11/12/2008 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Open champion Roger Federer and U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray posted round-robin wins, while former world No. 1 Andy Roddick pulled out of his scheduled match against Federer at the $4.45 million Tennis Masters Cup. Murray qualified for the semifinals with his victory on Wednesday.
The top-seeded and two-time defending Masters Cup champion Federer was scheduled to battle the fifth-seeded Roddick on Day 4 here, but Roddick (0-1) pulled out of this week's four-player Red Group due to an ankle injury. The big-serving American was replaced in the field by 27th-ranked alternate Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.
Roddick sustained the injury while practicing here on Tuesday.
"When I was doing a warm-up drill in practice I just went over on it," Roddick said. "We tried as much as we could to get it better."
The former U.S. Open champion Roddick, who lost to Murray here on Monday, is now done for 2008 and will return to ATP action in January. The American star went 49-18 this season, including three titles.
The 13-time major titlist Federer snuck past the veteran Stepanek 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 on the indoor hardcourt at Qi Zhong Stadium. The Swiss needed 1 hour, 41 minutes to prevail, which he did with the help of three service breaks, compared to two for the Czech loser (0-1).
Federer is now 7-2 lifetime against Stepanek, including 3-1 this year. The Czech stunned the Swiss in Rome back in May.
The four-time overall Masters Cup titlist Federer is now 1-1 this week and will meet the third-seeded Murray here on Friday with a possible trip to the semifinals at stake for the former top-ranked superstar. It will mark a rematch of September's U.S. Open finale, which was won by Federer.
Murray is 3-2 lifetime against Federer, including a 2-1 record this season.
The reigning five-time U.S. Open champion Federer beat Spain's David Ferrer in last year's Masters Cup final. The Swiss great is the only former Masters Cup champ in this year's field.
Also on Wednesday, the high-flying Murray mauled eighth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour, 33 minutes to move to a perfect 2-0 in the Red Group. Simon (1-1) shocked Federer here on Monday.
Murray broke Simon's serve on four occasions on Wednesday, while the overmatched Frenchman settled for only one break in defeat. The Brit is now 3-0 against Simon this year.
The red-hot 21-year-old Murray has won 16 of his last 17 matches overall, including some titles in St. Petersburg and Madrid.
On Thursday, second-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic (2-0) will face sixth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (0-2) and fourth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko (1-1) will tangle with seventh-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro (1-1) in some Gold Group action. Djokovic beat Tsonga in the Australian Open final way back in January.
Djokovic has already qualified for Saturday's semifinals, while Davydenko-del Potro will decide the other final-four combatant from the Gold Group. Tsonga has already been eliminated from semifinal contention.
Davydenko and del Potro have split two career matchups, with the Argentine winning their lone meeting this year, in the Davis Cup semifinals.
Murray, Tsonga, del Potro and Simon are all making their Masters Cup debuts this week.
<< Jackson leads Warriors past T-Wolves in OT
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson had 30 points, including the
shot that sent the game into overtime and two clutch shots in the extra frame,
and five assists to lead the Golden State Warriors in a dramatic 113-110
victory
<< Predators win in OT to hand Sharks first home loss
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ville Koistinen's goal 2:28 into overtime
lifted the Nashville Predators to a 4-3 win over San Jose at the Shark Tank.
Vernon Fiddler, Jason Arnott and Ryan Suter all scored for Nashville, which
halted
<< Frolov's game-winner in shootout lifts Kings over Stars
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexander Frolov scored the winner in the
fifth round of a shootout, boosting the Los Angeles Kings to their third
straight win, 3-2, over the Dallas Stars in the opener of a home-and-home
series.
<< Iverson leads Pistons past Kings
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Allen Iverson posted a terrific all-around
effort in getting his first win in a Pistons uniform, logging 30 points, nine
assists and seven rebounds in Detroit's 100-92 victory over the Sacramento
Kings.
Heat take on Blazers in South Beach >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat will resume a three-game homestand this
evening versus the Portland Trail Blazers at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Miami has won three of its last four games and opened the homestand with
Monday's 99-94 victory ov
Lakers put unbeaten record on the line in The Big Easy vs. Hornets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers will try to remain perfect on the
season this evening, when they take on the Hornets at New Orleans Arena.
The Lakers improved to 6-0 this season with Tuesday's 106-99 victory over the
Dallas Maveric
Unbeaten Hawks visit Celtics in Boston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks nearly stunned the Boston Celtics in last
year's opening round of the playoffs, losing in seven games to the eventual
NBA champions. Tonight the Hawks will try to seek revenge and remain unbeaten
on the seas
Pacers shoot for third straight win vs. Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers will shoot for their third straight win
tonight, when they pay a visit to the New Jersey Nets at the Izod Center.
Indiana posted its second win in a row with Monday's 107-99 victory over the
Oklahoma Cit
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting