Sister Act 4: Serena, Venus to meet in fourth Wimbledon final
Tennis Betting Lines
07/02/2009 -
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Serena Williams and third-
seeded Venus Williams will square off in Saturday's ladies' final at
Wimbledon, where Venus topped Serena in last year's third all-Williams finale
at the All England Club.
In one of the best women's matches played here in some time, the two-time
champion Serena snuck past Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva 6-7 (4-7),
7-5, 8-6 on Thursday, while the other semifinal was one of the most-lopsided
played here in a while, as the five-time titlist Venus destroyed world No. 1
Russian Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 in a laughable 51 minutes.
Venus topped Serena 7-5, 6-4 in last year's final, as Venus nailed down a
second straight and fifth overall Wimbledon title. Saturday will mark the
fourth all-Williams Wimbledon final, with Serena holding a 2-1 edge thus far.
This marked the first time since 2006 that all four top-seeded women reached
the semifinals at a Grand Slam event. Serena and Venus are former world No.
1s, which means three of the four semifinalists have held the coveted top
ranking.
In Thursday's first semi, Serena outlasted the fourth-seeded Dementieva in a
three-set thriller. The reigning Australian Open and U.S. Open titlist Serena
also topped Dementieva in a semifinal at the Aussie Open back in January.
Serena and Dementieva traded breaks in the first two games of the match on Day
10 and Serena appeared on the verge of another break in the eighth game with
a 40-15 lead. Dementieva, however, dug out of the hole to hold serve and the
set eventually went to a tiebreak on yet another hot, sunny day here.
A pair of Serena errors gave Dementieva the advantage in the tiebreak. The
American ripped a forehand wide and netted another forehand on consecutive
points to give the Russian a 6-3 edge. Dementieva quickly gave one back with a
double fault and misfired on her next serve, but Serena blasted a forehand
wide on the second serve to give Dementieva the opening set.
In an equally-as-tight second set, Dementieva eventually had opportunities to
break Serena to knot the stanza at 6-all, especially on one particular point
when the athletic Russian swatted a two-handed backhand out despite having a
wide-open court. Serena would wind up with a hold to force a deciding third
set.
In the dramatic final set, Dementieva appeared to assume some control when
Serena double-faulted and then netted a forehand to give the Russian a break
and a 3-1 lead. But Dementieva was unable to consolidate the break, as her
American counterpart broke right back and then held her serve to level the
third at 3-3.
The two stars then stayed on serve over the next several games, trading
monster forehands and backhands from the baselines. Following a Dementieva
hold, the Russian got herself to a match point in the 10th game of the stanza,
but a gutsy Serena staved it off by following up a net approach with a clutch
backhand volley winner.
Serena wound up with a hold to make it 5-all, and three games later, the
powerful American recorded a huge service break with a backhand winner for a
7-6 edge.
In the next game, Serena set-up her first match point with a forehand winner
and converted on it when Dementieva misfired wide with one final backhand
after 2 hours, 49 minutes of spectacular tennis on the famed Centre Court.
Serena launched 20 aces among her 45 winners, while Dementieva recorded 27
winners and had her serve broken five times. The two-time major runner-up from
Russia settled for three breaks in the gut-wrenching setback.
The 27-year-old Dementieva reached the French and U.S. Open finals in 2004 and
won the gold medal in Beijing last year. She has lost in the Wimbledon semis
the last two years, with last year's setback coming against the Wimbledon
queen Venus.
The 10-time major champion Serena will now appear in her 14th career Grand
Slam final (10-3). She captured Wimbledon titles in 2002 and 2003 by beating
her big sister in finals and was the runner-up here in 2004 and last year.
The 27-year-old Serena owns 33 career singles titles, including this year's
Aussie Open crown.
Meanwhile, Venus crushed a helpless Safina by breaking the Russian's weak
serve five times in six tries. The American great also tallied 16 winners,
including fives aces, compared to only six winners for a stunned Safina. And
while Safina was piling up 16 unforced errors, Venus committed only one in 13
games.
