Spain, Switzerland tied at 1-1 in Davis Cup

Tennis Betting Lines

03/05/2010 - Logrono, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time reigning champion Spain and visiting Switzerland are tied at 1-1 following Friday's opening singles in a first-round Davis Cup battle in Logrono.

Stanislas Wawrinka gave the Swiss a 1-0 lead with a marathon 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Nicolas Almagro. The grueling match lasted just under four hours.

Ferrer then leveled the tie for Spain with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory over Marco Chiudinelli in a best-of-five tilt on red clay at the Plaza de Toros de la Ribera.

Saturday's pivotal doubles bout will pit a Spanish duo of Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo against a Swiss tandem of Wawrinka and Yves Allegro, while Sunday's reverse singles currently call for Ferrer to face Wawrinka and Almagro to meet Chiudinelli.

Switzerland is playing without world No. 1 superstar Roger Federer, while Spain does not have its great star, Rafael Nadal, in the lineup. Federer had previously announced that he would not play this week, while the former No. 1 oft-injured Nadal is out with a bad knee.

Fernando Verdasco and former top-ranked star Juan Carlos Ferrero also made themselves unavailable for the hosts this week because of injuries.

Spain is captained by former French Open champ Albert Costa, while the Swiss are led by Severin Luthi.

The Spaniards are 4-1 all-time against the Swiss, in a series that dates back to 1946.

Spain beat the Czech Republic in last year's final and won four Davis Cup titles in the 2000s, including two straight to close out the decade. The Spaniards are unbeaten in 18 home ties stretching back to 1999.

The Spain-Switzerland winner will face the France-Germany victor in the quarterfinals in July.

Casinio Tennis Betting News

<< Grant fined for improper conduct
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portsmouth manager Avram Grant has been fined $1,500 and warned about his future conduct after angrily confronting referee Kevin Friend during a Premier League game last month. Grant admitted a Fo

<< Eagles give Weaver three-year pact
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with fullback Leonard Weaver on a three-year contract. Terms were not disclosed by the club, but the Philadelphia Daily News reported it to be worth $11

<< No spending spree yet in free agency
NEW YORK (AP) -With the salary cap gone the way of the drop kick, NFL teams began the free agency period Friday with lots of moves.The only thing missing was the megadeal, although the Chicago Bears appeared to be closing in on one with defensive en

<< Three-Year-Olds Regain Spotlight on Saturday
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With last week's cancellation of the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, there will be two graded three-year-old prep races this Saturday as that event joins the Gotham Stakes over in New York. Eight of the 10 ear

<< Celtic surprised over Brown appeal
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic have spoken of their 'amazement' after they failed with an appeal to have Scott Brown's Old Firm red card rescinded. The 24-year-old midfielder was dismissed after clashing with Gers strike

Lions acquire Corey Williams from Cleveland >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions have acquired defensive lineman Corey Williams in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. In addition to Williams, the Lions also received a seventh-round pick in the 2010 draft and sent th

Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Recaps >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - RaShawn Polk posted 20 points with four rebounds as Towson cruised past UNC-Wilmington, 91-74, in first-round action of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. Troy Franklin scored 18 points

Lady Vols rout Ole Miss in SEC quarters >>
Duluth, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alyssia Brewer scored 21 points and Angie Bjorklund added 16 with five assists, as fourth-ranked Tennessee claimed a 76-51 victory over Ole Miss in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Alicia Man

Arsenal out to win one for Ramsey >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The injury suffered by Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is still fresh in the mind of many of his teammates, who are getting set to host Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The promising tee

Chargers make Cromartie deal official; bring back Wilson, Boone >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers made it official on Friday and announced the trade of cornerback Antonio Cromartie to the New York Jets. San Diego will receive an undisclosed 2011 draft pick in return. In addit

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.