Nadal, Djokovic move on at BNP Paribas Open

Tennis Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were both second-round winners Saturday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters event.

Nadal, the reigning titlist and third seed, eased past German Rainer Schuettler, 6-4, 6-4, to move into the third round. Meanwhile, Djokovic topped American Mardy Fish 6-1, 0-6, 6-2. The second-seeded Serbian needed a little under two hours to record the win.

Additionally, fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Ernests Gulbis. Eighth-seeded Croat Marin Cilic was the highest seed to lose Saturday, as Guillermo Garcia-Lopez beat him in 7-6 (7-1), 6-0 fashion.

Tenth-seeded Fernando Verdasco and 11th-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero were both straight-set winners. Verdasco took a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Ramon Delgado, while Ferrero got past Daniel Koellerer, 6-3, 6-0.

Verdasco's third-round opponent will be 19th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Florent Serra on Saturday. Meanwhile, Verdasco will get 21st-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco, who beat Fabio Fognini, 6-4, 7-5, in the second round.

Americans John Isner, seeded 15th, and Sam Querrey, the 17th seed, were also straight-set winners Saturday and will square off in the third round.

Brian Dabul of Argentina knocked off 16th-seeded Gilles Simon, 7-5, 6-4, and advanced to face Croat Ivan Ljubicic, who defeated American Ryan Harrison, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), on Saturday.

German Philipp Kohlschreiber, the 25th seed, pasted countryman Philipp Petzschner, 6-3, 6-2, Saturday to reach the third round, where he will encounter Djokovic.

Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci was a walkover winner against Carlos Moya, who withdrew with a foot injury. Bellucci is set to face Garcia-Lopez in the third round.

Also, 29th-seeded Viktor Troicki of Serbia advanced after Pablo Cuevas retired early in the first set of their second-rounder. Troicki will get Davydenko in the third.

Mario Ancic, who knocked off 31st-seeded Julien Benneteau on Saturday by a 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 score, gets Nadal in the third round.

This week's 32 seeds all received byes into the second round. The top seeds are three-time champion Roger Federer, 2008 titlist and 2007 runner-up Djokovic, two-time champion Rafael Nadal and 2009 Indian Wells runner-up Andy Murray. Nadal beat the U.S. Open runner-up Murray in last year's finale and also titled here in '07.

This week's winner will collect $605,500.

Wwwmapau Tennis Betting News


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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.