10/11/2008 - Vienna, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gael Monfils of France and German qualifier Philipp Petzschner were semifinal winners Saturday at the Bank Austria Tennis Trophy tournament and will meet for the title on Sunday.
The eighth-seeded Monfils earned a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-2) triumph over Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber, while Petzschner rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over 2004 champion Feliciano Lopez of Spain.
After blowing a 40-0 lead while serving for the match at 6-5 in the third set, Monfils quickly established control in the tiebreaker by capturing the first four points. He went on to close it out and reach a final for the first time in 2008.
Monfils is just 1-4 all-time in ATP title matches, with his lone crown coming at Sopot in 2005. His best previous finishes this year were a trio of semifinal setbacks, including a loss to Roger Federer at the French Open.
Two weeks ago in Bangkok, Monfils also reached the semifinals. He beat Petzschner in the quarterfinals before losing to fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Petzschner will now get a chance to avenge that setback on Sunday in his first-ever ATP final. He was just 5-8 in singles play this year before this week's run to the title match.
Sunday's champ will earn a first prize of $185,000.
<< Safin, Kunitsyn to meet in all-Russian Moscow final
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marat Safin and Igor Kunitsyn will meet for
the title at the Kremlin Cup on Sunday after both Russians posted semifinal
wins on Saturday.
The seventh-seeded Safin was a walkover winner against Moscow
<< Schwartzel one clear at Madrid Masters
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charl Schwartzel carded a five-under 66
Saturday to move one stroke clear of the field after three rounds of the
Madrid Masters.
Schwartzel completed three rounds at 14-under-par 199. He owned
<< Wild play first test of season against Bruins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will open their 2008-09 campaign on home
ice with an interconference matchup against the Boston Bruins tonight at Xcel
Energy Center.
For the Bruins it will be their second game of the year after posting
<< Kings, Sharks tangle in Pacific Division showdown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will begin their 2008-09 schedule on
the road this evening when they visit the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion.
San Jose, meanwhile, had its season opener on Thursday night and posted a 4-1
victory ove
Kings sign Kopitar to seven-year extension >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings have signed All-Star
center Anze Kopitar to a seven-year contract extension through the 2015-16
season.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Kopitar, who had one yea
Report: Miami C Magloire out six to eight weeks >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat center Jamaal Magloire will
reportedly miss at least six to eight weeks after breaking a bone in his left
hand in the team's preseason game against the New Jersey Nets in Paris, France
on Thur
Texas outguns Oklahoma in Red River Shootout >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colt McCoy directed a pair of fourth-quarter
drives that ended in short scoring runs by Cody Johnson, as fifth-ranked Texas
captured the 103rd edition of the Red River Rivalry with a 45-35 victory over
No. 1 O
Leishman extends lead in Texas >>
Midland, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marc Leishman posted his second six-under 66 in
as many days on Saturday and extended his lead after the third round of the
WNB Golf Classic.
Leishman finished 54 holes at 17-under 199 and is five ahead at Midl
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting