Ivanovic, Kuznetsova among first-day winners in Doha

Tennis Betting Lines

02/13/2012 - Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia were among the winners Monday on the first day of main draw action at the Qatar Open.

The 13th-seeded Ivanovic was ahead 6-1, 4-1 when Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro retired because of a right hip injury, while the 14th-seeded Kuznetsova also knocked out a Spaniard with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Kuznetsova was the Doha runner-up in 2004 and 2007.

Ivanovic and Kuznetsova, each former French Open champions, are two of the five Grand Slam champions in this week's field. Victoria Azarenka, coming off her first major championship at the Australian Open, is this week's top seed, while other Grand Slam winners scheduled to play this week are former French champ Francesca Schiavone and reigning U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur.

The top eight seeds -- Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Stosur, Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, defending Doha champion Vera Zvonareva, Schiavone and Jelena Jankovic -- all have byes into the second round. Zvonareva, also the Doha runner-up in 2010, beat Wozniacki for last year's title.

There was just one other seeded winner Monday, as China's Peng Shuai -- the 12th seed -- notched a 6-0, 7-5 victory over wild card Fatma Al Nabhani. Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 10th seed, was handed an early exit by Kazakhstan's Ksenia Pervak, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Romania's Monica Niculescu cruised past Russia's Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-0, while Israel's Shahar Peer had an even easier time with a 6-0, 6-0 rout of wild card Nadia Lalami.

American Christina McHale also advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers, while Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova notched a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Slovenia's Polana Hercog.

Other winners included Germany's Mona Barthel and qualifiers Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine, Anne Keothavong of Britain and American Varvara Lepchenko.

The 2012 champion will earn a first prize of $385,000.

Wwwslotszone Tennis Betting News

<< Van Basten to take charge of Heerenveen
Heerenveen, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Netherlands international Marco van Basten has agreed to take over as manager of Heerenveen in the summer after agreeing to a two-year contract. Van Basten will take over for Ron Jan

<< Korda cracks top 100 in women's rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following her playoff victory at the Women's Australian Open on Sunday, Jessica Korda jumped 203 places in this week's women's world rankings. Korda, who birdied the second playoff hole to def

<< Sa Pinto replaces Paciencia at Sporting
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sporting Lisbon fired manager Domingos Paciencia on Monday and has replaced him with Ricardo Sa Pinto. Sa Pinto has been promoted to manager from his role in Sporting's youth setup, and the 39-year-ol

<< Tretschok, Covic take charge of Hertha temporarily
Berlin, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Hertha Berlin players Rene Tretschok and Ante Covic have been named caretaker managers of the club following the departure of manager Michael Skibbe on Sunday. Skibbe took charge over the winte

<< Jets, Ducks swap centers
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets have acquired center Maxime Macenauer from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for center Riley Holzapfel. Macenauer appeared in 29 games for the Ducks this season and has picked up a goal with

This Week in Golf -- February 16th through February 19th >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - NORTHERN TRUST OPEN - Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California - A week after crushing the field in the final round at Pebble Beach, Phil Mickelson heads to Hogan's Alley to see if he ca

The Sixth Man: Lin proving the skeptics wrong >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If an unproven scriptwriter took Jeremy Lin's story to Hollywood a month ago, he would have probably been thrown out on his ear. "Too unrealistic, kid," a jaded Tinseltown exec likely would have told the

Smith, Malkin, Perron named NHL's 'Three Stars' >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith, Pittsburgh center Evgeni Malkin and St. Louis left wing David Perron have been selected as the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending February 12. Smith won eac

Baylor still women's No. 1, UConn second >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baylor is again a unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press women's college basketball poll. The undefeated Lady Bears received all 40 first-place votes and a total of 1,000 points from

Oilers ink Sutton to extension >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers agreed to terms with defenseman Andy Sutton on a one-year contract extension Monday. Acquired on July 1 from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Kurtis Foster, the 36-ye

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.