Safarova, Dulgheru advance in Prague

Tennis Betting Lines

07/13/2010 - Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Czech favorite Lucie Safarova and No. 2 seed Alexandra Dulgheru were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the $220,000 Prague Open tennis event.

Safarova handled Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 6-4, 7-5, while the Romanian Dulgheru held off Italian veteran Tathiana Garbin 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on the red clay at Stvanice.

Fifth-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues whipped Czech wild card Kristyna Pliskova 6-1, 6-3, while last week's Budapest titlist, Agnes Szavay, stayed hot with a 6-4, 6-3 beating of Romanian qualifier Liana Ungur, and eighth- seeded Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova stifled compatriot Andrea Hlavackova 6-2, 6-4. The Hungarian Szavay is seeded seventh this week.

Unseeded Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder, who succumbed to Szavay in the Budapest finale for a second straight year this past weekend, moved on here Tuesday with a 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1 come-from-behind victory over Kazakhstan's Zarina Diyas.

A Day-2 upset occurred when Romanian Monica Niculescu dismissed third-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 7-5.

Fourth-seeded Czech favorite Klara Zakopalova pulled out of the draw and was replaced by Austrian lucky-loser Tamira Paszek, who fell to France's Alize Cornet 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, while long-time Czech favorite Iveta Benesova moved on with a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 decision against Bosnian qualifier Mervana Jugic-Salkic.

Other opening-round wins came for Czechs Lucie Hradecka and lucky-loser Eva Hrdinova, Colombian qualifier Catalina Castano, and qualifier Ksenia Pervak, who bested former top-10 fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 6-3.

Casinoplauer Tennis Betting News

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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.