NFL: ‘I only deserved to lose 130 million USD’: Vick

“In the first of his interview since to be released from conditionally reinstated and federal prison in NFL, previous Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Michael Vick excepted that he did not stand up to the peers, discussed about disappoint team holder Arthur Blank, and explained he had earned the fall from charm. “I only deserved to lose 130 million USD,” Vick said to commentator of CBS James Brown in the interview, which aired, on the night of Sunday in 60 Minutes news journal on TV.

“What is the reason that a guy who make a 130 million USD … on flip side … the killing dogs … he do not deserve this.” Only 2 years ago, he (Vick) was the player in pro football that used to pay the highest amount, with the 130USD million deal from endorsement and the Falcons contracts with Atlanta-based and Nike AirTran Airways, among the others.

However, he missed it everything when he accepted to participating and bankrolling in a throughway dog-fighting ring. In its place, Vick faced a twenty-three -month prison sentence eighteen months of it provided in a federal prison in Kansas, Fort Leavenworth and millions of USD in debt. He finished his sentence in the last month, and the commissioner of NFL Roger Goodell permitted him for playing again, after a 6-week suspension.

Even on Thursday, Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick for a 2-year deal, which could net him 6USD million. However, interview of Sunday, recorded on the last Monday, and showed Vick who emerged defenseless in questions of Brown. Brown asked, “why people are annoyed, do you understand that?”.

Vick replied. “I understand the reason of this,” “And I am going to say this again. Disgust me to my tolerance. And this was, you know, same thing that I am feeling this time.” Vick spoke to cry for nights after he locked up, and told that it was then what he realized what he had done. Vick said, “The time I was in the prison. You know, I was shocked, due to what I let anything happen to the animals,” More than once, he recognized to regret not just ending the complete operation.

Vick said, “I could have put impede to it,” “I could have walked far from it. I could have shut down the complete operation.” Vick wept for not to stand up to the peers with Bad Newz Kennels (with whom he ran)” tell that Brown regretted “not to be able to tell, or say … some people around me that, ‘See, we can not do this any longer. I am concerned about the career. I am worried about family too.’”

However, Brown challenged sincerity of Vick apology, to ask that he is only sorry about what he had lost. Brown said “Therefore for cynics who say, “You know what… ? I do not know. Michael Vick may be more anxious about facts that his profession was hurt than the dogs were hurt.” Vick responded to say that his multimillion-dollar and football contract did not matter in face of what he had done.”

Parlay Bet

Parlay Betting
Parlay Betting is considered an “exotic” by most sports bettors, or a non-traditional, kind of bet, parlay provides player for placing a bet on the results of 2 or more sporting games or events in order to increase the payout. Like if team “A” was, playing front of Team “B” in a game, and another Team “C” was playing in front of Team “D” in other game, so you can make a two team parlay bet like teams “A” and “C” are the victors. Therefore, they will then you will get much higher payment or if you sited one simple instantly bet on only one games then you will get less payout.

How to have Bet Parlays
Of all foreign bets, Parlays are the most popular for long time. Parlays offer the possiblelity for a large payoff from a little bet.

While declared before, a parlay is one group of gambles on 2 and more teams, which all have to succeed for making your bet considered as succeed. Regardless what numbers of teams are in that Parlay, to lose one game is not different with to lose all the games; so all of the picks of yours must win, otherwise in the some cases they must at least tie to make you win in the parlay.

Two most essential kinds of parlays are:
1.      Point Spread Parlays
2.      Money Line Parlays.

The payouts on every kind of parley are rather different. In “Point Spreads Parlays” payout are unchanging, while in “Money Line Parlay” payouts are determined through the odds on each team. A detailed explanation is given below:

1.  Point Spread Parlays

The odds on your representative Point Spread Parlay, counting totals, tend will be like:

Odds               Number of Teams

13-5                2 teams

6-1                  3 teams

10-1                4 teams

25-1                5 teams

40-1                 6 teams

75-1                7 teams

150-1              8 teams

300-1              9 teams

600-1             10 teams

Therefore, when any bettor makes one wager on the 5-team parlay she/he positions to succeed 25USD for each 1USD if all the picks succeed. This only makes extremely popular to the parlays with lots of people, particularly sportsbooks.

2.  Money Line Paylays

One Point Spread Parlay supposes 50% possibility for every team of appealing, but the Money Line Parlay player does not. Chances of preferred teams beating underdogs tend for being better than 50% that is why Money Line Parlays are outlined in a different method as a result.

Since the winning odds are varying significantly from team to other team, the Money Line Parlays do not apply fixed odds; also instead recalculate the payout all time a-team succeeds up to the odds of next one.

In non-technical language, the Money Line Parlays get the sum of your wage and put all of this up to one team. In case of winning of that team only it recalculates your wage amount on next team, to place your whole bet once again on that particular team, and rapidly for every team in that parlay.

For Example: a Team “A” Money line is plus(+) 160 and Team “B” is minus (-)130. If any one place a10USD wager, he would mainly have a 10USD wage on Team “A” plus(+) 160 that will return 26USD must the team succeed. After Team “A” succeeds, the parlay carries on as a 26USD wage on Team “B” minus (-) 130. Team “B” should also succeed and he would have risked 10USD to succeed 46USD. As this wage had 36USD earnings, alike two team “Point Spread Parlay” would have had just 26USD earnings. This is the mail difference in payout.

Parlay Betting

Parlay Betting is considered an “exotic” by most sports bettors, or a non-traditional, kind of bet, parlay provides player for placing a bet on the results of 2 or more sporting games or events in order to increase the payout. Like if team “A” was, playing front of Team “B” in a game, and another Team “C” was playing in front of Team “D” in other game, so you can make a two team parlay bet like teams “A” and “C” are the victors. Therefore, they will then you will get much higher payment or if you sited one simple instantly bet on only one games then you will get less payout.

NBA : Fall-off of the great summer

Why Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee will struggle in the year 2010. In the starting of each week, HoopsVibe Blog drops a fans list for weigh-in. NBA is the 24 by 7, three sixty five days an annual business. The downtime is the weak holidays are just meaningless. Finally, 10 teams are listed to suit up on the birthday of Jesus, than why would the summer provide relaxation and rest?

The executives of club are ever competing over picks, cap space, and players. Surly in each competition losers and winners emerge. In this summer, the line in the teams that got worse and better widened. Money is the great divide. Still with the soft salary cap, NBA is appropriate like Major League Baseball or European football. There are some having clubs and many are not having clubs.

In the edition of Listed, we are exploring the teams, which fell off in this summer because of the lack of finances. Like always, read post also hit me with the thoughts in comment section.

First step forward and two steps back. After the missing of barely their 1st-ever playoff spot, Bobcats have caught up Emeka Okafor was lately dealt to “New Orleans” for “Tyson Chandler”. These 2 have as good as talent, however Okafor has the contract of multi-year, while Chandler could exercise the option coming summer and walk like free agent.

There is improbability at point and centre guard is not any clearer. The future of Ray Felton is murky because a limited free agent he is presently locked in the contract disagreement with club. The good teams have constancy in the 1 and 5-spots, therefore draw your own endings about Bobcats. Evidently, holder Bob Johnson’s trembling finances prejudiced the deal of Okafor-Chandler and now influencing discussions with Felton. Unluckily, Charlotte, after the dealing with George Shinn, will not hold a team that does not invest the community and the players.

The small market loaded with bad agreements. Unluckily, this required Bucks to the part with assets. Richard Jefferson, their best all around player, was dealt for expiring contracts. Ramon Sessions, a dynamic point guard, will sign elsewhere as a restricted free agent. And Charlie Villanueva will take his twittering to Detroit.

Well, Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut had better produce in the year 2010. The seventy-sixths are a modest gun shy after the max contract of Elton Brand. To exist fair, reports specify Brand will create the full recovery, thus far when he struggled healthy to fit with run-heavy teammates previous year.
This was brings us to 2009 summer to keep Andre Miller is comprehensible. Not to get anything for him in the sign and trade is completely different, particularly with no fallback option.

The Off-court things are anxious Comcast, who is the owner of the club, have never elucidated the long-term objectives. However, he cannot be happy with covering attending in the basketball-mad Philadelphia. The direction of Suns lack, on one hand, they have publicly confirmed their goal is only for wining now, so Grant Hill and Steve Nash were re-signed. In addition, that much-conversed Amare Stoudemire contract never appeared.

Alternatively, the moves were made for creating the financial suppleness for the prospect. The requirement of center stops from shrinking fortune of Robert Sarver. The enthusiastic owner was had leveraged in real estate and banking before economic downturn, must find now additional investors. Then only the team can move forward.

Russian billionaire to become Nets owner

New York, NY- Mikhail Prokhorov, reportedly the richest man in Russia, signed a provisional deal to become principal owner of the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.

Prokhorov, head of the Onexim Group, joins with the company created and maintained by Nets owner Bruce Ratner along with Nets Sports and Entertainment in an effort to relocate the franchise from East Rutherford, New Jersey to the borough of Brooklyn as part of the Atlantic Yards project.

A finalized deal calls for Prokhorov to invest $200 million into the team in a swap for an 80 percent stake in the Nets and 45 percent piece of the new arena. In addition, he is slated to purchase up to 20 percent of the Atlantic Yards Development Company which is overseeing the project.

Report: Knicks G Robinson arrested in the Bronx

New York, NY (Sports Network) – New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson was reportedly arrested in the Bronx on Tuesday evening for driving with a suspended license.

According to a report in the New York Post, Robinson was driving with Nets player Terrence Williams on a license that was suspended in June for the fifth time. After police pulled the two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion over, they arrested and charged him with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

The suspension was the fourth for Robinson since June 2008 for failing to pay ticket fines or answer summons.

The 5-foot-9 Robinson, who is trying to work out a new contract with the Knicks, averaged 17.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game for New York last season, his fourth in the league.

Damron, Collins share Nationwide lead

Springfield, MO (Sports Network) – Robert Damron and Chad Collins both shot eight-under 64 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the Price Cutter Charity Championship.

Roger Tambellini, the 2005 champion, leads a group of 10 players tied at seven-under 65.

The others are Alex Prugh, Henrik Bjornstad, Brent Delahoussaye, Brendan Steele, Tommy Gainey, Chris Nallen, David Branshaw, Justin Bolli and Derek Lamely.

Eleven players sit another shot further back at 66, and there are 76 golfers overall within five strokes of the co-leaders.

On a course — Highland Springs Country Club — that has produced six straight champions at 21-under par or better, it wasn’t surprising that 117 players in a field of 156 finished the first round in red numbers.

Orioles starter Berken hopes to snap skid vs. KC

(Sports Network) – It has been a while since Orioles starter Jason Berken earned a victory. He might not be getting many more chances to get back into the win column.

Berken will attempt to snap an eight-decision losing streak when Baltimore continues a four-game series tonight with the Kansas City Royals at Camden Yards.

Berken’s winless rut has stretched over 10 starts, with the youngster having not posted a victory since winning his major-league debut on May 26.

Berken has allowed at least four runs in six starts this year, including each of his last two. The right-hander was tagged for six runs over 4 1/3 innings of a loss to the White Sox on July 17 before getting charged with five runs in six innings versus the Yankees five days later. He is 1-8 with a 6.55 earned run average on the year and faces the Royals for the first time.

“He pitched up, especially in the first inning,” manager Dave Trembley said about Berken after his last start. “Too many fastballs up. The first couple innings he pitched up in the zone and they hit him.”

Berken may be pitching for his job tonight with rookie Chris Tillman set to make his big league debut on Wednesday. It is thought that either Berken or Rich Hill will be moved out of the rotation to make room for Tillman, as Trembley has said they will not use a six-man rotation.

Hill, though, did not make a good case for himself in Monday’s opener, getting pulled after 2 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on four hits and three walks in a 5-3 loss. Hill did not get a decision.

“Unfortunately I haven’t been able to give any kind of consistent help to this team,” said Hill. “I apologize to the guys in the front office and the guys in this clubhouse.”

Adam Jones homered and drove in two for Baltimore, which has lost six of seven.

Billy Butler had a career-high five hits and drove in three runs for the Royals, who have won two of three since a 10-game losing streak. It marked the first time Kansas City won a series opener since July 9 versus Boston.

“I got the pitch I wanted to hit every time tonight,” Butler told Kansas City’s Web site. “That may not be the case tomorrow. That rarely is the case.”

The Royals will try to get Brian Bannister on track tonight, as he is just 1-4 over his last seven starts. Bannister has left each of his last two starts with a lead, but watched the bullpen give away both advantages. The righty last started on Wednesday and allowed four runs on eight hits over 6 2/3 innings versus the Angels.

Bannister is 6-7 on the year despite a 3.76 ERA, and he dominated the Orioles the only other time he faced them. In a May 11 outing of last year, the 28- year threw eight shutout innings of two-hit, two-walk ball to earn the win.

The Royals and Orioles split a four-game series in Kansas City earlier this year.

Changes won’t keep Cal Poly from GWFC favorite role

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – It was an eventful season for Cal Poly in 2008, as the Mustangs beat FBS rival San Diego State in the season opener and rolled to seven straight wins at one point.

But it was a season of what ifs for Cal Poly, which lost two crucial games to Montana and Wisconsin on missed kicks and then dropped a wild, 49-35 decision to Weber State in the first round of the playoffs.

There were just as many surprises for the Mustangs after the season. Coach Rich Ellerson left the team to take the reigns at Army and their Walter Payton Award finalist at receiver, Ramses Barden, moved on to the New York Giants as a third-round draft choice.

Former Portland State coach Tim Walsh, who had spent the past two years as a West Point assistant, returns to the FCS ranks as the new Cal Poly coach. Under this new direction and with many key players returning, the Mustangs look to pick up where they left off, atop the Great West Conference.

Cal Poly’s journey to a second straight conference crown won’t be easy as UC Davis is expected to challenge for the title. Second-year FCS programs North Dakota and South Dakota hope to build their programs and Southern Utah continues its renovation process.

The Great West, which had lost Northern Colorado to the Big Sky and North Dakota State and South Dakota State to the Missouri Valley Football Conference in recent years, has found some stability with its five current members staying together for a second season.

1. Cal Poly (8-3 overall, 3-0 conference, first)

Walsh takes the helm of a team that is no stranger to success. The reigning Great West Champions look to continue their strong defensive style of play while trying to build on an offense that ranked first in the country last season.

Walsh had similar success at Portland State prior to coming to Cal Poly. He spent 14 seasons with the Vikings, posting a 90-68 record and taking PSU to one FCS playoff berth.

“I expect our offense to look very similar to last season,” said Walsh. “The key is to try and keep the strengths from 2008 and enhance them.”

Junior Tony Smith is expected to start at quarterback in the option-based attack. The transfer from Utah appeared in three games last season backing up starter Jonathan Dally who finished first nationally in passing efficiency.

All-American Jon Hall moves from fullback to halfback and will carry the load in 2009 after having a successful season in 2008 with 821 yards rushing and 11 scores. Halfback Jono Grayson and fullback Jordan Yocum are additional rushing threats.

Senior linebacker Carlton Gillespie and sophomore cornerback Asa Jackson anchor a Cal Poly defense that looks to bounce back to traditional form after struggling the past two years. Gillespie, a good leader and physical player, had a solid 2008 with 36 tackles, 12 for loss and eight sacks. Jackson picked off two passes in 2008 while registering 42 tackles. He is joined in the secondary by another stalwart, safety David Fullerton.

Place kicker Andrew Gardner, whose clutch field goal won the San Diego State game, but who had devastating misses in the losses to Montana and Wisconsin, has left the program. JC transfer Chris Pinto is Gardner’s likely successor.

2. UC Davis (5-7, 2-1, second)

The Aggies are expected to challenge for the Great West title in 2009, but face a daunting task of figuring out how to win on the road. UC Davis lost all six road contests in 2008 but salvaged the season going 5-1 at home. The 5-7 overall record was only the second time the Aggies failed to post a winning record in the last 39 seasons.

Greg Denham, considered the best offensive player in the Great West, returns behind center for the Aggies. Last season, he threw for 3,478 yards and 27 TDs and ranked sixth in the country in total offense.

Chris Carter (69 catches, 11.1 average) and Bakari Grant (61 catches, 11.8 average), both NFL prospects, return this season to help improve an impressive offense that ranked 11th nationally last season.

Tommy Hernandez, one of the nation’s top centers, leads a solid offensive line that helped the Aggie offense produce over 426 yards of total offense per game.

