Nadal Adds Men In Kvitova

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.

Azarenka held serve with relative ease the rest of the opening set to stay in the driver's seat, but Clijsters began her comeback by breaking at love on Azarenka's service game in the second.

But Azarenka, riding a 10-match winning streak after winning in Sydney earlier this month, earned her fourth break of the match to serve for a spot in the finals.

Azarenka will face the winner of the Petra Kvitova-Maria Sharapova match. The champion will become the new World No. 1, supplanting Clijsters' quarterfinal victim, Caroline Wozniacki.

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.

Kvitova missed wildly on an overhead smash to lose her second service game, the first of three breaks for Sharapova in the opening set.

Sharapova's last major came at the 2008 Aussie Open.

comments

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

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•    Well choreographed for most of the match, VinciRrani's teamwork breaks down in the last game & KuzNareva break to take the 2nd set, 6-4.

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

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

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•    Debonair men are in short supply these days

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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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•    We're out about to set this place on Fire without a match or lighter #tinieearlydoors

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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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•    Currently listening to aussie fight lol nosebleed ako ditey lol

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•    Bout to head to bed...the game just pissed me off. Goodnight tweetersVxtXA5

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