Szavay to meet Schnyder in Budapest final

Tennis Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - Budapest, Hungary (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Agnes Szavay and Patty Schnyder will stage a rematch of the finale from a year ago, after both were semifinal winners Saturday at the $220,000 Budapest Grand Prix.

The Hungarian Szavay, the seventh seed and a heavy crowd favorite, toppled second seed Alexandra Dulgheru, 6-1, 5-7, 7-5. It is Szavay's ninth straight win at this event.

Schnyder, meanwhile, took a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Czech qualifier Zuzana Ondraskova to move into the final.

In the 2009 final here, Szavay pulled out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win. The 21-year-old will be going for her fourth career title, while the Swiss Schnyder is aiming for career title No. 12. Neither has won a championship this season, and the pair has split two career matchups.

The 2010 Budapest titlist will take home $37,000.

Supersportsbook Tennis Betting News

<< Martins set for Wolfsburg exit
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg have confirmed that striker Obafemi Martins is set to leave the club. The Nigeria international is expected to team up with Russian champions Rubin Kazan after a less than successful first

<< Taylor signs City extension
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goalkeeper Stuart Taylor has signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City. The 29-year-old arrived at Eastlands on a free transfer last summer to provide depth behind regular number one S

<< West Ham lands Mexican winger Barrera
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham is set to sign Mexico international Pablo Barrera, according to his current club, UNAM Pumas. The 23-year-old winger made three appearances as El Tri reached the last 16 in South Afric

<< Edoardo Molinari in front at Scottish Open
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edoardo Molinari fired an eight-under 63 on Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Scottish Open. Molinari finished 54 holes at 15-under 198 and is one stroke clear of first

<< France clinches upset of Spain at Davis Cup
Clermont-Ferrand, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France rode the doubles team of Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra to victory Saturday as it clinched the win over reigning two-time champion Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Benneteau an

Clippers ink two first-round picks >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers signed two first- round draft picks on Saturday - rookie forward Al-Farouq Aminu, the eighth overall selection and rookie guard Eric Bledsoe, the 18th pick. Aminu, who played

Petro headed to Nets >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have reached an agreement in principle with free agent center Johan Petro. Terms of the deal weren't announced, but The Star-Ledger reports it's for three years and worth $1

TFC tops Colorado to stay unbeaten at home >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fuad Ibrahim's 61st-minute goal was enough to lead Toronto FC to a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids at BMO Field on Saturday. The goal was Ibrahim's first of the season and it allows Toronto to exten

Creamer, Yokomine share U.S. Women's Open lead >>
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer and Sakura Yokomine shared the lead with two rounds finally completed at the U.S. Women's Open. Creamer posted a second-round, one-under 70 Saturday, while Yokomine managed her second straigh

Hornets agree to terms with G Head >>
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -The New Orleans Hornets have reached an agreement on a two-year contract with veteran guard Luther Head.The Hornets are not announcing the deal yet because Head still must pass his physical, but Head's agent, Mark Bartelstein, told

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.