Nalbandian, del Potro give Argentina 2-0 lead against Russia

Tennis Betting Lines

09/19/2008 - Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Nalbandian handled Igor Andreev and Juan Martin del Potro drubbed Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets on Friday to give the host Argentines a commanding 2-0 lead over Russia in their best-of-five Davis Cup semifinal.

The world No. 7 Nalbandian charged past Andreev 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours, 26 minutes, while del Potro smacked the world No. 6 Davydenko 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours, 25 minutes in Friday's nightcap on the red clay at Buenos Aires' Estadio Parque Roca.

Nalbandian recorded three service breaks against Andreev, who was unable to break his gritty Argentine counterpart, while the 19-year-old del Potro piled up six breaks against Davydenko, who could manage only one break against his 6-foot-5 Argentine counterpart on Day 1.

The red-hot world No. 13 del Potro has now won 24 of his last 25 matches, including four titles on the ATP. He's making his Davis Cup debut here.

Saturday's doubles rubber will pit an Argentine duo of Agustin Calleri and Guillermo Canas against a Russian pairing of Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov, while Sunday's reverse singles currently call for Nalbandian to meet Davydenko and del Potro to battle Andreev.

Argentina is captained by Alberto Mancini, while Shamil Tarpischev is guiding team Russia. Tarpischev led the Russian women past host Spain in last week's Fed Cup finale.

Two-time champion Russia is 3-1 all-time versus Argentina, including a 3-2 victory in the 2006 Davis Cup final in Moscow. Their last meeting in Buenos Aires, however, resulted in a lopsided 5-0 Argentine victory in 2003.

Russia captured the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006, while Argentina has never won the coveted championship. The Russians were last year's runners-up to the United States.

The Argentina-Russia winner will face the USA-Spain victor in the 2008 Davis Cup final, in November.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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