Kvitova, Sharapova, Serena reach 3rd round in Oz
Tennis Betting Lines
01/19/2012 -
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Petra Kvitova and
former Australian Open champions and former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova and
Serena Williams posted second-round wins Thursday at the Australian Open.
The Wimbledon and WTA Championships titlist Kvitova advanced, but only
after withstanding a test from Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro. The Czech left-
hander lost the second set and was down 2-0 in the third before pulling out a
hard-fought 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory at Melbourne Park.
Kvitova, who will battle Russian Maria Kirilenko on Saturday, advanced despite
piling up 48 unforced errors on Day 4.
"In the beginning it was OK, but I made many, many, many mistakes," Kvitova
said. "It's part of my game but it's too many. It was very tough to get back
in the third set."
Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded three-time major champion Sharapova, who captured
her lone Aussie Open title in 2008, won her second straight match by a
lopsided 6-0, 6-1 score, this time by besting American Jamie Hampton in
just 64 minutes.
Sharapova did not play in any of the Aussie Open tuneup events the last two
weeks.
"It was more about getting my feet going," Sharapova said. "Yeah, started my
preparations in the offseason a little late, took a bit of extra time in
practice instead of rushing into a tournament."
Up next for the Russian bomber will be German Angelique Kerber.
Williams, seeded 12th and seeking a sixth Aussie Open title, cruised in a
6-0, 6-4 defeat of Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova at Laver Arena for her
500th career WTA victory.
The powerful Williams' older sister Venus has also captured 500 wins on the
circuit (589-147).
"I knew I had to get there too, because I do everything she does," Williams
said of her seven-time Grand Slam champion sister. "It's great, it's like the
ultimate."
Serena pulled out of an event in Brisbane two weeks ago due to an ankle
injury.
"It's totally fine. It was my good ankle, so I'm good," she said.
The 13-time Grand Slam champion Williams has won her last 16 matches in
Melbourne, having titled back-to-back in 2009 and 2010 before missing last
year's Aussie because of health issues.
Williams will face Hungarian Greta Arn on Saturday.
Seventh-seeded former Wimbledon and U.S. Open runner-up Vera Zvonareva was
also a straight-set winner in second-round action, downing Czech Lucie
Hradecka 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), while ninth-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Marion
Bartoli of France leveled long-time Aussie favorite Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-2.
Zvonareva will play fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, while Bartoli will face
Chinese Zheng Jie in the round of 32.
Fourteenth-seeded German Sabine Lisicki whipped Israeli Shahar Peer 6-1, 6-2,
while Arn outlasted 17th-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 3-6, 10-8, and
18th-seeded two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova snuck past
promising American Sloane Stephens 7-6 (8-6), 7-5. Lisicki will meet the
former top-five Russian star Kuznetsova in the third round.
Some other seeds to advance were No. 21 and former Aussie Open runner-up
Ana Ivanovic, who handled Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek 6-2, 6-3, a No. 27
Kirilenko, who held off Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, and a No.
30 Kerber, a 7-5, 6-1 winner over Canadian Stephanie Dubois. The Serbian
Ivanovic, a former French Open champ, will meet American Vania King in her
next outing.
Some seeds bowed out here on Thursday, as King took out No. 15 Russian
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 5-7, 6-3, 6-4; Zheng defeated No. 23 Italian
Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-2; Makarova ousted No. 25 Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 7-5;
and Italian Sara Errani eliminated No. 29 Russian Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-2.
Also advancing on Day 4 was Romanian Sorana Cirstea, who survived Pole
Urszula Radwanska, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. Cirstea stunned U.S. Open champion and heavy
Aussie favorite Sam Stosur on Tuesday.
The third round will commence Friday, including matches for world No. 1
Caroline Wozniacki, third-seeded Victoria Azarenka, fifth-seeded French Open
champion and 2011 Aussie Open runner-up Li Na, and 11th-seeded former No. 1
and reigning Aussie titlist Kim Clijsters. The former U.S. Open runner-up
Wozniacki will take on 31st-seeded Romanian Monica Niculescu; Azarenka will
battle surging German Mona Barthel, who captured her first-ever WTA title in
Hobart last week; Li will meet 26th-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues;
and the four-time major champion Clijsters will be opposed by 20th-seeded
Slovak Daniela Hantuchova.
Clijsters topped Li in last year's Melbourne finale.
Also on Friday, eighth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska and 13th-seeded former
No. 1 Jelena Jankovic will take to the courts. The former U.S. Open runner-up
Jankovic will battle rising American teenager Christina McHale.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets will aim to climb above .500 for the
first time this season when they resume a three-game homestand by hosting the
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The Rockets won the opener of the residency and their f
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No. 15 Virginia heads south to take on Georgia Tech >>
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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
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