01/17/2009 - Sydney, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Nalbandian of Argentina gutted out a three-set victory over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen to capture the Medibank International title on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Nalbandian posted a 6-3, 6-7 (9-11), 6-2 triumph for his 10th career ATP singles crown. It was also his first in Australia, giving him some momentum heading into the year's first Grand Slam.
"It's very good. Winning a tournament before [the Australian Open] is almost perfect," said Nalbandian. "So very happy for the week that I had here."
Nalbandian knocked off four-time Sydney champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the quarterfinals and cruised to a straight-set win over France's Richard Gasquet in the semis before his tussle with Nieminen.
The unseeded Finn had a much tougher route to the final -- name-wise, as he beat 2008 Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after a walkover victory against last year's Aussie Open runner-up, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Nalbandian appeared in control and was serving for the match in the second set, but Nieminen broke to make it 5-5 and it eventually went to a tiebreak. Nieminen blew four set points in the tiebreak before converting the fifth to send the match to a decisive third set.
The final set was all Nalbandian, who broke for a 4-2 lead and broke serve again to finish the match.
"The tiebreak was very long," said Nalbandian. "I was a little unlucky some points. But that's the way it is. Then I started playing very good again, and then third set I was in control. It was a good match. A good win."
Nalbandian evened his record in ATP finals to 10-10 and also improved to 7-4 lifetime against Nieminen.
"Today it was a tough match," added Nalbandian. "I feel that I'm going to arrive [in] Melbourne with a lot of confidence. So that's good."
Nalbandian, whose best Grand Slam finish was a runner-up at Wimbledon in 2002, will play in his eighth Australian Open. He has been a quarterfinalist three times and in 2006 reached the semifinals. His first-round opponent next week will be France's Marc Gicquel.
Nieminen, meanwhile, fell to 1-8 all-time in ATP finals. His lone crown came at Auckland in 2006 and last year he was a finalist in Adelaide, a run that propeled him to a quarterfinal finish at the Australian Open -- matching his best Grand Slam result.
"I got a lot confidence from this week," said Nieminen. "I really feel good, and I don't feel physically tired."
Nieminen's first-round foe in Melbourne will be Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.
Saturday's victory was worth a first prize of $78,500 for Nalbandian.
The doubles crown went to the American tandem of Bob and Mike Bryan, who earned a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over the top-seeded duo of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.
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Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jameer Nelson poured in 15 of his 28 points
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Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Redd poured in a season-high 44
points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks in a 129-122 victory over the Sacramento
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Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Crawford scored a game-high 29 points,
and the Golden State Warriors topped the Atlanta Hawks, 119-114, at ORACLE
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Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antawn Jamison poured in a game-high 28
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Kiefer withdraws from Australian Open >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicolas Kiefer of Germany has
withdrawn from the Australian Open because of a left ankle injury.
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previous Austral
Kings try to halt skid in test versus Stars >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings will try to avoid a fourth
consecutive loss when they visit the rival Dallas Stars for this afternoon's
Pacific Division battle at American Airlines Center.
The Kings dropped the final three tests on
'Canes hope to avoid longest losing streak of season vs Sabres >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to halt their longest
losing streak of the season when they visit the Buffalo Sabres for tonight's
encounter at HSBC Arena.
The Hurricanes have lost four straight contests and are in danger
Devils resume road trip against Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils continue their six-game road trip
tonight in an Atlantic Division contest with the New York Islanders at Nassau
Coliseum.
New Jersey has won two straight and three of the four contests it has played
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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