Ivanovic, Kuznetsova among first-day winners in Doha

Tennis Betting Lines

02/13/2012 - Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia were among the winners Monday on the first day of main draw action at the Qatar Open.

The 13th-seeded Ivanovic was ahead 6-1, 4-1 when Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro retired because of a right hip injury, while the 14th-seeded Kuznetsova also knocked out a Spaniard with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Kuznetsova was the Doha runner-up in 2004 and 2007.

Ivanovic and Kuznetsova, each former French Open champions, are two of the five Grand Slam champions in this week's field. Victoria Azarenka, coming off her first major championship at the Australian Open, is this week's top seed, while other Grand Slam winners scheduled to play this week are former French champ Francesca Schiavone and reigning U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur.

The top eight seeds -- Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Stosur, Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, defending Doha champion Vera Zvonareva, Schiavone and Jelena Jankovic -- all have byes into the second round. Zvonareva, also the Doha runner-up in 2010, beat Wozniacki for last year's title.

There was just one other seeded winner Monday, as China's Peng Shuai -- the 12th seed -- notched a 6-0, 7-5 victory over wild card Fatma Al Nabhani. Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 10th seed, was handed an early exit by Kazakhstan's Ksenia Pervak, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Romania's Monica Niculescu cruised past Russia's Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-0, while Israel's Shahar Peer had an even easier time with a 6-0, 6-0 rout of wild card Nadia Lalami.

American Christina McHale also advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers, while Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova notched a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Slovenia's Polana Hercog.

Other winners included Germany's Mona Barthel and qualifiers Kateryna Bondarenko of the Ukraine, Anne Keothavong of Britain and American Varvara Lepchenko.

The 2012 champion will earn a first prize of $385,000.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.