Federer, Djokovic, Soderling reach fourth round in Flushing
Tennis Betting Lines
09/04/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer, 2007 U.S. Open finalist Novak Djokovic and two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling were easy third-round winners Saturday at the U.S. Open.
The second-seeded former No. 1 Federer cruised past capable Frenchman Paul- Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 at Ashe Stadium. The mighty Swiss advanced in 1 hour, 39 minutes by ripping 13 aces and holding his formidable serve throughout against Mathieu, who was broken four times by Federer.
Federer is now 54-5 lifetime at the U.S. Open here, including five straight titles from 2004-08. The super Swiss was stunned by big Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in last year's finale at Ashe.
The 16-time Grand Slam event champion Federer, the reigning Australian Open titlist, is trying to reach a seventh straight U.S. Open final.
"The wind was very strong. Tough conditions to play in, especially if you're down in the score. I think you could tell Mathieu was really struggling after being down in the score. His serve, his returns, everything kind of falls into pieces. That's what the wind can do to you," Federer said of Saturday's conditions.
The Swiss' next test will feature Austrian 13th seed Jurgen Melzer, who made short work of Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 final that lasted just 1 hour, 44 minutes. The 29-year-old had never moved past the round of 32 here in eight previous attempts.
A third-seeded Djokovic dispatched American James Blake in 1 hour, 44 minutes with a tidy 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win. The Serb swatted four aces and broke back four times against Blake, who also committed 31 unforced errors.
The 2008 Australian Open champ and runner-up to Federer here in 2007, Djokovic will next face off against emerging American threat Mardy Fish, whose best finish here was a quarterfinal defeat to Rafael Nadal in 2008.
Seeded 19th this time around, Fish staved off Frenchman Arnaud Clement for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 triumph to reach the final 16 on Day 6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The fifth-seeded Soderling whipped Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour , 52 minutes. The Swedish slugger saw De Bakker pile up 35 unforced errors and broke De Bakker six times.
The Swede advanced amid very windy conditions on Saturday.
"It was difficult conditions," Soderling said. "I told myself before the match, It's not gonna be pretty. I think during the circumstances, I played a pretty good match."
Soderling lost to world No. 1 superstar Nadal in this year's French Open final and gave way to Federer in last year's Roland Garros finale.
Up next for Soderling will be 21st-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes, who was leading Kei Nishikori 6-2, 2-1 when the Japanese retired due to a groin injury on Court 11.
Acrobatic 17th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils secured a spot in the fourth round with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, who stunned American favorite Andy Roddick in the second round here. Tipsarevic was slowed by a hamstring injury on Saturday.
The oft-injured Monfils is currently enjoying his best Grand Slam result of 2010.
Another Frenchman reached the fourth round, as former top-10 star Richard Gasquet grounded South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. Gasquet will face Monfils in an all-French affair next time out.
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jair Jurrjens and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as Atlanta stifled Florida, 2-0, in the middle meeting of a three-game set at Sun Life Stadium. Jurrjens (7-4) allowed three hits, while he w
<< Chiefs release 13, including Morgan; Leggett and Urban to IR
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Safety DaJuan Morgan was among the most
prominent players released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, as the team
reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum.
Morgan played in 28 games as a Chief after
<< Phils score twice in seventh to squeeze past Brewers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun's throwing error in the bottom
of the seventh allowed the Phillies to score the go-ahead run, as Philadelphia
got past Milwaukee, 5-4, in the second test of a three-game series at Citizens
Bank Pa
<< Schulz grabs three-stroke lead at First Tee Open
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Schulz fired a eight-under 64 at
Pebble Beach on Saturday to grab a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the
First Tee Open.
Schulz, who is making his 12th Champions Tour start of the year, completed
<< O's down Rays to give Showalter 900th win
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Markakis smashed a two-run homer and
Matt Wieters supplied a two-run double, as the Baltimore Orioles beat Tampa
Bay, 8-4, in the middle installment of a three-game series at Camden Yards.
Jeremy
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution kept their slim Major League Soccer playoff aspirations alive with a 3-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Goals by Chris Tierney, Marko
Redskins release 21, including three ex-Steelers >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins released 21 players from
their roster as part of Saturday's "cut-down day" maneuvers, including three
who won Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2008.
Running back Wil
Jacksonville State revels in upset of Rebels >>
Oxford, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville State didn't have to go for a 2-
point conversion, and the win, in the second overtime against Mississippi on
Saturday.
It's a good thing JSU coach head coach Jack Crowe didn't believe his defense
Razorbacks roll to season-opening win >>
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Mallett tossed three touchdown passes
to lead 17th-ranked Arkansas to a 44-3 rout of Tennessee Tech in the opener
for both schools.
Mallett went 21-for-24 for 301 yards along with a pick for t
Goalkeeper gaffe gives Columbus win at United >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the lone
goal after a mistake by D.C. United rookie goalie Bill Hamid and the Columbus
Crew won 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at RFK Stadium.
Columbus (13-
Big 12 Conference betting odds
Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.
Work left to do:
Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.
Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.
Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.