08/28/2008 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French qualifier Julie Coin, ranked 188th in the world, pulled off a massive upset on Thursday by ousting world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in second-round action at the 2008 U.S. Open.
The 25-year-old Coin posted one of the biggest upsets in U.S. Open history by erasing Ivanovic in 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 fashion at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Ivanovic is the first top seed to lose in the second round of a major since Justine Henin fell in the second round at the 2004 French Open. The worst previous performance by a women's top seed at the U.S. Open was a third-round loss by Hall-of-Famer Billie Jean King way back in 1973.
The 20-year-old Ivanovic saved two match points, when Coin double-faulted on the first and the Serb ripped a forehand winner on the second, with the Frenchwoman leading 5-3 in the third.
Coin, who played collegiate tennis at Clemson University and is playing in her first-ever WTA Tour-level event, converted on her third match point against a sluggish Ivanovic when the Serb misfired on one final forehand.
After dropping the first set in stunning fashion, Ivanovic fought back in the second. She grabbed a 5-4 edge in the stanza with a her first, and only, break of the match, and forced a third and deciding set with a hold in the next game.
In the third set, the upstart Coin broke for a 4-2 lead and then held for a commanding 5-2 advantage. And two games later, it was over after 1 hour, 57 minutes. Coin fired five aces and broke Ivanovic on three occasions. The loser from Serbia piled up eight double faults.
Ivanovic, who has battled a thumb injury this summer, is the reigning French Open champ and played in three of the previous six Grand Slam finals, going 1-2. She was this year's Australian Open runner-up to Maria Sharapova.
Coin's third-round opponent will be fellow Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo.
Two-time champion Venus Williams and Olympic silver medalist Dinara Safina avoided upsets on Day 4.
The seventh-seeded Venus waltzed past 32-year-old Rossana De Los Rios of Paraguay 6-0, 6-3 on Day 4 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. De Los Rios, the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, never enjoyed even one break-point chance en route to the predictable defeat.
Venus moved on in one hour after converting on a fifth match point and will face 27th-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in a third-rounder this weekend. Bondarenko blitzed German Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to advance.
The 28-year-old Venus is a seven-time major champion, including back-to- back U.S. Open titles in 2000 and 2001. She also had runner-up finishes here in 1997 and 2002.
Venus captured a second straight, and fifth overall, Wimbledon title last month.
A sixth-seeded Safina blew past Italian Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-3. The Russian star is the hottest player in women's tennis, having reached the final in six of her last seven tournaments and winning three titles. She was the French Open runner-up to Ivanovic back in June and the runner-up to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva at the Beijing Games earlier this month.
Up next for the surging Safina will be Swiss Timea Bacsinszky, who moved on by dousing Taipei's Yung-Jan Chan 6-3, 6-2.
Another top-10 victor was Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, as the No. 9 seed got past Colombian Mariana Duque Marino 6-0, 7-6 (7-3). Radwanska will face fellow rising star Dominika Cibulkova in the third round.
Sixteenth-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta snuck past Chinese Shuai Peng 6-2, 6-7 (8-10), 6-1, while an upset came when Italian Tathiana Garbin grounded 13th-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Szavay was a quarterfinalist here a year ago.
Seventeenth-seeded Frenchwoman Alize Cornet topped American Bethanie Mattek 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, while an 18th-seeded Cibulkova drubbed Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-2, 6-2 and 19th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova pasted Taipei's Su-Wei Hsieh 6-4, 6-2.
A mild upset came when France's Severine Bremond bounced 20th-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova 7-5, 6-3, while 30th-seeded Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama came from behind to beat Belarusian Olga Govortsova 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1.
The former world No. 1 Mauresmo snuck into the third round by overcoming Estonian Kaia Kanepi 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. The oft-injured 32nd-seeded Mauresmo is a two-time major titlist.
In other second-round play, German Anna-Lena Groenefeld grounded Aussie Jessica Moore 6-1, 6-3.
<< Report: Colts C Saturday out six weeks
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday
will reportedly miss the first six weeks of the season due to ligament damage
in his right knee.
The Indianapolis Star contacted Saturday's agent Ralph Cindrich,
<< Dodgers activate Wade, designate Sturtze
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers activated pitcher
Cory Wade from the 15-day disabled list and designated pitcher Tanyon Sturtze
for assignment Thursday.
Wade was 2-1 with a 2.56 earned run average in 40 app
<< Boston's Beckett to miss Friday start, will visit Dr. Andrews
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett has
been scratched from his scheduled start against the Chicago White Sox on
Friday because of right elbow inflammation.
The 28-year-old righty plans to have
<< Kings ink another first-round pick
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on a
three-year entry-level contract with defenseman Colten Teubert on Thursday.
Per team policy, terms were not disclosed.
Teubert was the Kings' first-round (1
Rockets' Hayes has successful surgery on nose >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets forward Chuck Hayes broke
his nose during a workout session on Thursday and underwent successful surgery
later that afternoon.
Hayes is expected to miss four-to-six weeks before he is cle
Bland leads at Seaforth Classic >>
Seaforth, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Bland fired an eight-under-par 63 on
Thursday to take the opening-round lead of the inaugural Seaforth Classic at
Seaforth Golf Club.
Daniel Im, Clint Rice, Andy Matthews and Matt Daniel share
Grizzlies sign Iranian C Haddadi >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies have signed free-agent
center Hamed Haddadi, who recently played for the Iranian national team in the
2008 Beijing Olympics.
Haddadi, 23, was the only player in the Olympic games to
Nats' Hill done for season >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill will
miss the rest of the season due to swelling in his right elbow, the team
announced Thursday.
Hill, on the disabled list since June 25 with right for
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.
As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.
Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.
Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.
Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.
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