Blockbuster Nadal-Federer Aussie semi set
Tennis Betting Lines
01/24/2012 -
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 greats Rafael
Nadal and Roger Federer will do battle in the semifinals Thursday at the
2012 Australian Open.
The second-seeded Nadal snuck past seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in four
sets, while a third-seeded Federer whipped 11th-seeded Argentine slugger Juan
Martin del Potro in straights in a rematch of the 2009 U.S. Open final, which
was won by the towering del Potro. Nadal beat Berdych in the 2010 Wimbledon
championship match.
The 30-year-old Federer played in his 1,000th ATP-level match on Tuesday and
secured a berth in his 30th Grand Slam semifinal.
"It's a lot of matches and a lot tennis," Federer said. "Either I have been
around for a long time or I'm extremely fit. You decide which way you want to
describe it. But I'm happy."
The 10-time major champion and reigning French Open titlist Nadal was tested
mightily in a 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Berdych at Rod Laver
Arena, where the legendary Aussie Laver was on hand to watch on Day 9. The 16-
time Grand Slam titlist Federer dismantled del Potro 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 earlier
Tuesday in quarterfinal action at Laver.
Nadal needed a whopping 4 hours, 16 minutes to stave off a game Berdych, who
finally succumbed on Nadal's first match point by framing one final forehand
into the court, as the mighty Spaniard broke to close out the quality affair.
The fiery Nadal saved four set points in the opening stanza, including one
with an incredible cross-court passing shot on the 29th point of a rally. But
Berdych would win the ensuing tiebreak.
Nadal then snuck out the second-set tiebreak on his way to taking the last
three sets of the match, as he simply got stronger at the bout wore one.
"Happy with how I finished match physically, I was able to keep running with
high intensity," Nadal said.
Berdych fired 17 aces, but also piled up 56 unforced errors and had his serve
broken five times, compared to only two breaks he tallied against the
Spanish strongman, who beat the big Czech for a 10th straight time.
The four-time Aussie Open champion Federer, meanwhile, handled del Potro in
just 1 hour, 59 minutes, as the super Swiss recorded 38 winners to send the
Argentine home after he reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the
'09 U.S. Open.
"We have played some big matches against each other, so just knowing how well
he's been playing as of late, I was just hoping that I would get off a good
start," Federer said. "I was able to mix it up well and control the ball, and
right away sort of felt confident."
Federer, who hasn't won a Grand Slam event since titling here in Melbourne two
years ago, has yet to drop a set at this latest Aussie fortnight. He'll now
appear in his ninth straight Aussie semi.
The 25-year-old Nadal and Federer will meet for a 27th time, with the Spaniard
leading the all-time series 17-9. Nadal is 7-2 in their Grand Slam meetings,
including wins in their last four matchups. The two stalwarts have met in a
record eight major finals, with Nadal winning six of them. They are in the
same half of the draw at a major for the first time since 2005.
Nadal topped Federer in five sets in the 2009 Aussie Open finale.
The other quarterfinals will be staged on Wednesday, as current world No. 1
Novak Djokovic will face fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and fourth-seeded
Andy Murray will take on 24th-seeded Japanese Kei Nishikori.
Djokovic is 6-5 lifetime against Ferrer, who titled in Auckland two weeks ago
and is already a perfect 8-0 this season.
The high-flying Djokovic beat Murray in last year's Aussie final to capture
his second title here in four years. The four-time major champion is also the
reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open titlist.
Djokovic has won 36 of his last 38 Grand Slam matches and is seeking a third
straight major title. A title this week would put him in select company, as
only four players -- Laver, Pete Sampras, Federer and Nadal -- have captured
three straight Grand Slam championships in the Open Era (since 1968).
Murray, who titled in Brisbane three weeks ago, is a three-time major runner-
up, including a loss to Federer in the 2010 Aussie Open finale.
Nishikori is the first Japanese man to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam
event since Shuzo Matsuoka in 1995 (Wimbledon) and he's also the first
Japanese man in 80 years to advance to the Aussie Open quarters, since Ryosuki
Nunoi and Jiro Satoh turned the trick way back in 1932.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have combined to win seven of the last eight
Aussie Open titles.
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Big East Conference odds
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
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