Gonzalez blasts Haas to reach Aussie Open final

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01/26/2007 - Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Gonzalez earned his first trip to a Grand Slam final with a straight-set victory over Tommy Haas on Friday in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

The 10th-seeded Gonzalez rolled to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 triumph in a mere 91 minutes and will next take on defending champion Roger Federer on Sunday. Federer crushed Andy Roddick in 83 minutes in the first men's semifinal on Thursday.

It was a near perfect effort for Gonzalez, as the Chilean committed just three unforced errors -- none in the first or third sets. He ripped 42 winners, while Haas won a total of just 42 points.

"I'm enjoying the tennis," said Gonzalez. "I've been playing the last four months at a very high level and I feel that I'm not doing too much, so that's very important, what you feel on court."

The 12th-seeded Haas lost in the Australian Open semifinals for the third time in his career, also falling short of the title match in 1999 and 2002. The German has never been to a semifinal in any other Grand Slam event.

Gonzalez's domination started from the outset. He won the first 11 points of the match and needed just 28 minutes to capture the first set.

Haas double-faulted on break point in his first service game of the second set and never recovered, and Gonzalez earned an early break in the third set to essentially finish it off.

"I played, actually, pretty good tennis," said Haas. "Every time I tried to do something differently, he came up with the answer. That's quite frustrating after a period of time. Each set, you know, you try to start well and maybe get a momentum going. He got on top of me every single time."

Gonzalez did not face a break point on his serve, blasted nine aces and had no double-faults.

If Gonzalez can match his semifinal play, the final against Federer could be entertaining.

Federer did much of the same in his semifinal rout of Roddick on Thursday, as a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 triumph put the Swiss superstar into his seventh straight Grand Slam final.

The reigning Aussie Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Federer is trying to win his third straight Grand Slam title. He already owns nine major titles and will try to become the sixth man to corral double-digit Grand Slam championships here on Sunday. Pete Sampras (14), Roy Emerson (12), Rod Laver (11), Bjorn Borg (11) and Bill Tilden (10) are the all-time leaders in major wins.

If Federer prevails here on Sunday, it would make him the only player in the Open Era to win three straight Grand Slam titles twice in his career. Only two other men have won three straight majors in the Open Era, as Laver won all four in 1969 and Sampras rattled off three straight from Wimbledon 1993 through the 1994 Aussie Open. Federer's first streak of three straight Slams came when he won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2005 and nailed down his second Aussie Open crown here last year.

Federer will seek his 46th career title in his 59th final (45-13) and he's going after a third Aussie Open championship, having titled here in 2004 and last year, when he topped Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the finale.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, became the second Chilean to reach a Grand Slam final and the first since Marcelo Rios lost to Petr Korda in the 1998 Australian Open title match.

However, his record against Federer is not very good. In fact, Federer has won all nine matches the two have played, including a pair of finals last October in Madrid and Basel.

"He's the No. 1 player in the world by far. He's the favorite," said Gonzalez. "I lost many times with him. But now I'm playing much better now than the last time that we played. And it's only one match. I'm going to give everything that I have to try to win my first Slam."

Gonzalez has seven ATP singles titles in his career, but none since taking the Basel crown in 2005.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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