Bartoli, Kanepi among first round winners in Rome

Tennis Betting Lines

05/03/2009 - Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marion Bartoli and Kaia Kanepi were among the first round winners at the $2 million Internazionali BNL d'Italia tennis event.

The 11th-ranked Bartoli, of France, topped China's Peng Shuai, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3) in just under 90 minutes on the red clay at Foro Italico. Estonia's Kanepi, the 16th seed, was a 6-4, 6-3 winner over American Vania King.

In other first round action, Slovak Daniela Hantuchova deafeted Russian Vera Dushevina, 6-4, 6-1, and Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro topped Great Britain's Anne Keothavong, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

One of two three-set matches of the day went to Sybille Bammer, who was a 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3 winner over China's Li Na, while the other went to Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who battled from a set down to beat Amelie Mauresmo, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

A pair of qualifiers moved on, as Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova beat Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2 and Japan's Ayumi Morita beat Monica Niculescu 6-1, 6-3.

The other matches featured Patty Schnyder topping Columbia's Mariana duque Marino 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, Lucie Safarova beating Mariya Koryttseva 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 and Francesca Schiavone defeating Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-4 in an all- Italian matchup.

Serbian star Jelena Jankovic bested France's Alize Cornet in last year's Rome finale.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.