinals of the when third-seeded and No. 2 seed meet for a spot in Sunday’s final. It’s the 27th time these two Hall of Famers will have met. Federer opened as the slight -115 tennis bets favorite on WagerWeb.com for Thursday night’s match in Melbourne.

Four-time Australian Open champion Federer advanced to his ninth straight semifinal at Melbourne Park with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win Tuesday over Juan Martin del Potro, the man who beat him for the U.S. Open title in 2009. It was the 1,000th match in Federer’s pro career and he has yet to drop a set here in 2012. Nadal took 4 hours and 16 minutes to beat Tomas Berdych 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-3, reach his 18th major semifinal.

Federer and Nadal – they were ranked 1-2 for many years – have been on opposite halves of the draw since the 2005 French Open. That was the last time the pair met in a Grand Slam semifinal, won that year by Nadal in four sets.

Nadal takes a 17-9 lifetime edge into Thursday’s match, including a 7-2 edge and a four-match winning streak in the majors. The last time Federer emerged victorious on the Grand Slam stage was the 2007 Wimbledon final, and it’s a trend he badly wants to reverse.

Nadal handed Federer two of his toughest losses, triumphing in arguably the greatest match of all time at Wimbledon in 2008 and repeating his five-set heroics at the ensuing Australian Open. Few thought Nadal had it in him in 2009, given he had contested a five-hour, 14 minute marathon against Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals two days before. Federer enjoyed an extra day of rest back then.

“We played a lot of matches against each other, in very important moments for our careers and very high moments,” said Nadal, a 10-time Grand Slam champion. “So the match is special.”

They played four times last year, with Nadal winning in the semifinals in Miami and Madrid and in the final of the French Open. But Federer stopped the streak emphatically when he dismantled Nadal, 6-3, 6-0, in the round-robin phase of the ATP World Tour Finals in November. Federer, not Nadal, has been on the much bigger roll of late. He has not lost since the semifinals of last year’s United States Open, winning his last 24 matches. His only blemish came when he retired before the semifinals in Doha with his back problems.

“Even if it’s not a final, it’s still a huge match,” Federer said.

The winner faces the - winner on Saturday night U.S. time.

Place your tennis bets at our online sportsbook!

Vegas Online Casino

Australian Open men’s semifinals: Andy Murray vs. Novak Djokovic

Posted on by
Reply

It won’t get the hype of the other men’s semifinal match, but top-seeded and No. 4 have their own history as they face off in Melbourne for a spot in Sunday’s final of the first Grand Slam event of the year. Djokovic, the reigning champion here, opened as the -120 tennis bets favorite on WagerWeb.com for Friday night’s match in Melbourne.

With Djokovic’s straight-sets win over David Ferrer and Murray’s sweep of Kei Nishikori, the semifinals will once again be all chalk. The Roger/Rafa/Novak/Andy foursome filled out the semifinals at both the French and U.S. Opens last season and three of the four advanced to the semis at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Since the 2005 Australian Open, only one other player — Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open — has won a Grand Slam.

This marks only the third time that the top four seeds have advanced to the semis at the Australian Open — it previously happened in 1988 and 2005. It was also the 14th time at all Grand Slams since the Open Era began in 1968.

Djokovic has been the best of the four in major tournaments of late, winning three of the four in 2011. He beat Murray in straight sets in last year’s Australian Open final. That victory launched Djokovic on one of the finest seasons in tennis history and sent Murray into a funk that lasted until the clay-court season in April. But Murray has embraced change this year, hiring a new coach in Ivan Lendl, while Djokovic has stuck by the same support team, headed by his longtime coach Marian Vajda.

The world No. 1 beat the Spaniard No. 5 seed David Ferrer 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 in his quarterfinal. Djokovic got past Ferrer in 2 hours, 44 minutes by hitting 17 more winners and breaking the Spaniard five times, compared to only two breaks for the loser.  It was far from plain sailing for the Serbian, who also appeared to struggle with a hamstring injury.

But he said: “I have no concerns of recovering for the next match.”

