Ljubicic advances at rainy Ordina Open

Tennis Betting Lines

06/18/2007 - 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic highlighted Monday's first-round winners at the grass-court Ordina Open, a final Wimbledon tune-up.

Ljubicic came from behind to beat Frenchman Gael Monfils 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 at Autotron Rosmalen. The big-serving Croat will meet Italian Andreas Seppi in the second round here.

The Dutch faithful were treated to a win when veteran Peter Wessels, a qualifier this week, doused Frenchman Nicolas Devilder 6-4, 6-3.

In other action, Belgian Kristof Vliegen topped veteran Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 6-3, 1-1, French qualifier Antony Dupuis stopped Dutch wild card Thiemo De Bakker 7-5, 7-6 (7-1) and the aforementioned Seppi handled Austrian Alexander Peya 6-4, 6-4. Santoro retired because of a stomach problem.

A pair of matches were suspended because of rain, as sixth-seeded Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela was tied with Frenchman Julien Benneteau 2-2 and Thai Danai Udomchoke was leading Czech lucky-loser Lukas Dlouhy 2-1 when play was halted for the day.

This week's top seed is Spaniard Tommy Robredo. Croat Mario Ancic defeated Czech Jan Hernych in last year's finale here. The reigning two-time champion Ancic is not defending his titles this week.

Wimbledon will commence next Monday at the All England Club.

Wwwnyra Tennis Betting News

<< Georgia Tech's Young keeps his name in draft
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia Tech forward Thaddeus Young announced Monday he will keep his name in the upcoming NBA draft. "I would like to thank everyone in the Georgia Tech family. They have been very supportive

<< Arrington hurt in motorcycle accident
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New York Giants and Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington was injured in a motorcycle accident outside of Washington, DC. The Washington Post reports that Arrington sustained

<< Few changes mark newest women's rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following an off week for the LPGA Tour, there were few changes to the Rolex Rankings for women's golf. Lorena Ochoa remained No. 1, followed for the second straight week by McDonald's LPGA Cham

<< Vaidisova reaches second round at Eastbourne
Eastbourne, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Czech slugger Nicole Vaidisova was among Monday's first-round winners at the $600,000 International Women's Open, a final Wimbledon tune-up. Vaidisova overcame Aussie Samantha Stosur

<< Cabrera climbs to No. 17 in rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Cabrera's unexpected win at the U.S. Open on Sunday produced an expected result. After shooting a final-round 69 at brutal Oakmont to hold off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, the Argentine climbed 24 p

Washington's Hawes remains in NBA Draft >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Washington center Spencer Hawes has decided to remain in the NBA Draft and forgo his remaining three years of collegiate eligibility. Hawes announced his decision to test the NBA waters on

Mickelson withdraws from Travelers >>
Cromwell, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Mickelson's nagging left wrist injury forced him to withdraw this week from the Travelers Championship. Mickelson missed the U.S. Open cut last Friday after playing two rounds at Oakmont wearing

Georgetown's Green remains in NBA Draft >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgetown forward Jeff Green has decided to remain in the NBA Draft. Green had a deadline of Monday to decide whether to return to school for his senior season, but will likely be a top-10 pick in the Jun

Weeks comes off DL >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on Monday. He had been on the DL with tendinitis in his right wrist. Weeks was hitting .243 on the season

Dunn named NL Player of the Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds left fielder Adam Dunn has been awarded the National League Player of the Week. Dunn completed the seven-day stretch with a .500 average (12-for-24), four home runs and eight RBI

NFL Football Betting


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

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.