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09/04/2010 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer, 2007 U.S. Open finalist Novak Djokovic and two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling were easy third-round winners Saturday at the U.S. Open.
The second-seeded former No. 1 Federer cruised past capable Frenchman Paul- Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 at Ashe Stadium. The mighty Swiss advanced in 1 hour, 39 minutes by ripping 13 aces and holding his formidable serve throughout against Mathieu, who was broken four times by Federer.
Federer is now 54-5 lifetime at the U.S. Open here, including five straight titles from 2004-08. The super Swiss was stunned by big Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in last year's finale at Ashe.
The 16-time Grand Slam event champion Federer, the reigning Australian Open titlist, is trying to reach a seventh straight U.S. Open final.
"The wind was very strong. Tough conditions to play in, especially if you're down in the score. I think you could tell Mathieu was really struggling after being down in the score. His serve, his returns, everything kind of falls into pieces. That's what the wind can do to you," Federer said of Saturday's conditions.
The Swiss' next test will feature Austrian 13th seed Jurgen Melzer, who made short work of Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 final that lasted just 1 hour, 44 minutes. The 29-year-old had never moved past the round of 32 here in eight previous attempts.
A third-seeded Djokovic dispatched American James Blake in 1 hour, 44 minutes with a tidy 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 win. The Serb swatted four aces and broke back four times against Blake, who also committed 31 unforced errors.
The 2008 Australian Open champ and runner-up to Federer here in 2007, Djokovic will next face off against emerging American threat Mardy Fish, whose best finish here was a quarterfinal defeat to Rafael Nadal in 2008.
Seeded 19th this time around, Fish staved off Frenchman Arnaud Clement for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 triumph to reach the final 16 on Day 6 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The fifth-seeded Soderling whipped Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour , 52 minutes. The Swedish slugger saw De Bakker pile up 35 unforced errors and broke De Bakker six times.
The Swede advanced amid very windy conditions on Saturday.
"It was difficult conditions," Soderling said. "I told myself before the match, It's not gonna be pretty. I think during the circumstances, I played a pretty good match."
Soderling lost to world No. 1 superstar Nadal in this year's French Open final and gave way to Federer in last year's Roland Garros finale.
Up next for Soderling will be 21st-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes, who was leading Kei Nishikori 6-2, 2-1 when the Japanese retired due to a groin injury on Court 11.
Acrobatic 17th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils secured a spot in the fourth round with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, who stunned American favorite Andy Roddick in the second round here. Tipsarevic was slowed by a hamstring injury on Saturday.
The oft-injured Monfils is currently enjoying his best Grand Slam result of 2010.
Another Frenchman reached the fourth round, as former top-10 star Richard Gasquet grounded South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. Gasquet will face Monfils in an all-French affair next time out.
<< Chiefs release 13, including Morgan; Leggett and Urban to IR
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Safety DaJuan Morgan was among the most
prominent players released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, as the team
reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum.
Morgan played in 28 games as a Chief after
<< Phils score twice in seventh to squeeze past Brewers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun's throwing error in the bottom
of the seventh allowed the Phillies to score the go-ahead run, as Philadelphia
got past Milwaukee, 5-4, in the second test of a three-game series at Citizens
Bank Pa
<< Schulz grabs three-stroke lead at First Tee Open
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Schulz fired a eight-under 64 at
Pebble Beach on Saturday to grab a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the
First Tee Open.
Schulz, who is making his 12th Champions Tour start of the year, completed
<< O's down Rays to give Showalter 900th win
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Markakis smashed a two-run homer and
Matt Wieters supplied a two-run double, as the Baltimore Orioles beat Tampa
Bay, 8-4, in the middle installment of a three-game series at Camden Yards.
Jeremy
Redskins release 21, including three ex-Steelers >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins released 21 players from
their roster as part of Saturday's "cut-down day" maneuvers, including three
who won Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2008.
Running back Wil
Jacksonville State revels in upset of Rebels >>
Oxford, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville State didn't have to go for a 2-
point conversion, and the win, in the second overtime against Mississippi on
Saturday.
It's a good thing JSU coach head coach Jack Crowe didn't believe his defense
Razorbacks roll to season-opening win >>
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Mallett tossed three touchdown passes
to lead 17th-ranked Arkansas to a 44-3 rout of Tennessee Tech in the opener
for both schools.
Mallett went 21-for-24 for 301 yards along with a pick for t
Goalkeeper gaffe gives Columbus win at United >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored the lone
goal after a mistake by D.C. United rookie goalie Bill Hamid and the Columbus
Crew won 1-0 on Saturday night in Major League Soccer at RFK Stadium.
Columbus (13-
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.
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