Fabulous Federer: Swiss great wins fifth straight U.S. Open title

Tennis Betting Lines

09/08/2008 - Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Swiss superstar Roger Federer defeated Scotland's Andy Murray in Monday's men's final at the U.S. Open to become the first man in the Open Era to capture the event five straight years.

The second-seeded former world No. 1 Federer straight-setted the sixth-seeded Murray 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 on Day 15 on the hardcourts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The final was pushed from Sunday into Monday after inclement weather from Tropical Storm Hanna wreaked havoc on Saturday's schedule here.

Federer cruised in an uneventful first set, as the super Swiss broke the Brit for a 4-2 lead and broke him once again to close out the stanza in routine 6-2 fashion.

In the second set, Federer broke for a 2-0 lead, only to see Murray break right back and then hold for a 2-2 deadlock. Murray appeared to break Federer once again for a possible 3-2 lead, but a Federer shot that sailed long was called in, Murray did not challenge the call, played it and wound up losing the crucial point. Federer would go on to win the game for a 3-2 edge.

Federer closed out the second set at 7-5 by striking a running forehand winner, his fourth winner of that game.

In set number three, Federer broke Murray for a 2-0 lead, broke again for a 4-0 advantage and then held his serve for a commanding 5-0 lead.

Murray broke Federer, who was serving for the match, to pull within 2-5, but it was all over in the next game, as the Swiss broke the Brit once again by converting on his second championship point when the Scot netted one final forehand after 1 hour, 51 minutes of tennis at a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"This is a very special moment in my career," Federer said during the on-court trophy presentation. "To take this one home is incredible. It means the world to me."

Federer struck 20 more winners (36-16) than Murray, who had his serve broken a whopping seven times by the mighty Swiss. Murray could manage only two breaks over three sets.

The 21-year-old Murray, who is now up to No. 4 in the world rankings, was playing in his first-ever Grand Slam final. He was trying to give Britain its first U.S. Open titlist since Fred Perry way back in 1936.

"I've got a lot of improving to do if I want to win one of these tournaments," Murray said after the setback.

Federer is now 2-2 lifetime against Murray, including 1-1 this year. The Brit upset the Swiss on a hardcourt in Dubai for a second straight win earlier this season.

The 27-year-old Federer now owns 13 career major titles, leaving him just one shy of Pete Sampras' record haul of 14. Federer beat reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic in last year's final here and also topped the Serb in this year's semifinals two days ago.

Federer has won 34 straight matches here in Flushing.

The last man to win five straight U.S. Open titles was the legendary "Big" Bill Tilden, who tallied six in a row from 1920-25.

Federer is also the first man ever to win five straight championships at two different majors. He was the Wimbledon champ from 2003-07.

Only two other men have won five U.S. Open titles in the Open Era (since 1968) -- Jimmy Connors and Sampras.

The Basel native Federer, this year's Wimbledon and French Open runner-up to Rafael Nadal, has won at least one major title in the last six years. A weary world No. 1 Nadal lost to the surging Murray here on Sunday.

Federer is now 13-4 in his major finals, with all four losses coming against Nadal. He's beaten five different men in the last five U.S. Open finales.

The amazing Federer halted a three-major winless drought, his longest such drought since the middle of 2003.

Federer is now 56-21 in his overall career finals, including 3-4 this year, with all four losses coming against Nadal. Surprisingly, this marked his first hardcourt title of the year.

Murray dropped to 6-5 in his career finals, including 3-1 this season.

The Olympic doubles gold medalist Federer pocketed $1.5 million and was awarded a Lexus automobile, while Murray settled for $1 million. Federer's career prize money is now up over $43 million. Sampras is the only other player to reach $43 million in prize money.

Only five men reached the four major finals this year -- Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Aussie Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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