Sports Betting Tips and Game Handicapping Picks » Maria Sharapova

2010 Australian Open Betting Favorites

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:28:22 +0000

Tennis returns.

The 2010 Australian Open promises to deliver all the action and excitement of Grand Slam tennis starting on January 18th before concluding with the finals on January 31st at the Melbourne Tennis Stadium in Flinders Park.

There are four major international Grand Slam tournaments held each year; the Australian Tennis Open, the French Tennis Open in Paris, Wimbledon in London and the US Tennis Open in New York. With the often extreme summer temperatures of Australia, the Australian Tennis Open is regarded as one of the most physically demanding for players.

The Australian Open is important in many ways, not least of which is because it is the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. And all eyes will be on French phenom Rafael Nadal as he attempts to defend the very title he won here last year.

Another guy to look out for at the 2010 Australian Open is of course, Roger Federer, who will be looking to put his 2009 breakdown behind him. He will need to win in Melbourne if he wishes reassert his supremacy in men’s singles tennis.

Other notable players to watch out for include Novak Djokovic. After finishing last season with the Masters Cup title under his belt, Djokovic will come in the Australian Open brimming with confidence.

We also have Andy Murray, easily the most improved player of the season. He will be looking to prove that he’s capable of Grand Slam greatness as he comes in Melbourne looking for greater things.

On the women’s side, Serena Williams will enter the tournament as a strong favorite. She will be keen to atone for last year’s US Open meltdown. However, the American won’t want to keep her guard down this year as she’ll be accompanied with other players looking for a better year as well.

Such players includes former champion Maria Sharapova...

2009 WTA Australian Open updates and Betting Picks

NBA Blogger B — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:11:49 +0000

1^st seeded Jelena Jankovic has pulled through to the third round of the 2009 Australian Open with a thrilling win over Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. Jelena Jankovic who is ranked number 1 in the WTA standings is trying to get her first Grand Slam singles title, beat Kristen Flipkens 6-4 7-5. The 23-year-old Serbian Jelena Jankovic WTA tennis player lost the last U.S. Open title to Serena Williams and also made the semifinals in the 2008 Australian Open and the 2008 French Open while only lasting till the fourth round of the 2008 Wimbledon Championship. Jelena Jankovic would be playing Ai Sugiyama of Japan, who beat Nathalie Dechy of France 1-6 6-1 6-3 in the second round of the 2009 Australian Open.

Ana Ivanovic is getting back on track in the 2009 Australian Open after defeating Italian Alberta Brianti 6-3 6-2 to move onto the third round. Ana Ivanovic lost in the 2008 Australian Open final to Maria Sharapova then moving on to winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2008 French Open and gaining the No. 1 ranking in the WTA rankings.

"I was in this situation before French Open last year, coming into the tournament as pretty serious finalist," Ana Ivanovic said. "That experience will help me a lot to approach this Australian Open."

"I improved a lot since last match. I was committing much more, coming to the net more often," she said, adding she still had plenty to improve. "When you come against top players or high-ranked players, you automatically raise your level and your consistency. That's something that I can do"

Dinara Safina moved on to the third round of the 2009 Australian Open after rallying for a three-set win.

"It was amazing, I'm so happy to be back here," Ana Ivanovic said. "I had lots of great matches here last year."

Dinara Safina overcame...

WTA Tennis Betting Tips on the 2009 Australian Open

NBA Blogger B — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Jelena Jankovic one of only six women to hold the No. 1 ranking last season, has finally received a top seed ranking in one of the year’s first Grand Slam. Along side is the American who is a three-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams ranked second.

This year could be an interesting year in the WTA as the Williams sisters have declined significantly with their game making this a free fall all season. Maria Sharapova as well has declined giving opportunities to most of the other women in the WTA to finally have their crack in numerous Grand Slams this 2009.

Russia’s Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva, the 2009 Beijing Olympic finalists, were seeded third and fourth, respectively, right behind Jelena Jankovic and Serena Williams. Elena Dementieva who by far can match the power brought on the table by both the Williams sisters can post possible match up problems for about any WTA Player available and most importantly give Serena Williams and Venus Williams a great run for their money.

The 2009 Australian Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic is the fifth seed and one of the six WTA players to be seeded No. 1 last season while 2008 Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is ranked at sixth.

The defending champion Maria Sharapova has been...

Maria Sharapova pulls out of 2008 Beijing Olympics

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 02:32:23 +0000

Sharapova fans, mourn.

As we count the remaining days heading to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, news broke out that we won’t have the privilege of watching Sharapova run around the tennis court when the biggest sporting event of the year starts on August 8.

You read it, the hot and sexy Maria Sharapova won’t be playing for her mother country Russia, pulling out of the tournament because of a right shoulder injury. Sharapova, winner of three Grand Slam singles titles, said that an MRI exam and other medical tests showed she has two small tears in tendons in her shoulder.

