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08/26/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and former top-ranked superstar Roger Federer could meet in the final at the 2010 U.S. Open, which revealed the men's draw on Thursday.
The top-seeded Nadal will open his stay in New York against Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili, while the five-time champion and 2009 runner-up Federer will face Argentine Brian Dabul in the round of 128 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Nadal could face eighth-seeded fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco or 31st- seeded very dangerous Argentine David Nalbandian in the quarterfinals, while his potential semifinal opponent could be fourth-seeded Andy Murray or seventh-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych. Murray will open up against Slovakian Lukas Lacko, while Berdych will meet capable Frenchman Michael Llodra in round one. Murray was this year's Australian Open runner-up to Federer and lost to the Swiss icon in the 2008 U.S. Open finale. Berdych succumbed to Nadal in last month's Wimbledon title tilt.
The eight-time major titlist Nadal could only face his great rival Federer on the final day of the year's last Grand Slam event. The reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion Nadal still needs a U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam. Federer became only the sixth man to accomplish that feat when he titled at Roland Garros last season.
Nadal has yet to reach a U.S. Open final.
Federer, who owns a men's record 16 major titles, could face two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling in the quarters. while his potential semifinal opponents could be third-seeded Novak Djokovic, sixth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko or ninth-seeded American favorite Andy Roddick. Djokovic lost to Federer in the 2007 final here, while Roddick captured his lone Grand Slam title here in New York seven years ago and lost to the amazing Federer in the 2006 final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The former Aussie Open champion Djokovic will open against fellow Serb Viktor Troicki, while the fifth-seeded Soderling will open against a qualifier, Davydenko will meet American journeyman Michael Russell in round one, and Roddick will take on Frenchman Stephane Robert in the round of 128.
Djokovic and Roddick could square off in the quarters.
Federer lost to Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in last year's five-set men's final, but del Potro will not be on hand to defend his title this year as he continues to recover from right wrist surgery.
The 2010 U.S. Open will commence Monday in Flushing Meadows.
<< Raptors stuck with Calderon
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In trying to trade Jose Calderon earlier
this offseason, the message sent by Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo was
clear; Calderon was no longer in the future plans of the organization. A deal
that wo
<< Rachel Alexandra highlights Personal Ensign Stakes
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rachel Alexandra, 2009 Horse of the
Year, gets back into action Sunday in the $300,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at
Saratoga Race Course. The four-year-old filly will take on four female
challen
<< AC Milan, Real in Group G of Champions League
Monaco, Monaco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan and Real Madrid, who have combined
for 16 European championships, were drawn into Group G of the Champions League
on Thursday.
Real Madrid was the biggest club not among the top eight-seeded teams,
<< Clemens to be arraigned Monday on six counts
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Clemens will be arraigned Monday in U.S.
District Court on six counts for his alleged false statements to Congress
about using performance-enhancing drugs.
An indictment handed down last Thursda
Wozniacki, Clijsters could meet in Open final rematch >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded 2009 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki
and second-seeded reigning champion Kim Clijsters could meet in a rematch of
last year's final, as the women's draw was revealed Thursday for the U.S.
Open, the final
Knicks sign second-round pick Fields >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have signed guard/forward
Landry Fields, the 39th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
As per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
The 22-year-old Fields averaged 22 points, good for
Hockey "Cold War" rages on >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cold War may be a thing of the past in
a political sense, but the battle between Russia and the West is still alive
and well in the hockey world.
This week, representatives of the NHL and KHL, among nu
Another loss for USC after investigation, sanctions >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Southern California has
been stripped of the 2004 Grantland Rice Trophy it received in recognition for
winning the national football title.
The award was revoked by the Football Write
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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