Rezai, Errani land in Palermo quarters

Tennis Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hot Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai and former champion and 2009 runner-up Sara Errani recorded second-round victories Thursday at the $220,000 Palermo International tennis tournament.

The second-seeded Rezai, fresh off her clay-court title in Bastad last week, got past Colombia's Mariana Duque Marino 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 on the red clay at Country Time Club.

Rezai's quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be Italian wild card Romina Oprandi.

The third-seeded Errani, meanwhile, continued her winning ways in Palermo with a 6-0, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic.

The 5-foot-4 Errani is seeking her third straight trip into the Palermo final, having titled here in 2008 and lost to Flavia Pennetta in last year's all-Italian championship tilt.

Errani's quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be fifth-seeded Wimbledon quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi, as the Estonian cruised past Romania's Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-1, 6-2 on Day 4 here.

One other second-round affair saw the aforementioned Oprandi straight-set Slovenian Masa Zec Peskiric 6-4, 7-5. Oprandi is one of three Italians into the round of eight.

Friday's other quarterfinals will pit a top-seeded Pennetta against Spanish qualifier Nuria Llagostera Vives and eighth-seeded German Julia Goerges against 36-year-old American Jill Craybas. The world No. 12 Pennetta beat Errani in last year's final here and was the Palermo runner-up back in 2004.

Blackjack-online-blackjack Tennis Betting News

<< Oilers name Smith, Buchberger assistant coaches
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers named Kelly Buchberger and Steve Smith as assistant coaches for Tom Renney on Thursday. Buchberger has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with Edmonton and prior to tha

<< Cavs' West pleads guilty to charges
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West pled guilty to weapons and traffic charges stemming from his arrest last September, according to a report in the Washington Post. The judge in Prince George's County Ci

<< Bruins sign four
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins signed four players on Thursday, including forward Gregory Campbell. Campbell is a six-year veteran of the NHL and had played that entire time with Florida. Over 363 games, he has total

<< Braves place LHP O'Flaherty on DL, recall Dunn
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves placed left-handed reliever Eric O'Flaherty on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a viral infection. O'Flaherty has been a stalwart out of the Atlanta bullpen this s

<< Mariners sign P Wright among roster moves
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners signed free agent pitcher Jamey Wright on Thursday, one of three roster moves made by the club. Pitcher Chris Seddon also had his contract selected from Triple-A Tacoma, while pitche

Browns' Rogers to enter diversion program, avoid trial >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers will enter a diversion program and avoid trial after carrying a concealed weapon through security at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, according to a report

Beltran (finally) returns for Mets >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets will get a much-needed boost on Thursday when they welcome back perennial All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran from the 60-day disabled list. Beltran has not seen the field for the

McIlroy's 63 ties record; Woods four back >>
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlory has gone lower in his career, just not in a major championship. On Thursday at the British Open, McIlroy matched the lowest round in major championship history with a nine-under

Wild re-sign goaltender Khudobin >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild re-signed goaltender Anton Khudobin to a one-year, two-way contract. Khudobin made his NHL debut last season with Minnesota and in two games he went 2-0-0 and allowed just one goa

Braves activate Heyward from DL >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves activated outfielder Jason Heyward from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday. The rookie sensation has been out since injuring his left thumb while sliding into third base in a win over A

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.


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.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.