09/04/2008 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal fell behind early in his late-night match Wednesday, but then dominated American Mardy Fish to reach his first semifinal at the U.S. Open.
The top-ranked Spaniard won 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 with the match ending after 2 a.m.
"This court was always very difficult for me, but I'm very happy," said Nadal, who was put to the test early, but pulled through in his quest for a third Grand Slam title this year after triumphs at the French Open and Wimbledon.
In fact, Nadal has now reached the semifinals at all four Grand Slams this year.
Ahead for Nadal will be another man in unchartered waters - sixth seed Andy Murray of Great Britain. He reached the semifinals with a tough four-set victory over 17th seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Murray secured his first-ever spot in a Grand Slam semifinal with a 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 7-5 victory in a match that took nearly four hours to complete on Day 10 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Fish, who had 14 aces to just three for Nadal, broke serve at the start of the match and carried that lead throughout the first set. The tide turned in the second though, and in the third Nadal broke to go up 4-3. Fish, who hit a forehand into the net to end the set, was his own worst enemy. He committed 53 unforced errors to just 19 for Nadal.
Nadal broke serve to go up 2-1 in the fourth set, moving Fish to smash his racket in frustration during the changeover. Fish had several long returns in that final set, finally ending the match with another one over the end line.
Still, Nadal gave compliments to Fish for his effort.
"Mardy played unbelievable in the first set, aggressive," said Nadal. "He was serving very well."
Murray fired nine aces and overcame 61 unforced errors, but came through when it counted to stop a 23-match winning streak for the 19-year-old del Potro. That included titles in his last four events.
Murray held serve to go ahead 6-5 and then won the first two points of the 12th game of the final set. Del Potro fired a forehand winner, but then returned a ball into the net.
Del Potro saved one match point, but a wide return sent Murray into the semis.
"Like I said in all my other matches, I don't care what happens throughout the course of the match as long as I win," said Murray. "I played the big points great. In the first two sets I played really well in the tiebreaks."
Nadal has the upperhand going into the semifinals with a 5-0 match record against Murray. That includes three wins this year, all in straight sets, including a quarterfinal match at Wimbledon.
The other quarterfinal matches will be played here on Thursday, with second- seeded, former No. 1 and reigning four-time U.S. Open champion Roger Federer taking on upstart Gilles Muller of Luxembourg and third-seeded Novak Djokovic battling eighth-seeded American Andy Roddick. Djokovic is the reigning Aussie Open champ and was last year's U.S. Open runner-up to the 12-time major titlist Federer, while Roddick is a former world No. 1 who titled here back in 2003.
<< Serena steals sister matchup to reach U.S. Open semis
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams took advantage of a
inopportune Venus Williams, beating her older sister, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7) to
reach the semifinals at the U.S. Open.
Venus, who bested Serena in July's Wimbledo
<< Tigers top Angels with late runs
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curtis Granderson tripled in the go-ahead run
in the seventh and the Detroit Tigers went on to post a 9-6 win over the LA
Angels of Anaheim, in the second of three games from Comerica Park.
Placido Polanc
<< Around FCS: Week 2 - Top 25 Predictions
Philadelphia (The Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
SATURDAYS TOP-25 GAMES
Jacksonville (1-0) at No.1 Appalachian State (0-1) 3:30 p.m.
Appalachian State will look to rebound after their trip into the Bayou,
evacuating in time to avoid Hurricane Gustav
<< Instant replay used for A-Rod's HR; Yankees beat Rays again
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez moved into 12th place
on baseball's all-time home run list with his 549th homer, a play which saw
the first use of instant replay, as the New York Yankees earned an 8-4 victory
over th
It's a good time to be a Pirate >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When I was a kid, and was asked what I
wanted to be when I grew up, I would always answer a pirate. East Carolina's
fan base, old and young alike, are probably giving the same answer these days.
It's funny
Yankees try to complete sweep of host Rays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees may still be on the outside looking in
of the American League postseason picture, but they've certainly started out
September playing like a playoff team.
New York will try to complete a three-game
Twins finally wrap up trek in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will be playing the final test of a
grueling 14-game road trip tonight. The last stop on the four-city tour hasn't
been a pleasant experience for the American League Central contenders so far.
Minne
Nats, Braves kick off four-game set in Dixie >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals will kick off a four-game series
against the Atlanta Braves tonight at Turner Field.
The Nationals will send Shairon Martis to the hill for his major league debut
on Thursday. Martis went 1-2
Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers SPORTS TRASH TALK
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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