Nadal, Ivanovic are top seeds for U.S. Open

Tennis Betting Lines

08/19/2008 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1s Rafael Nadal of Spain and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia have been installed as the top seeds at the U.S. Open, which will commence Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

There are 10 Grand Slam champions among the seeded players, including the likes of Nadal, Ivanovic, Swiss Roger Federer, Americans Venus and Serena Williams and Andy Roddick, and Serbian Novak Djokovic. Federer held the men's world No. 1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks before being supplanted by Nadal this week.

Nadal had been No. 2 for a record 160 straight weeks.

This will mark the first time that Nadal is the top seed at a Grand Slam event. The Spaniard will try to become the first man to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year since Aussie legend Rod Laver turned the trick in 1969.

As far as the seeds are concerned, the reigning Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic champion Nadal is followed by the reigning four-time U.S. Open champion Federer, the Australian Open titlist Djokovic, Spaniard David Ferrer and Russian Nikolay Davydenko. Federer beat Djokovic in last year's U.S. Open final to corral his 12th career major title.

The men's top-10 seeds are rounded out by Brit Andy Murray, Argentine David Nalbandian, the 2003 U.S. Open winner Roddick, his fellow American James Blake, and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.

The top-seeded Ivanovic, the reigning Roland Garros champion and Aussie Open runner-up, is followed by fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic, 2004 champion and last year's U.S. Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, Serena, Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva of Russia, French Open and Olympic runner-up Dinara Safina of Russia, Venus, Olympic bronze medalist Vera Zvonareva of Russia, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and Russian Anna Chakvetadze. Kuznetsova was last year's U.S. Open runner-up to Belgium's Justine Henin, who retired from tennis earlier this year. Safina won the U.S. Open Series leading up to the Open and would claim $2.5 million with a title in Flushing.

The seven-time Grand Slam titlist Venus is a two-time U.S. Open champ and the reigning two-time Wimbledon titlist, while the eight-time major champion Serena is also a two-time U.S. Open winner. The sisters are also both former world No. 1s.

Former top-ranked American star and former U.S. Open champ Lindsay Davenport will be the 23rd seed among the women in New York.

Injured former world No. 1 Russian star Maria Sharapova will miss the U.S. Open due to a shoulder injury. Sharapova captured the 2006 U.S. Open, this year's Aussie Open, and is a three-time major champ.

The singles draws will be revealed on Thursday.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

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