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07/03/2009 - Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick will do battle in Sunday's men's final at Wimbledon. The iconic Federer will appear in a men's record seventh straight Wimbledon championship match.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 Federer topped 24th-seeded German Tommy Haas 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-3, while a sixth-seeded former top-ranked Roddick upended third-seeded heavy British crowd favorite Andy Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5) at the storied All England Club.
Federer, who would supplant his great rival Rafael Nadal atop the men's rankings with a victory on Sunday, beat Roddick in the 2004 and 2005 finals here.
The Swiss Federer titled here from 2003-2007 and was last year's runner-up to Nadal in arguably the greatest tennis match of all-time.
The great Federer is trying to become the men's all-time leader in Grand Slam singles titles, as he's currently tied with American great Pete Sampras at 14. The super Swiss equaled Sampras and became the sixth man in history to complete a career Grand Slam when he titled at the French Open last month.
Federer will also appear in a men's record 20th Grand Slam final (14-5). He's reached 16 of the last 17 major finals.
With tennis luminaries such as Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg in attendance on Friday, a confident Federer snuck out an ultra-tight first set against Haas by cruising in the tiebreak on Day 11 of the fortnight.
In the second set, things were air-tight again, but Federer finally broke through on his third set point when a game Haas misfired long with a forehand in the 12th game of the stanza.
Federer then charged across the finish line in the third set and converted on his first match point with a resounding overhead smash winner, as the Swiss notched his 10th love service game of the day in the process.
The sublime Swiss, who couldn't have served any better than he did on Friday, advanced in 2 hours, 2 minutes and never faced a break point. Federer broke Haas only twice, but also fired 21 more winners (49-28) en route to victory, his 18th straight on the circuit.
"He just comes up with the goods, you know," Haas said. "He can play defensive and turn it into offensive so quick, like no other player, and that makes him so extremely tough."
Federer is now 10-2 all-time against Haas, including wins in their last nine meetings. The 31-year-old former world No. 2 Haas was appearing in his first- ever Wimbledon semifinal in 11 trips here. He's also played in three Aussie Open semis, losing all three.
Haas, who lost to Federer in the fourth round at the French Open last month, had been a perfect 10-0 on grass this year, including his first-ever grass- court title in his native Germany just three weeks ago.
The 27-year-old Federer played in a record 21st straight Grand Slam semifinal on Friday, and he's now won seven straight at the AEC.
Federer is 46-1 at Wimbledon and 71-1 on grass overall since 2003.
The reigning French Open and five-time U.S. Open titlist Federer is 59-22 in his career finals, including a 2-1 mark this year. He lost to Nadal in the Aussie Open finale back in January.
Meanwhile, the former U.S. Open champion Roddick reached his fifth career Grand Slam final (1-3) and his first since the 2006 U.S. Open by ousting the 2008 U.S. Open runner-up Murray in 3 hours, 7 minutes. The big-hitting American struck fewer aces (25-21) and fewer winners (76-64) than Murray on Friday, but was able to sneak out a pair of tiebreaks to pull the upset.
Roddick won the first set by breaking Murray in the final game of the stanza, but the Dunblane, Scotland native pulled even in the second set by breaking Roddick for a 5-4 lead and the holding his serve to secure it.
The determined Roddick, by virtue of a break, jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set, only to see Murray get the break back and ultimately level the frame at 5-5. The set went to a tiebreak, which Roddick won in 16-point fashion when Murray netted a forehand.
In the fourth and final set, Roddick nailed down another tiebreak by converting on his second match point, as he improved to 3-6 lifetime against Murray. Roddick also improved to 26-4 in his 2009 tiebreaks.
Both players could manage only two service breaks apiece in the tight affair.
Roddick is now 34-8 lifetime at Wimbledon.
Murray was trying to give Britain its first male Wimbledon champion in 73 years (Fred Perry) and was the highest-seeded Brit here since Roger Taylor in 1973.
The 26-year-old Roddick is 27-15 in 42 career finals, including a 1-1 record this season. He lost to Murray in a final in Doha in January.
Federer is a lopsided 18-2 lifetime against Roddick, including a perfect 3-0 mark this year. The Swiss handled the American in the Aussie Open semifinals back in January and is a flawless 3-0 against Roddick in major finals. In addition to the '04 and '05 Wimbledon finals, Federer also topped Roddick in the 2006 U.S. Open finale. The Swiss also defeated the American in the 2003 Wimbledon semis.
The 2009 Wimbledon champ will pocket $1.39 million. Federer is the all-time leader in prize money, with more than $48 million earned.
<< Pens bring back Fedotenko for one more year
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward
Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year contract on Friday.
The 30-year-old tallied 16 times with 39 points in 65 regular-season games for
Pittsburgh last season a
<< Jackson announces return to Lakers bench
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil
Jackson, fresh off a record 10th NBA Championship as a coach, announced on
Friday he will return to the bench next year for a 10th season in LA and 19th
as an N
<< Diao close to signing new Stoke deal
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City midfielder Salif Diao is
close to agreeing a new contract to remain at the Britannia Stadium.
The 32-year-old Senegal international is out of contract and had been
interesting se
<< Sunderland rejects Ferdinand rumors
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has
rejected suggestions that the Black Cats are willing to part with Anton
Ferdinand this summer.
Ferdinand had a mixed first season on Wearside following
Falkirk agrees to terms with Finnigan >>
Falkirk, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Falkirk have agreed to a new contract
with free agent striker Carl Finnigan.
Finnigan, 22, scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Bairns last season
despite missing large portions of the year t
M's Hernandez named AL Pitcher of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez
was named the American League's Pitcher of the Month for June.
Over six starts, Hernandez went 3-0 with an 0.94 earned run average,
allowing only four
Upton named AL Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton was selected
as the American League Player of the Month for June.
Upton, who garnered his first monthly honor, hit .324 in 26 games during June.
He also belted five homers, s
Lincecum voted NL Pitcher of the Month for June >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum
was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June, the league
announced on Friday.
Lincecum posted a 4-1 mark with a 1.48 ERA during the month,
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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