Match Adds Men In Grand

Tennis Betting Lines

Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The biggest match to this point at the 2012 Australian Open will occur Thursday (3:30 a.m. et) when former world No. 1s Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer lock horns in a semifinal showdown at Rod Laver Arena, as the two all-time greats will renew arguably the greatest rivalry in modern tennis. The 25-year-old Nadal and 30-year-old Federer will meet for a 27th time on the ATP World Tour, with the gritty Spaniard leading the all-time series, 17-9. Nadal is 7-2 in their Grand Slam matchups, including wins in their last four such encounters.

The second-seeded Nadal and No. 3 seed Federer are in the same half of the draw at a major for the first time since 2005. The two superstars have met in a men's record eight major finals, with Nadal going 6-2.

The Nadal-Federer winner will meet Friday's Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray victor in Sunday's lucrative final here. Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have combined to win seven of the last eight Aussie Open championships.

Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka ended Kim Clijsters' run at consecutive Australian Open titles Thursday, besting the four-time Grand Slam champion in a tense three-set semifinal battle. Azarenka, seeded third, reached her first major final by outlasting the defending champion, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, in two hours, 12 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

If this was, in fact, the Belgian's final visit to the season's first major, she went down fighting. Azarenka broke Clijsters' second serve of the match, then fought off four break chances in the proceeding game.

Clijsters, the 11th seed, quickly evened the match before falling behind 4-1 in the third. She held serve and trailed 40-0 in the next game before breaking to get back on serve.

In the quarterfinals, Clijsters fought off four match points against last year's Aussie runner-up Li Na before pulling out the three-set victory.

A repeat performance was not meant to be, as Clijsters was wide on match point to end any chance at becoming the eighth woman to repeat as Aussie champion.

After that battle, Sharapova downed second-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, to avenge her loss to the Czech in last year's Wimbledon final.

The winner of Saturday's finale will become the new World No. 1, supplanting Clijsters' quarterfinal victim, Caroline Wozniacki. Sharapova has not held the top ranking since the week of June 8, 2007.

Sharapova, seeded fourth, lost the second set, and was down 0-30 at 4-4 in the third before a replay reversal gave her new life. The Russian won the next four points to put the pressure back on the 21-year-old Kvitova, who could not hold serve thanks to several unforced errors in the final game.

comments

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•    Maria sharapova is just amazing.. hope to see her in person..she's an icon..=)

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•    Wah Final Australia Open tunggal putri Victoria Azarenka vs Maria Sharapova baru besok ya, mau nonton nih *-*

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•    Real life is, to most men, a long second-best, a perpetual compromise between the ideal and the possible. (Russell)

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•    Life is what you make it. I plan to make mine #Grand. #CoMo

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•    Ready forma te match Djokovic vs Murray #australianopen

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•    Rafael Nadal murked the lame Roger federer... We bagging the Ausi Open

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•    I'm NOT just making a record... I'm making a Difference! (You'll be Remembered) #Champion

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•    Sweet, Kim Clijsters was at #fedal match. Things you don't get pointed out with Patrick McEnroe vs. MartIna. OMG, Feli + Wilson advert <3

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•    Terminando de ver un Partidazo! Elena Dementieva vs Kim Clijsters Filderstadt 2005... Nostalgia

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•    Most off the mutants in X-Men aren't even from America

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•    Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi! Hope everyone enjoyed Australia Day.

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