Sharapova, before opting out of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, already pulled out of the WTA tournament in Montreal because of the said injury.

‘’After yesterday’s match, I knew there was something seriously wrong with my shoulder,'’ Maria Sharapova said in a posting on her web site under the headline that reads, ‘’No chance of me competing in Beijing.'’

‘’This is something that needs a lot of time to heal, which really hurts me to say that I have to miss the Olympics.'’

‘’I'm currently packing up really quick to hop on the plane and head to [New York] for a second opinion, but I wanted to let all of you know first that there’s no chance of me competing in Beijing. The timing is so unfortunate and this makes me more sad than anything.'’

Sharapova opting out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics means she’ll have more time to prepare for the last Grand Slam of the...

Time to bet on Wimbledon 2008

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:05:39 +0000

The most grandiose tennis tournament in the world is ON people.

That’s right, the 2008 All England Lawn Tennis Championships, otherwise known simply as Wimbledon, have begun Monday as the top tennis players in the world look to win the very tournament, the ONLY tournament that matters.

While F1 has Monaco, NASCAR has Daytona, soccer has the World Cup and pro wrestling has WrestleMania, tennis has Wimbledon. This tennis tournament in England has always become the highlight of the tennis season and you can bet that every tennis player out there will be out looking to win the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, no matter how hard it will take them.

The 2008 Wimbledon Championships will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club starting June 23 through July 6, 2008. This year marks the 132nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam event of the year.

And just like any other Wimbledon tournaments in the past, the French Open champion will be looking to win in England and follow up on his or her last Grand Slam success.

This year, we have 2008 French Open champions, Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic.

While they are two of the best tennis players we have today, we all know Nadal can’t win if they’re not playing on clay. Ana Ivanovic, on the other hand, won this year’s tournament on clay just because Maria Sharapova wasn’t around to give the Serbian yet another disappointment in the final match.

After all, Maria Sharapova will come in STILL the reigning Wimbledon champion. It is also in Wimbledon where everybody started noticing how good she really is.

This is STILL Sharapova’s turf and her...

Maria Sharapova: 2008 Australian Open Women’s Singles Champion!

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:23:43 +0000

a href="http://www.sportsbettingindex.net/sports_betting_tips/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/sharapova-australian-open-champion.jpg" title="sharapova australian open champion">Maria Sharapova (5) of Russia defeated Ana Ivanovic (4) of Serbia in the finals of the 2008 Australian Open Women's Singles in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 clinching her third Grand Slam title. Maria Sharapova went through the entire 2008 Australian Open without dropping a set to an opponent, and was impressive all throughout, booking wins against World No. 1 Justine Henin of Belgium and No. 3 seed Jelena Kankovic. Maria Sharapova's 2008 Australian Open title redeems her loss in the 2007 Australian Open finals last year when Sharapova was dominated by Serena Williams 6-1, 6-2. The only Grand Slam title that eludes Maria Sharapova is the French Open, which she hopes to win this year some time between mid-May and early June when the 2008 French Open kicks off.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Advances To Australian Open Finals After Thrashing Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:15:54 +0000

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Is On Fire! Unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France was a stray underdog to win the semi-final match against No. 2 seed and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal of Spain. Sure, Tsonga was able to get through his fellow Frenchman No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet, then he breezed through the No. 14 seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny in the quarter-finals. But then, to oust the World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 is just a remarkable feat for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Ana Ivanovic Enters Finals of 2008 Australian Open Women’s Singles Tournament

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 08:22:31 +0000

Ana Ivanovic vies for 2008 Australian Open Women's Singles Title! No. 4 seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia is through to the Finals of the 2008 Australian Open Women's Singles tournament after winning her semi-finals match against No. 9 seed Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. It was a shaky start for Ana Ivanovic, who lost the first set 6-0 to a determined Daniela Hantuchova. With the sting of the first set loss haunting Ivanovic, she managed to collect herself and win the second set 6-3.

Maria Sharapova Thru To Finals of 2008 Australian Open

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:25:19 +0000

Maria Sharapova returns to the finals of the Australian Open! Maria Sharapova of Russia came into the 2008 Australian Open Women's Singles tournament as a No.5 seed, but her recent form is showing that maybe she should've been seeded Number 1. In any case, Maria Sharapova is hot, especially including her recent performance in the 2008 Australian Open.

Rafael Nadal vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Australian Open Semi-Finals

Jeffdstuff — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:30:58 +0000

2008 Australian Open Men's Singles Semi-finals: Rafael Nadal (2) of Spain vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal of Spain may have the "ranking" on his side as the favorite to win over French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but then Tsonga is playing with so much emotion and has some real good momentum going into the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Open Men's Singles Championsip. The unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been through some very tough matches against some top-seed of the 2008 Australian Open. Tsonga went through a tough 4-set match against No. 8 seed Richard Gasquet in the 4th round before going through a long straight-set quarterfinal win over No. 14 seed Mikhail Youzhny.