Nadal eases into Barcelona quarters, semis

Tennis Betting Lines

04/23/2009 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four-time reigning champion Rafael Nadal was an easy third-round winner Thursday at the $2.6 million Barcelona Open.

The high-flying world No. 1 Nadal spanked helpless Belgian Christophe Rochus 6-2, 6-0 in 56 minutes on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. Nadal has now won his last 23 matches on clay, a surface he is 140-4 on since 2005.

Nadal defeated David Ferrer in last year's popular all-Spanish finale here to secure a fourth straight title at the event. He's 23-1 lifetime at this tournament.

The reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Olympic titlist Nadal is fresh off his fifth straight Monte-Carlo championship, having beaten Serbian star Novak Djokovic in last week's title tilt in Monaco.

Nadal's quarterfinal opponent on Friday was supposed to be seventh-seeded Argentine star David Nalbandian, but Nalbandian pulled out of the tournament with a hip injury after beating 10th-seeded Spaniard Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday, thus giving Nadal safe passage into the semifinals.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco outslugged 15th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, while third-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko snuck into the quarters by outlasting 16th-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 6-4. Verdasco's quarterfinal opponent will be fifth- seeded Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, while Davydenko will meet ninth-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek on Friday.

In addition to Nadal and Verdasco, two other Spaniards landed in the round of eight, as a fourth-seeded Ferrer overcame Italian Potito Starace 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and sixth-seeded Tommy Robredo fought back to best 12th-seeded Russian Igor Andreev 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Robredo captured this Barcelona event in 2004 and was the 2006 runner-up to Nadal.

Ferrer and Robredo will face-off in an all-Spanish affair on Friday, as half of the quarterfinalists here hail from the host nation.

In some other third-round play, Gonzalez grounded gritty Argentine Juan Monaco 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, while Stepanek moved on by upending eighth-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

This week's champion will pocket $370,000.

Sothevys Tennis Betting News

<< Delhomme signs contract extension
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme signed a five-year contract extension on Thursday. More to follow.

<< Bush loses no-hit bid in eighth as Brewers bash Phillies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun and Bill Hall belted homers, while Dave Bush took a no-hitter into the eighth and pitched a solid 7 2/3 innings to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-1, in the rub

<< Satisfaction kills in the NBA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Author Louis L'Amour once said, "Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content." Years earlier Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." Fair enough Ralph -- here's what I know...

<< NHL suspends Flames F Roy
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League on Thursday suspended Calgary Flames forward Andre Roy one game and fined him $2,500 for an incident prior to Wednesday's contest. In the pre-game warmups before Calgary

<< Maryland's Vasquez declares for NBA Draft
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maryland junior guard Greivis Vasquez has decided to submit his name for the NBA Draft, but won't hire an agent to give himself the option of returning to school. The 6-foot-6 Vasquez averaged 17.5 poi

Slump frustrates Juve's Del Piero >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frustrated Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero is disappointed with the way his side's title challenge has petered out. It had been thought that Juve would push Inter Milan all the way after it was kn

Bramble hopes to sign new deal with Wigan >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan Athletic defender Titus Bramble is keen to sign a new contract with the Latics. The 27-year-old former Ipswich Town and Newcastle United star has enjoyed a solid campaign with Steve Bruce's side

Genoa's Thiago waits on summer bids >>
Genoa, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-demand Genoa midfielder Thiago Motta is waiting to see what offers come in for his services next summer. The 26-year-old Brazil international has rebuilt his career in Italy following an injury-hit ti

United acquires defender Avery from New England for draft pick >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United signed veteran defender Avery John after acquiring his rights from the New England Revolution, the Major League Soccer clubs announced on Thursday. United gave the Revs a conditional draft

Golf Tidbits: Trouble brewing in Tiger's Camp? >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Early in his career, Tiger Woods employed Butch Harmon and Mike "Fluff" Cowan as his swing coach and caddie, respectively. Harmon first started working with Woods when Tiger was romping through the amateu

Credit Card Betting: Sportsbook accepts U.S. credit cards

Online Sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard

MySportsbook.com is the best at processing US credit cards for deposits. Welcome to the most player friendly online sportsbook on the planet!

The principals behind MySportsbook are obviously a management group that understands the players needs as evidenced by their commitment to provide easy depositing with their high credit card acceptance rate and free weekly $10 bets they offer to clients with active betting accounts.

The perks don't end there! MySportsbook offers casino, poker and horses as well. Twice named Best Sportsbook by eGaming Review, this place is rock solid financially so you don't ever have to sweat the payout as you may with some other online bookies operating with less betting volume and client base.

Sign up today and grab your share of a 10% bonus that is added instantly to your betting account. Enjoy 52 risk free bets throughout the year as well!

Reasons to Play There: You have to see their no hitter, cycle hitter and slaughter rule promos for baseball. Worth a laugh and probably a few bucks throughout the MLB season. They offer supersized bonuses of 15% if you up your minimum deposit to $500 or more. Lay -105 on Friday NBA! Contests during the NFL football season!