Nalbandian sends Argentina past Russia in Davis Cup quarters

Tennis Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Nalbandian gave Argentina a Davis Cup quarterfinal victory over Russia with a straight-set triumph over Mikhail Youzhny in Sunday's fifth and decisive singles rubber.

After Nikolay Davydenko kept Russia's hopes alive with a four-set win over Eduardo Schwank in Sunday's first reverse singles match, Nalbandian notched a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 triumph in the second to put Argentina into the semifinals with a 3-2 victory in the best-of-five tie.

Argentina will next face France in September. The French clinched their quarterfinal matchup against two-time defending Davis Cup champion Spain on Saturday and closed out a 5-0 thumping on Sunday.

After the doubles team of Schwank and Horacio Zeballos gave Argentina a 2-1 lead Saturday, Schwank was given the opportunity to win the clinching point in Sunday's first match against Davydenko.

The Russian veteran, though, was up to the task and pulled out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 triumph to set up a winner-take-all match between Nalbandian and Youzhny in the fifth rubber.

Youzhny and Nalbandian were both winners for their respective nations in Friday's opening singles matches. Nalbandian beat Davydenko in the first match on Friday before Youzhny tied it for the Russians in the second with a triumph over Leonardo Mayer.

On Sunday, Nalbandian kept up his strong play. After winning the first set in a tiebreaker, he gained the first break of serve in the match for a 5-4 lead in the second set and held serve to open a 2-0 edge. Youzhny never dented Nalbandian's serve in the third set and had his own broken twice, giving Argentina a surprising win.

The Russians hadn't lost a home Davis Cup tie since 1996. Included in that streak was a victory over Argentina in the 2006 final.

Argentina, which has been a Davis Cup runner-up three times without winning the title, evened the all-time series against Russia to 3-3. The Argentines also won the last matchup, at home in the 2008 semifinals, then went on to lose to Spain in the final.

Wwwthesimpsons Tennis Betting News

<< Creamer still three in front after third round
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer rolled in a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Sunday to move three shots clear after the third round of the U.S. Women's Open. Creamer finished the third round Sunday morning and posted an im

<< Rays aim for series win over lowly Indians
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A four-game set and the first half of the season both come to a close today at Tropicana Field, where the Tampa Bay Rays host the Cleveland Indians. Tampa Bay enters its final test before the All-Star break two games behin

<< Phillies seeking sweep of hard-fought set with Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A terrific first half of the season is having an unwanted ending for the Cincinnati Reds, who'll be out to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies when the two postseason hopefuls square off again th

<< Rookie Bumgarner tries to pitch Giants past Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants got their first-ever look at Washington Nationals rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg in Friday's opener of this three-game series between the teams. Now they'll unveil their own top pitching prospect

<< Mets send out Santana in hopes of averting sweep by Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having Johan Santana on top of his game would go a long way towards the New York Mets achieving their goal of overtaking the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East. Coming off his best performance of the s

Cardinals try to end first half with needed win over Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The skidding St. Louis Cardinals can climb within a game of first place to end the season's unofficial first half today, when they visit Minute Maid Park for the finale of a three-game series with the Houston Astros. The

Brewers ready brooms for skidding Bucs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran lefty Randy Wolf pitches for the sweep when the Milwaukee Brewers host the Pittsburgh Pirates today in the finale of their three-game series at Miller Park. Milwaukee has taken one-run verdicts in each of the first

Red-hot Rockies attempt to draw even with sliding Padres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies appear to be putting together one of those long winning stretches they've become known for during the past few seasons, much to the chagrin of the rest of the National League West. The resurgent Rockie

France completes whitewash of Spain >>
Clermont-Ferrand, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gilles Simon and Julien Benneteau each won reverse singles matches for France on Sunday to complete a 5-0 rout of Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. The Spaniards were the two-time defendin

Angels, A's hope to close out first half on high note >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim close out a three-game weekend set from the Coliseum this afternoon. These teams have split the first two meetings of this series, with the Athletics rebounding from

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.