Bryans reach eighth Aussie doubles final
Tennis Betting Lines
01/26/2012 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The world No. 1 twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, were come-from-behind semifinal winners Thursday at the Australian Open.
The Bryans saved a match point and overcame a 2-5 deficit in a third-set tiebreak before sneaking past a seventh-seeded team of Swede Robert Lindstedt and Romanian Horia Tecau 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) at Melbourne Park.
"Played kind of our best tennis at the very end," Mike Bryan said. "Bob reflexed an unbelievable shot to get to 5-3. They're a big serving team. It's tough. I thought they played well. I think they're the most improved out on tour."
The 33-year-old Bryans own 11 Grand Slam doubles titles, including the last three Aussie Open crowns. They have won five of the last six Aussie titles and are also the reigning Wimbledon champs.
The Bryans are also an eight-time Grand Slam doubles runner-up.
Up next for the mighty Bryans will be an unseeded duo of Indian Leander Paes and Czech Radek Stepanek, who fought back to upend a second-seeded tandem of Belarusian Max Mirnyi and Canadian Daniel Nestor 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Paes was a runner-up to the Bryans, playing alongside fellow Indian Mahesh Bhupathi, in last year's Aussie doubles finale. The 38-year-old is a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion and three-time Aussie doubles runner-up. Stepanek is a former U.S. Open doubles runner-up (2002).
Saturday's winning team will split $475,000.
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the all-time greats did battle in a Grand Slam event once again on Thursday, and once again it was Rafael Nadal beating his fellow former world No. 1 star Roger Federer, this time in the Austral
<< Azarenka, Sharapova to clash in Aussie final
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova
will square off in Saturday's women's Australian Open final after they both
survived tense three-set semifinal matches on Thursday.
Azarenka, seeded third, e
<< Sharapova, Azarenka to meet in Aussie finals
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka
will square off in the Australian Open final after they each survived tense
three-set semifinal matches on Thursday.
Azarenka, seeded third, ended Kim Clijs
<< Lakers win Round 2 against Clippers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant netted 24 points to go with
seven rebounds and six assists as the Lakers squeaked past the Clippers, 96-91
in the second round of the battle of Los Angeles at Staples Center.
Pau Gasol cont
<< Double the pleasure: Raptors end another skid in Utah
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrea Bargnani and Linas Kleiza scored
25 points apiece Wednesday night and the Toronto Raptors snapped a 12-game
losing streak against the Utah Jazz with a 111-106 win in double-overtime.
It was T
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meg Mallon was named captain of the 2013 United States Solheim Cup team on Thursday at the PGA Merchandise Show. She will have the task of trying to win back the Cup after the Americans lost a heartbrea
In the FCS Huddle: URI recruiting really has eye on future >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a second straight offseason, football
recruiting at the University of Rhode Island may be the toughest job in CAA
Football, yet the easiest in the Northeast Conference.
A year ago, URI head coach Joe T
McIlroy, Karlsson lead Abu Dhabi; Tiger 3 back >>
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlroy and Robert
Karlsson both fired rounds of five-under 67 on Thursday to share the opening-
round lead of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Tiger Woods made his 2012 debut and pl
SEC action pits Gators against Rebels in Oxford >>
Oxford, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Florida Gators take their act on
the road, as they invade Oxford this evening for an SEC showdown with the Ole
Miss Rebels at the Tad Smith Coliseum.
Billy Donovan's Gators have won three straigh
Top-25 foes collide in Big Ten brawl >>
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-25 showdown is on tap in Madison this
evening, as the 25th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers play host to the 16th-ranked
Indiana Hoosiers in Big Ten action from the Kohl Center.
Tom Crean's Hoosiers were one of t
Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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.
Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard