Azarenka a doubt for French Open

World number one Victoria Azarenka is a doubt for the French Open at Roland Garros after pulling out of the Italian Open with a shoulder injury.

The Australian Open champion, with four titles already this season, withdrew from the event in Rome despite beating Shahar Peer 6-1 6-2 on Wednesday, much to the disappointment of the tennis community on Betfair.

Azarenka was scheduled to play Dominika Cibulkova in round three on Thursday, but the Slovak will now receive a bye into the last eight.

With the French Open starting on May 27, the Belarusian faces a race against time to be fit for the second Grand Slam of the season and will be desperate for some good news on the injury in the next few days.

A finalist in Madrid last weekend, Azarenka is considered one of the favourites to emerge victorious in the French capital.

Azarenka’s conqueror in Spain has fitness concerns herself. Madrid Open champion Serena Williams fought back from a set down to beat Russia’s Nadia Petrova 4-6 6-2 6-3 and book a third-round tie with Anabel Medina Garrigues.

She complained of back problems during her second match in 18 hours but hopes to shake off the aches and strains as the tournament goes on.

“When I saw the schedule, I said, ‘Oh my God, are you serious?’ But that’s life. You just have to be able to adjust and I was really happy I was able to come through,” Williams said.

“Everyone has aches and pains here and there and today I felt it a lot because I have been playing a lot and practising even more. Hopefully I’ll be better by tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Venus Williams beat Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (9-7) 6-1 to book a meeting with Australia’s Samantha Stosur.

The clay event in Rome is seen as a curtain-raiser for the French Open, and the Betfair French Open tips will surely reflect Azarenka and Serena Williams’ current problems.

Agassi predicts Nadal victory in Paris

Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi has backed Rafael Nadal to fight off the challenge of in-form Novak Djokovic and lift his seventh French Open title.

Djokovic has swept all before him in winning three consecutive Grand Slams but is still chasing an elusive first-ever victory at Roland Garros.

The Serbian’s record is in contrast to that of Nadal, who is almost unbeatable on the Paris clay. The 25-year-old has lost just once at the French Open in seven years, at the hands of Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009 and punters who bet on sports  are not looking beyond him for this year’s title.

Agassi, who shares the distinction of a career Golden Slam with Nadal – winning four Grand Slams and Olympic gold in singles –, believes it will take a special effort to beat the Spaniard in 2012.

“It’s going to be hard no matter what Djokovic has proven over the last year to ever think that Nadal wouldn’t be deserving of the favourite,” Agassi told sport news reporters .

“He is the Mount Everest on that surface three-out-of-five and I’ve got to believe that there’s a bit of an edge that would go to the person that has stood at the top of that mountain as many times as he has.”

The clay master recently beat Djokovic to stretch his dominance in Monte Carlo to eight years and Agassi insisted that gives Nadal the edge going into the French Open.

“Obviously Djokovic wasn’t emotionally at his best, but Nadal still managed to win that thing eight times,” he added.

“When they flashed to Bjorn Borg, who I just think the world of, up in the stands, you kind of looked at Bjorn and went ‘wow I remember when you were the crème de la crème’ but Nadal has established himself as the guy to beat on that surface still.”

Will John Terry make it to the Euros?

Just a year ago, anyone asking whether John Terry would be going to the European Championships this summer would have had injury or fitness problems in their mind in order to dare question the potential exclusion of the Chelsea captain.

Now, though, there is no ignoring the fact that there is a serious debate brewing with regards to whether or not Roy Hodgson will dare pick a player who has been tarnished badly by a series of allegations and charges made against him, with the entire England back line now looking far from being settled as a result.

Expectations are low going into the tournament, in fact that are as low as they have been for a generation. The Betfair Group D Euro 2012 Odds suggest qualifying from the group will be an achievement.

If Terry does board the plane to the Euros, we still won’t know whether or not the Chelsea defender will be able to partner the brother of a man who is accusing him of racial abuse. So, what to do in advance of the tournament about an issue that the squad could really do without given the enormous levels of pressure the England team have been placed under this summer?

Terry is a man who clearly loves playing for his country, so questions cannot be asked about whether or not he wants to go to the tournament this summer.

With many other players in the England set-up today not seemingly as committed as Terry in this regard, it might just end up being a decision the former England captain has to make, considering whether his love for the Three Lions actually means that he has to fall on his sword and choose to rule himself out of the squad for the sake of the team.

Ultimately, though, it is unlikely that Terry would make this decision, meaning that the new manager Roy Hodgson will face an extremely difficult decision only days after being made the official manager of the club.

Another one of the outsiders for the tournament are co-hosts Poland, the Group A Euro 2012 Odds don’t fancy them to progress, but they may yet surprise a few people in a group containing Greece, the Czech Republic and Russia.

Del Potro Sets up Berdych Clash

Juan Martin del Potro is returning to his best just in time for the start of the French Open, after winning his tenth successive match on clay, on his way to setting up a semi-final meeting with Tomas Berdych at the Madrid Open.

Del Porto was in sublime form, as he eased to a straightforward 6-3 6-4 victory against the Ukrainian 16th seed, Alexandr Dolgopolov. The result no doubt resulted in a few big payouts with Betfair tennis.

The 23-year-old Argentinian, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2009, the same year that he won his sole Grand Slam, the US Open, has already won two tournaments, this year. He was successful at the Open 13 in Marseille, before tasting success at the recent Estoril Open.

Berdych set up the semi-final with del Potro by crushing Spain’s Fernando Verdasco, the man who had knocked Rafael Nadal out in the previous round. The sixth-seeded Czech, who has yet to be broken in 25 service games at the tournament, wasted little time in cruising to a 6-1 6-2 victory.

Verdasco had little answer to Berdych’s power, and still seemed to be recovering from his fantastic display against Nadal, who he had beaten for the first time in his career, winning 6-3 3-6 7-5.

The result brought to an end Nadal’s 22-match winning streak on clay, and he hinted afterwards that he may not take part in the Madrid Open in 2013, as he is unhappy with the new blue clay surface that the organisers have introduced for this year’s tournament.

Nadal is likely to be the main draw at SW19, however; follow his exploits leading up to the competition with Betfair Wimbledon.

Camacho delight at Euro spot

Exeter Chiefs winger Gonzalo Camacho admits that qualification for the Heineken Cup has exceeded his wildest dreams.

Camacho arrived at the Chiefs in 2011 and has helped the club to a fifth-placed finish this season. It means they narrowly missed out on a play-off place, but it is enough to secure a place in Europe’s premier international club competition.

“I didn’t have any expectations of the Heineken Cup when I arrived,” said Camacho, who began his rugby career in his native Argentina with Buenos Aires, before taking an opportunity with London outfit Harlequins.

“For us it’s unbelievable to play that level of rugby, some players never expect to reach the Heineken Cup, it is massive and a great motivation for us”

Though their Heineken Cup odds for the new campaign are likely to be long, the Chiefs have impressed many this season and have shown a clear improvement on the previous campaign, when they struggled to a mid-table finish following promotion from the Championship.

But the West country sign can now afford to set their sights a little higher, and Camacho admits that the team are chomping at the bit to resume training ahead of next season.

“We are building year-after-year and the motivation is huge, especially for the young lads coming through,” he added.

“We’re trying to enjoy a few weeks off before heading back to training. It’s very hard in the Premiership, Harlequins finished seventh and are now first, we’ve gone from eighth to fifth so we are improving.”

The Chiefs’ defeat to Saracens on the final day of the regular season put paid to their hopes of securing a play-off finish, but the 2011/12 campaign has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for future success and sent a strong message to the rugby betting community on Betfair.com.

Who will lead Hodgson’s attack?

With the European Championships less than a month away all eyes are on who England manager Roy Hodgson will select for his squad for the competition in Poland and the Ukraine this summer, with punters placing plenty of cash on the new man’s potential selections.

Most of the selections in defence and midfield will come as no surprise to many, with the same faces in the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry and Scott Parker set to feature in the middle of the park.

However apart from Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, there are a host of forwards who could get the nod from Hodgson to make the trip to Eastern Europe for this major competition. Though with places limited, there will also be plenty who will have to watch football live from their armchairs this summer.

Whoever is selected will arguably be called upon due to potential to impress at the tournament rather than going in on form, as most of the likely candidates are either struggling with injuries or form.
Aston Villa striker Darren Bent is a major doubt for Euro 2012 with an ankle injury but might just recover in time to feature and will be favourite in the football betting to be selected should he do so.

Stoke City’s Peter Crouch, who whether you’re an admirer of his talents, has an impressive record with the Three Lions and is another man Hodgson could look to bring in along with possible Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck of Chelsea and Manchester United respectively.

Andy Carroll of Liverpool has endured a torrid season, with a Reds side who have been well below par this term, no matter what their manager Kenny Dalglish may say in the media.

However, the former Newcastle United star has started to show glimpses of the form that made him such an attractive prospect for the Merseyside outfit during his time at St James’ Park.
Carroll could be a wildcard pick for Hodgson, who let’s face it will be choosing from a small crop of English strikers playing in the Premier League, which must be a warning to the FA that to not enough homegrown talent seems to be coming through the ranks at this time.

Beaten Guineas Favourite, Maybe, is One to Keep Faith in

She might have been beaten 10 lengths into a distant third place, behind her brilliant stable companion, Homecoming Queen, in Sunday’s Group 1 Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, but Aidan O’Brien’s Maybe ran far from a bad race, and is one to keep very much on the right side for the remainder of the season, writes Elliot Slater.

When Ryan Moore on Homecoming Queen blasted out of the stalls and set breathtaking fractions through the first few furlongs, it seemed clear that Homecoming Queen was simply front running in order to provide the previously unbeaten Maybe (13/8f) with a true test, and something to aim at.

However, before the two furlong from home marker, it was clear that nothing short of an earthquake would stop Moore’s filly, who maintained a stunning gallop all the way to the line, to score by nine-lengths from the Starscope. Maybe, who travelled very sweetly for much of the mile contest, finished third under the young Joseph O’Brien.

Expected to come on somewhat, for this first outing of the campaign, having won all five starts, including the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Group 2 Keeneland Debutante Stakes at the Curragh, and the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, Maybe has long been the horse most punters wanted to be on for both the 1000 Guineas and the Oaks.

Despite being well beaten, bookmakers were not over-reacting to her loss, in pushing her out from 4/1 favourite with a bet on racing on Bet Victor, to a general offer of 7/1 in the ante-post market for the Investec Oaks at Epsom, on June 1.

Her third place finish in the 1000 Guineas clearly did not disappoint connections and, if she does indeed improve for her seasonal bow, there could still be plenty of big prizes to pitch for, with the high-class daughter of Galileo. Enjoy betting on horse racing with Bet Victor.

Ten Brits to Watch at London 2012

London 2012 could very well be the year for Olympic medal success for a number of British athletes. Here’s a round-up of London 2012 betting tips:
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1. Mo Farah will be competing in the 5,000m and 10,000m. His gutsy 5000m world title in 2011 underlined his emergence as a global force, since his move to the USA to work under marathon legend, Alberto Salazar.
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2. Dai Greene won a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, having won European and Commonwealth titles in 2010. The Welsh hurdler seems to have the Midas touch, which is what he’ll need, as he goes for the 400m hurdles at London 2012.
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3. Rachel Cawthorn will be representing team GB in sprint canoeing. She is the first British female canoeist to win a medal at a World Championship, earning bronze in the 500m at the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, in Poznan.
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4. Luke Campbell is a bantamweight boxer. Campbell became England’s first European amateur champion in 47 years, and has spent time training at the LA gym of the legendary Freddie Roach, who also trains Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.
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5. Beth Tweddle is the greatest British gymnast of all time. She has three world titles and six European gold medals. At London 2012, she will be attempting to win her first Olympic medal.
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6. Keri-Anne Payne is a swimmer, who was the first British athlete to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games, when she regained the world title in the 10km open water event in July. She will compete in open water, 400m individual medley, and the 4x200m freestyle.
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7. Sarah Stevenson won Great Britain’s first ever Olympic taekwondo medal, when she claimed the bronze in Beijing, at her third Olympic Games. Sarah is in the 67kg class for Taekwondo.
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8. Richard Kruse is a foil fencer. He achieved the best Olympic placing for a British fencer in 40 years, when he reached the quarter-finals in the foil at the 2004 Games. Kruse is now one of the world’s top ten, so will be looking to go even further at the 2012 Games.
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9. Victoria Pendleton is the most successful British female track cyclist of all time, winning Olympic sprint gold in 2008. She has also won eight world titles – five of them in the individual sprint.
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10. Zoe Smith became the first Englishwoman to win a weightlifting medal in Commonwealth Games history, when she clinched bronze in the 58kg weight division in Delhi. The 5ft 2in weightlifter had previously won gold in the 53kg class at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, aged just 14.
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Continue the coverage of the upcoming Olympic Games with the Betfair london 2012 website.

Father’s Day finale at the Olympic Club

This year’s US Open at the Olympic Club, San Francisco, is set to reach its climax on Sunday, 17th June, unless there is a tied final hole, when, unlike the other three Majors, an extra 18-hole round on Monday is played to determine the eventual winner.

That scenario does not happen too often; in fact, it has occurred just three times since 1985, most recently, when Tiger Woods gained a dramatic victory over Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines, three years ago.

Wherever the US Open is staged, each golfer knows that there is no room for error in such a competitive event, and immense concentration is needed just to get around the course in par even.

Just four men in the tournament’s history have achieved the feat of completing all four rounds under-par: Lee Trevino, in 1968, Tony Jacklin, in 1970, Lee Janzen, 23 years later, Curtis Strange, who 12 months after that, had the misfortune to see Ernie Els deny him victory, and finally Rory Mcllroy, last year.

The Northern Irishman’s feat was only one of a number of records that he broke at Congressional, on the way to a staggering 16-under par round. On the way, he proceeded to post the lowest score for 36 and 54 holes, and at one point was 17 under-par, another record.

One record that he did not manage to break, or even equal, however, was that of the lowest score for 18 holes. That number is 63 and is co-held by four players: Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, and Vijay Singh, so there is room for improvement from the young genius.

Just to stop him getting complacent, as well, should he read this article, the largest margin of victory in the US Open is 15 strokes, achieved by Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach, in 2000. That, incidentally, is the biggest margin and all-time record in any of the four Majors to date.

Woods is the favourite in the open odds to take the gold at this year’s Championship.

Olympic Boxing

At London 2012, history will be made in the boxing ring, as women’s events will be included for the first time.

There are thirteen medals up for grabs in all – ten for the men at different weights, and three for the women at fly (51kg) light (60kg) and middle weight (75kg).

Olympic boxing competitions always throw up some quirky stories. Here are a few to whet the appetite for London 2012:

America’s Eddie Eagen won a light-heavyweight boxing gold in Antwerp-1920. Twelve years later, he won another Olympic gold, but this time at the winter Olympics, in bobsledding. He remains the only person in history to have won a gold medal in both summer and winter Olympic sports.

Paul Gonzales of the USA took gold in the Light Flyweight competition in his home-town of Los Angeles, in 1984. Caught up in gang warfare, he was charged with murder when just 15, but was able to prove he had been boxing at the time. His witness was policeman Al Stankie who persuaded Gonzales to take up boxing after seeing him in a street fight five years earlier.

After he took gold in the 1932 bantamweight event, Canada’s Horace – “Lefty” – Gwyne offered to endorse his favourite drink ‘Vi-tone’ but was turned down flat by the makers. Times have certainly changed!

Arnoldo Pares of Argentina was found to be overweight at the weigh-in to the opening bout of the bantamweight contest at London, in 1948. His team cut off all his hair, towelled him down, and scrubbed his feet, but he was still over and inconsolable. The Argentineans protested, and an investigation found the scales to be wrong. He was knocked out in the second round.

Britain’s Richard Gunn won gold in the 1908 Olympics Featherweight event at 37. He now holds the record as the oldest-ever gold medal-winning boxer.

Best mates, John fields and Joseph Salas, both Americans, had to fight each other in the final of the 1924 featherweight event. In the dressing room before the bout, they started to cry and hugged each other. Fields was so upset at having won that he cried again after the bout.

During the 1936 lightweight contest, South African, Thomas Hamilton-Brown, lost his opening fight on points. However, it was found that a judge had made a mistake and that Hamilton-Brown had actually won the fight. By the time his trainer found him, later that night, the distraught fighter had gone on an eating binge to ease his disappointment, and had put on 5 pounds. He was overweight for the competition.

When Sugar Ray Leonard took gold in the 1976 Light Welterweight event, he had photographs of his girlfriend and their son pinned to his socks.

At Seoul in 1988, two boxing rings were used. The end of a round in one was signalled by a buzzer, the other by a bell. In one fight, both the referee and Chun of South Korea got it mixed up and American Todd Foster hit Chun with a big left hook! Eventually, the match was ordered to be re-fought and Foster won, before losing to eventual silver medallist, Cheney, of Australia.

Visit http://betting.betfair.com/betting/2012-olympics/ for more information on betting on 2012 Olympics.