The 23-year-old Safina came here having reached three of the last five major
finals. She was upset by fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in last month's
French Open finale and dismantled by Serena in January's Aussie Open title
tilt.
Venus, who hasn't lost on Centre Court since 2004, has won 35 straight sets at
the world's most prestigious tennis event. The tall American is now 68-9 all-
time on grass overall, including 64-7 at Wimbledon.
The 29-year-old seven-time major champion Venus, like Serena, will also appear
in her 14th Grand Slam final (7-6), including her eighth at the All England
Club (5-2). She owns 41 career titles, including ones in Acapulco and Dubai
this season.
The mighty Williams sisters have combined for seven of the last nine
Wimbledon titles.
Serena and Venus will meet for a 21st time, as the superstar siblings have
split their first 20 matchups. Serena is 4-3 when they've met in Grand Slam
finals.
<< Hossa's Cup quest leads him to Chicago
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's every NHL player's dream to win a
Stanley Cup title, and Marian Hossa is certainly no exception.
Over the past few years, Hossa's travels have taken him from Atlanta to
Pittsburgh to Detroit, and desp
<< Golf Tidbits: Should we believe Finchem?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem met the
media on Wednesday at Congressional Country Club, site of this week's AT&T
National, and discussed many subjects.
The biggest topic was drug testing. Finchem a
<< Shane Sellers returns tonight at Evangeline
Opelousas, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Retired jockey Shane Sellers begins his
return to the races tonight (Thursday) at Evangeline Downs in Louisiana.
Sellers has been away from racing for 4 1/2 years due to a serious knee
injury.
<< Flames sign Garth Murray
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames have signed veteran center
Garth Murray and forward Riley Armstrong.
Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Murray appeared in 10 games last season for Phoenix and did not registe
<< Blackhawks sign Madden away from New Jersey
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks have signed center John
Madden to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal for the long-time New Jersey Devils defensive
standout were not disclosed, but the Newark Star-Le
Rockies deal Baker to Cubs >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies traded infielder Jeff Baker
to the Chicago Cubs Thursday in exchange for minor league pitcher Alberto
Alburquerque.
The Rockies had placed Baker on the 15-day disabled list with a
Altidore among seven added to U.S. Gold Cup team >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jozy Altidore was among seven players added to
the United States' Gold Cup roster, a change allowed by CONCACAF for any team
also playing in the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Forward Conor Casey, midfielders
Materazzi signs three-year extension with Inter >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Marco Materazzi has signed a three-
year contract extension with Inter Milan.
Materazzi, 35, had 12 months remaining on his existing deal but is now under
contract at the San Siro until 2012.
O'Neal ready to "Win a ring for The King" >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaquille O'Neal met the media Thursday in
Cleveland, a week after he was traded to the Cavaliers from the Phoenix Suns,
and unveiled a new motto in his attempt to capture another NBA title.
"Win a ring
Coyotes ink D Aucoin >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes brought in veteran
defenseman Adrian Aucoin on a one-year contract Thursday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed per team policy.
Aucoin, whose departure from Calgary was ea
MySportsbook.com - The World's Leading Online Sportsbook
For more than 11 years now, MySportsbook.com has been the World’s BEST online sports book website, providing a safe and secure place for sports wagering. Our world-class level of experience and industry sportsbook expertise is unmatched.
Offering a wide array of sports to wager on, MySportsbook.com leaves no stone unturned in our search to provide you with great football betting lines and online blackjack options. From teasers to parlays, from futures to wacky propositions, we add more game excitement than any other sportsbook. Fully licensed in two gaming jurisdictions, MySportsbook.com is open and eager to assist you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Whatever the sporting event, this online sportsbook has you covered. Enjoy some of sport’s most memorable moments that much more with MySportsbook.com. With increased interest, follow the game-winning field goal, the walk-off homerun, the buzzer-beater or the hole-in-one shot. Bank on that clutch glove save, the upset TKO or an incredible Hail Mary pass. MySportsbook.com quenches your thirst for action.
To visit this online blackjack got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards needs.
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
|