Clijsters ousts Wozniacki; Azarenka reaches semis

Tennis Betting Lines

01/24/2012 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At least Caroline Wozniacki won't have to answer questions about her World No. 1 ranking anymore.

Wozniacki, who has spent 67 of the last 68 weeks atop the world rankings despite never winning a major championship, lost in straight sets to defending Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

The 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) decision means Clijsters still has a chance to become the eighth women's player to successfully defend the Australian Open title and also ensures a new World No. 1 by week's end.

Clijsters, seeded 11th, reached the quarters only after rallying past Li Na on Sunday in a rematch of last year's title match in Melbourne. The Belgian suffered an ankle injury in the first set, then saved four match points in the second-set tiebreaker before staving off Li in the third.

The four-time Grand Slam champion had decidedly less trouble Tuesday, earning six breaks of serve at Rod Laver Arena.

Wozniacki was able to force a tiebreaker in the second set, but a cross-court winner gave Clijsters match point at 6-4. As was the case for most of the match, Wozniacki was unable to win a point on her serve, as Clijsters' winner at the net sent the Dane home early yet again.

Wozniacki had not dropped a set in her first four matches at the season's first major, but won just 49-percent of her service points to fall to 0-3 in her career against Clijsters.

In the semifinals, Clijsters will meet Victoria Azarenka, who overcame a letdown in the first-set tiebreaker to upend Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7 (0-7), 6-0, 6-2 in their quarterfinal match.

There were eight breaks of serve in the first set alone between Azarenka and the eighth-seeded Radwanska, who won all seven points in a surprisingly quick tiebreaker.

Azarenka, seeded third, bounced back from losing her first set of the tournament quite swimmingly, goose-egging the Pole in a 26-minute second set.

The Belarussian kept the momentum in her favor and controlled the final set to improve to 7-3 against Radwanska, who has yet to reach a major semifinal. Azarenka reached her second Grand Slam semi.

The other two quarterfinal matches will be played on Wednesday, with Ekaterina Makarova, fresh off an upset of Serena Williams, taking on fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova and second-seeded Petra Kvitova squaring off against Sara Errani.

Either Azarenka, Kvitova or Sharapova will take over the No. 1 ranking.

Wwwamused Tennis Betting News

<< Robinson, Kansas pull away from Texas A&M
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Robinson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and No. 5 Kansas pulled away from Texas A&M in a 64-54 victory at Allen Fieldhouse. Tyshawn Taylor added 17 points for the Jayhawks (17-3, 7

<< Marion leads Mavericks past Suns
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shawn Marion scored 29 points against his former team and the Dallas Mavericks won their second game in a row without Dirk Nowitzki, beating the Phoenix Suns, 93-87, on Monday night. The Mavericks started

<< West-leading Thunder roll over Pistons
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant combined to score 68 of Oklahoma City's points, as the Western Conference-leading Thunder dominated the lowly Detroit Pistons, 99-79. Harden and

<< Former Phillies broadcaster Musser dies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time Philadelphia broadcaster Andy Musser has passed away at the age of 74. The Daily News reported that Musser died at his home on Sunday. Musser was an integral part of the Phillies televis

<< Lowry and Martin lift Rockets over T'Wolves
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Lowry posted his second career triple- double while Kevin Martin finished with 31 points, and the Rockets downed the Timberwolves, 107-92, for their seventh consecutive victory. Lowry totaled 16 poi

Crawford helps Portland get past Sacramento >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford had 26 points off the bench, Gerald Wallace scored 20 and the Portland Trail Blazers continued to win against the Sacramento Kings, beating them 101-89 on Monday night. The Trail Blaze

Kings chase Anderson, beat Senators >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Clifford had a goal and an assist while Jonathan Quick turned aside 27 shots to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. Jack Johnson, Trevor Lewis and Willie Mitchell

Oilers top Sharks in shootout >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Taylor Hall scored in the fourth round of the shootout to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. In the fourth round, Hall faked to the backhand and was able to lift the puck past Th

Gay, Grizzlies rally to beat Warriors >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Gay scored 23 points and the Memphis Grizzlies erased an 18-point point deficit in the fourth quarter to extend their winning streak to seven with a 91-90 comeback victory over the Warriors. Memp

Federer disposes of del Potro, reaches Aussie semis >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Roger Federer cruised past 11th-seeded Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open. Federer handled the Argentine 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in a mere

Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.