Murray, a the three-time Grand Slam runner-up handled 24th-seeded Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Scot struck 36 winners and won nearly 80 percent of his first- serve points, while Nishikori piled up 39 unforced errors.

Murray won the warm-up tournament in Brisbane and looks terrific under Lendl’s tutelage. Murray will meet Djokovic for the 11th time, with the Serb holding a 6-4 lifetime advantage. Their lone Grand Slam meeting came in last year’s final here, which Djokovic won easily, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Djokovic is 3-0 when they’ve met in semifinals of a tournament.

The winner of course faces the Nadal-Federer winner on Sunday (late Saturday in USA) in Melbourne.

Place your tennis bets at our online sportsbook!

Vegas Online Casino

Australian Open Betting: Clijsters Continues Hunt for Second Consecutive Crown

Posted on by
Reply

Defending champion Kim Clijsters will continue along the road to potentially winning her second career Australian Open title with a semi-final matchup against hard-hitting Victoria Azarenkain Grand Slam tennis betting action on Wednesday night in Melbourne, Australia.

Visit Bovada now for all your Australian Open tennis betting oddsand player props.

Clijsters, the No. 11 seed at this event, is listed at -110 odds to defeat the third-seeded Azarenka who is a slight favorite on the tennis betting odds to eliminate the defending champ at -120.

Current world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki was shocked by Clijsters in their quarter-final match on Tuesday, losing 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), and will also fall out of the top spot in the WTA rankings once a new champion is crowned later this week at Melbourne Park.

Azarenka, seeded third, overcame a slow start to knock off No. 8 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in two quick sets (6-0, 6-2) after dropping the first set 6-7 (0-7). Azarenka is on a roll after warming up for the Australian Open by winning the 2012 Apia International Sydney tournament two weeks ago in which she also dumped Radwanska in the semi-final.

In the other women’s semi-final, Maria Sharapova will meet Petra Kvitova after both players breezed through their quarter-final matches on Wednesday. Sharapova defeated Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-3, while Kvitova advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Sara Errani. Sharapova, the 2008 champion, is a +120 underdog to advance while Kvitova is favored to move on to the final at -150 odds.

Kvitova, Sharapova, and Azarenka all have a shot at dislodging Wozniacki from the No. 1 world ranking with a Grand Slam victory at Melbourne Park.

Be there for every victory. 
Visit Bovada now for all your Australian Open tennis odds and props.

Vegas Online Casino

Australian Open Odds Heat Up For Anticipated Semifinal

Posted on by
Reply

A much-anticipated clash between fierce rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadalwill highlight semi-final action at the Australian Open in Grand Slam tennis betting action on Wednesday night in Melbourne, Australia.

Visit Bovada now for all yourAustralian Open tennis odds and player props.

Federer, the former No. 1-ranked player in the world who has a record 16 Grand Slam titles under his belt including four previous crowns at the Australian Open, is listed as a solid -160 favorite on thetennis odds to defeat Nadal and advance to yet another Grand Slam final.

Nadal, who has also been previously ranked No. 1 in the world and has ten Grand Slam crowns on his resume including one at the Australian Open in 2009, is listed as the underdog at +130 odds. Nadal defeated Federer in five sets to win his lone title at Melbourne Park, and also beat Federer in four sets in 2005 – the last time they met in a semi-final at the Australian Open.

Federer, the No. 3 seed, comes into this semi-final matchup on the heels of an impressive straight-set victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Tuesday. Later that night, the second-seeded Nadal needed four gruelling sets to defeat Tomas Berdych and advance to face Federer on Wednesday night.

In the other semi-final, defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia will tangle withAndy Murray of Scotland in a repeat matchup of last year’s Australian Open final which was won in straight sets by Djokovic.

Djokovic overcame David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 in the quarter-finals, while Murray vanquishedKei Nishikori 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. Djokovic is a -250 favorite while Murray is a +185 underdog.

Be there for every victory. 
Visit Bovada now for all your Australian Open tennis betting needs.

Vegas Online Casino