Federer will face surging Youzhny in Dubai final

Tennis Betting Lines

03/02/2007 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 superstar Roger Federer and red-hot unseeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny will square off in Saturday's final at the $1.5 million Dubai Tennis Championships.

The three-time Dubai champion Federer reached his fifth straight final here by cooling off fifth-seeded German Tommy Haas 6-4, 7-5 at Dubai Tennis Stadium. Haas was fresh off his title in Memphis last week and riding a torrid 10-match winning streak, but when it comes to streaks, no one's hotter than Federer.

He's now 8-2 lifetime against the world No. 9 Haas, including wins in their last seven matchups. Haas beat American Andy Roddick in last week's finale in Memphis.

The reigning four-time Wimbledon, three-time U.S. Open and two-time Aussie Open champion Federer extended his personal-best winning streak to 40 straight matches, including an 11-0 mark this year. The super Swiss was last year's Dubai runner-up to Spanish strongman Rafael Nadal and captured this lucrative hardcourt event back-to-back-to-back from 2003-05.

On Monday, Federer was honored here when he officially set the record by topping the ATP rankings for a 161st straight week. American legend Jimmy Connors set the original mark of 160 back in 1977.

Youzhny, meanwhile, is fresh off his title in Rotterdam and extended his current winning streak to nine matches with a 7-5, 6-2 semifinal handling of Swede Robin Soderling. The 2006 U.S. Open semifinalist Youzhny upended the defending Dubai titlist Nadal here on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Federer is a laughable 8-0 all-time against the 24-year-old Youzhny, including a third-round victory at the Aussie Open in January. The Swiss topped the Russian here in Dubai both last year (semis) and in 2005 (quarters).

The 10-time Grand Slam champion Federer owns 46 career titles, including one this season, while Youzhny is seeking his fourth ATP-level championship, with his third one coming last week in Rotterdam. Youzhny is 3-2 in his career finals, while Federer is a whopping 46-13.

Saturday's winner will collect $300,000, while the runner-up will settle for $153,000.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.








SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

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