Berdych and Youzhny to play for Munich title

Tennis Betting Lines

05/09/2009 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and Russia's Mikhail Youzhny won semifinal matches Saturday and will play for the title on Sunday at the BMW Open.

The fourth-seeded Berdych earned a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over France's Jeremy Chardy, while Youzhny rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over German wild card Daniel Brands.

Berdych will play in a final for the first time this year and will try to improve upon his career mark of 4-4 in ATP title matches. He was 1-1 last year, losing in Bastad and winning in Tokyo in October.

This year had been a struggle for Berdych, as he had not been past the fourth round in any tournament before this week.

On Saturday, Berdych had his serve broken just once and fired 10 aces. He will try to become the first Czech player to win in Munich since Jiri Novak in 2001.

Youzhny will play in his second Munich final, having lost to Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the 2007 title match. Like Berdych, Youzhny is also 4-4 in ATP finals. The last of his four titles came in January 2008 in Chennai.

Brands had Youzhny on the ropes Saturday, but could not convert any of the four break point chances he had in the eighth game of the third set. Youzhny managed to hold serve for 4-4, then broke Brands' serve in the next game before holding his own to close it out.

Youzhny owns a 5-3 career record against Berdych, including a semifinal win at this event in 2007. The two will meet for the third time in 2009, having split the first two. Youzhny won a first-round match in Marseille back in February and Berdych returned the favor a month later in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Both went three sets.

Sunday's winner will collect a first prize of $95,000.

Mertocasino Tennis Betting News

<< Safina blasts Kuznetsova for Rome title
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dinara Safina got the better of her fellow Russian this week with a straight-set victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final at the Italian Open. The top-seeded Safina rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 win on Saturd

<< Gomez scores four times as Stuttgart topples Wolfsburg
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mario Gomez thrashed Wolfsburg for four goals as he led Stuttgart to a 4-1 win over the Bundesliga leaders at Mercedes Benz Arena on Saturday. Gomez scored twice in the opening 20 minutes, and after

<< Daly was one of the best
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two months ago Chuck Daly was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Today, the Hall of Fame coach is gone. The "Good Guy" of the "Bad Boys" passed away at the age of 78 at his home in Jupiter. Fla. on Saturday morning.

<< Davis helps Rangers take over top spot
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A goal from Steven Davis in the 37th minute was enough to see Rangers past Celtic, 1-0 at the Ibrox Stadium on Saturday. The win moves Walter Smith's side two points clear of the Hoops at the t

<< Mets manager Manuel suspended one game
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel has been suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount for making contact with an umpire during an argument in a game on Thursday. Major League Baseball made th

Gerrard helps Liverpool continue winning ways >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Gerrard scored a pair of first-half goals to lead Liverpool to a comfortable 3-0 win over West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday. The win moves Rafael Benitez's team to the top of the league table

Vancsik still on top at Italian Open >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a long weather delay Saturday, Daniel Vancsik closed out a two-under 69 to finish three rounds with a one-stroke lead at the Italian Open. Vancsik completed 54 holes at 11-under-par 202. He wi

Dementieva cruises in Madrid, advances to second round >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Elena Dementieva of Russia had little trouble disposing of American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in first round action at the inaugural $4.5 million Madrid Open. The third-seeded Dementieva needed just unde

Reyes, Mets handle struggling Pirates >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Reyes went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored as the New York Mets pounded the Pittsburgh Pirates, 10-1, in the second of a three-game set at Citi Field. Carlos Beltran hit a solo home run and

Davydenko-Blake match suspended, Montanes rolls in Estoril >>
Estoril, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time finalist Nikolay Davydenko and fourth-seeded American James Blake had their match suspended due to darkness, but seventh-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes made short work of Chilean Paul

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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