Blake rallies to finish off Davydenko, advances to Estoril final

Tennis Betting Lines

05/10/2009 - Estoril, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After having their semifinal match suspended Saturday due to darkness, fourth-seeded James Blake and three-time finalist Nikolay Davydenko resumed play on Sunday at the $595,000 clay-court Estoril Open.

The second-seeded Davydenko beat Blake 7-6 (7-3) in the first set and was trailing 4-2 in the second before the match was interrupted at National Stadium. Blake went on to capture the second set 7-6 (7-2) and won the decisive third set 6-3 to become the first American to reach the final here since 1999.

Blake, who is a flawless 7-0 lifetime against the world No. 11 Russian star, will play seventh-seeded Albert Montanes in the final, also to be played on Sunday, after the Spaniard made short work of Chilean Paul Capdeville in Saturday's first semifinal bout.

Davydenko, who titled here in 2003, lost to the great Roger Federer in last year's finale and also came up short in the 2006 final.

The 2009 Estoril champ will collect $96,000.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.