Federer, Nadal highlight first day of play in Melbourne

Tennis Betting Lines

01/15/2012 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four-time champion Roger Federer and 2009 winner Rafael Nadal highlight the first day of men's play at the 2012 Australian Open.

Action is slated to start Monday (Sunday night, U.S. time) at Melbourne Park.

Federer, the 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010 Aussie Open winner, will start the night session at Rod Laver Arena against Russian Alexander Kudryavtsev. The 16-time Grand Slam champ is seeded third for this year's championship.

Nadal, who beat Federer for his lone Australian Open crown three years ago, is the second seed for the year's initial Grand Slam. The super Spaniard has the final match at Hisense Arena against American Alex Kuznetsov.

It's the first time Federer and Nadal are on the same side of a Grand Slam draw since the 2005 French Open.

The top seed is defending champion Novak Djokovic, who began an incredible 2011 season with his second Australian Open crown. He went on to win three of the four major championships and 10 titles overall. The Serb, who also won in Melbourne in 2008, will take the court for the first time on Tuesday against Italy's Paolo Lorenzi.

Other top men scheduled for Monday include seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych and eighth-seeded Mardy Fish. Berdych will face Spain's Albert Ramos and Fish will take on Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.

The 2012 Aussie Open champion will collect more than $2.3 million.

Jzzsports Tennis Betting News

<< Streaking Rangers aim for success in Montreal
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers may sit at the top of the NHL standings, but that reign could be a short one if they can't snap their losing streak in Montreal. The Rangers seek a seventh victory in eight games this evening, but to d

<< Caps eye share of first place in clash with 'Canes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals have a chance this evening to move into a tie for the lead in the Southeast Division, but the Carolina Hurricanes aren't likely to be intimidated. Coming off yet another victory over the defending S

<< Pens aim for another victory, try to extend Lightning's skid
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rallying behind their injured captain, the Pittsburgh Penguins halted a season-high losing streak last time out. A let down this afternoon would put the shoe on the other foot. The Pens continue their tour of Florida wit

<< No.23 Bluejays host Salukis in MVC contest
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southern Illinois Salukis will try to halt the 23rd-ranked Creighton Bluejays' five-game winning streak as they head to the CenturyLink Center for Missouri Valley Conference action. Creighton owns a 49-36 edg

<< Blue Devils and Tigers tangle in ACC affair
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils continue their run through the ACC, as the take on the Clemson Tigers in a league affair at Littlejohn Coliseum this evening. Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils are 14-2 on the sea

Wozniacki, Clijsters headline women's action Down Under >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and defending women's champion Kim Clijsters are on the schedule for the first day of play at the 2012 Australian Open. Action is slated to start Monday (Sunday night

Northwest rivals clash in the Rockies when Nuggets host Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a big win over Deron Williams and the Nets, Utah will travel to the Rockies to face off with Northwest Division rival Denver. The Jazz got the best of their former franchise player in his return to Salt Lake City

Spurs try to stay perfect at home vs. banged-up Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home Sweet Home has proven to be more than a cliche for San Antonio this season. The Spurs will try to remain perfect in the Alamo City when they play host to a banged-up Phoenix Suns team tonight. Tony Parker scored 12

Ducks face stiff challenge against Canucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks have looked like a much better team as of late. They'll need to keep playing at that level tonight as they take on one of the top teams in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks. The Ducks are coming off a 5-0 wi

Blackhawks host Sharks in battle of conference elite >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks open up a three-game homestand this evening looking to rebound from a disappointing loss yesterday afternoon in a matchup with the streaking San Jose Sharks. The Blackhawks visited a Detroit Red Wing

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.