Italy sneaks past Ukraine to reach Fed Cup semis
Tennis Betting Lines
02/05/2012 -
Biella, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy got a big doubles win from Flavia
Pennetta and Roberta Vinci in Sunday's fifth and deciding rubber in their Fed
Cup quarterfinal against visiting Ukraine, as the Italians won the best-of-
five encounter, 3-2.
Italy headed into Sunday in a 1-1 deadlock with the Ukrainians after Sara
Errani and Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko posted singles victories on Saturday.
In Sunday's first reverse singles rubber, last year's French Open runner-up
and 2010 Roland Garros titlist Francesca Schiavone came from behind to beat
Kateryna Bondarenko 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-4 to give the Italians a short-lived 2-1
edge. The upstart world No. 121 Tsurenko, who stunned the 11th-ranked
Schiavone 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday, then flattened Sara Errani, 6-1, 3-0, when
Errani retired from their bout with a right knee injury on Day 2, leaving the
series knotted at 2-2 at Biella's Lauretana Forum.
In the final rubber of the weekend, Pennetta and Vinci broke the deadlock by
holding off a Ukrainian duo of Tsurenko and Olga Savchuk 7-5, 0-6, 6-1 to send
Italy into the semifinals. Pennetta replaced Errani in the doubles match.
The powerful Italians have won three of the last six Fed Cup titles,
including back-to-back crowns in 2009 and 2010. They are now 4-0 all-time
against Ukraine in Fed Cup play.
Up next for Italy in April will be the reigning Fed Cup champion Czech
Republic.
<< Isles' Hamonic to miss two weeks
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic
is expected to miss two weeks after taking a slap shot to the face from
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff on Saturday.
Hamonic needed help to g
<< Heat get past Raptors
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James had a game-high 30 points to go with
nine rebounds as the Miami Heat outlasted the Toronto Raptors, 95-89, at
American Airlines Arena on Sunday.
Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Chris Bosh add
<< Rangers continue dominance of Flyers
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Artem Anisimov had a goal and two assists to
lead the New York Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist while Michael Del Zotto, Brandon
Dubinsky and R
<< Kovalchuk leads Devils past Pens
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two
assists on Sunday, leading the Devils to a 5-2 win over the Penguins.
Kovalchuk now has 10 points in his last four games -- all New Jersey
victories. Z
<< Thomas lifts Bruins over Capitals
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Thomas stopped 35 shots to lift the
Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center.
Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist while Milan
Lucic a
NFL Inactives (Sunday, February 5, 2012) >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive
players for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, IN.
NEW YORK GIANTS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 6:30 P.M. (ET)
Giants - RB Da'Rel Scott, WR Ramses Barden, C Jim Cordle, T J
Notre Dame dominates DePaul >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Natalie Novosel led the way with 21 points
for No. 2 Notre Dame as it dominated DePaul, 90-70, at Purcell Pavilion on
Sunday.
The Fighting Irish (23-1, 10-0 Big East) had five scorers in double figu
De Rossi signs five-year extension with Roma >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has signed a
five-year contract extension, the Italian club announced Sunday.
De Rossi, 28, had a contract through the end of the current season, but signed
a new deal to keep
Johnson lifts No. 8 Tennessee past Auburn >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Glory Johnson recorded her ninth double-
double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 8 Tennessee took
down Auburn, 82-61.
Ariel Massengale added 14 points, five rebounds and four
Price, Canadiens shut out Jets >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carey Price stopped 23 shots for his third
shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens took a 3-0 decision over the
Winnipeg Jets.
Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist while Max Pacioretty and Ale
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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