On defense, UCD must replace Buchanan Award finalist and GWFC defensive player of the year John Faletoese. The All-American defensive tackle ended 2008 with 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Mike Morales (72 tackles) will look to regain stability for a squad that ranked 50th nationally last season in yards allowed.

3. South Dakota (6-5, 1-2, tied for third)

The Coyotes roll into 2009 with plenty of confidence after posting a winning season in their first year at the FCS level. Head Coach Ed Meierkort returns for his sixth year at the helm and has lead the Coyotes to a winning season in each of his first five seasons with the team.

Noah Shepard (2,000 yards passing, 15 TD passes, 13 rushing touchdowns) is already one of the most successful quarterbacks in South Dakota history. But, FCS observers are learning the senior is also one of the best in the country.

Chris Ganious (755 yards, 6.6 average) should prove to be another threat in the ground game.

On the other side of the ball, All-American defensive tackle Ko Quaye and defensive end Wayne Curry (56 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) anchor the line.

4. North Dakota (6-4, 1-2, tied for third)

The Fighting Sioux held strong in their first season at the FCS level. North Dakota’s biggest win of 2008 came in the final game of the season in an overtime thriller against South Dakota.

Second-year head coach Chris Mussman begins his 11th season on the Fighting Sioux coaching staff after two years as the offensive line coach/offensive coordinator and six seasons as the assistant head coach.

North Dakota took a hit when it lost its top running back to academic issues for the second year in a row. Josh Murray gained 1,146 yards and scored 12 TDs while replacing Ryan Chappell (1,253 yards and 15 TDs in 2007) last year. But Murray won’t be around for 2009. Sophomore Catlin Solum (127 yards, 4.1 average) will step into the brink.

On defense, senior linebacker Andrew Miller recorded 36 tackles in 2008 and will look to provide the Sioux with leadership. Junior defensive end Ty Boyle (seven quarterback hurries) proved to be a solid pass rusher.

5. Southern Utah (4-7, 1-3, fifth)

Under new coach Ed Lamb, the Thunderbirds bounced back in 2008 after going 0-11 in 2007. Wins against Youngstown State and Texas State gave Southern Utah some desperately needed confidence.

“The question everyone had coming into the 2008 season was when will this losing streak end,” said Lamb, a former San Diego assistant. “Now, the talk has become about where we can go in 2009. This year will be no fluke.”

The Thunderbirds welcome back one of the best deep-ball threats in FCS, wide receiver Tysson Poots. In 2008, the junior hauled in 83 catches for 1,236 yards and 14 TDs.

Cade Cooper will likely be the quarterback trying to gets Poots the ball. Cooper redshirted at Oregon after earning national junior college player of the year honors at Snow College (Utah) in 2007.

On the defensive side of the ball, Robert Takeno returns as the top linebacker, racking up 94 tackles last season. The senior brings durability and passion to a defense that ranked a less than stellar 102nd in the country in 2008.

One of the biggest weapons to help the defense is All-American punter Trevor Ward, who was eighth nationally last year with a 42.8 average.

News provide by: OddsandNews

Vickers leads Red Bull romp in qualifying at Chicagoland

Joliet, IL (Sports Network) – Brian Vickers recorded his Sprint Cup Series- leading fifth pole of the season while his teammate, rookie Scott Speed, surprisingly qualified second to give Red Bull Racing the front starting row for Saturday’s LifeLock 400.com at Chicagoland Speedway.

Vickers lapped the 1.5-mile oval at 184.162 m.p.h. (29.322 seconds) in his No.83 Red Bull Toyota. He has won the last three qualifying sessions in NASCAR’s top division, taking the pole at Sonoma, CA and Michigan last month. Qualifying at New Hampshire and Daytona was rained out, with Tony Stewart awarded the pole based on owner points.

“That car was just unbelievable,” Vickers said. “It was good when we unloaded it, and (the team) made it better.”

Vickers became the eighth different pole winner in nine races at Chicagoland. Qualifying here was rained out last year.

Speed, the last driver in the 46-car field to qualify, posted a lap at 182.958 m.p.h. to secure the outside pole, equaling his best starting position in his Sprint Cup career. He also started second in last year’s season-finale at Homestead.

“The lap that Brian made was amazing, so in the back of my mind, I didn’t think we had a chance for (the pole), but I was hoping for a top-five starting spot,” Speed said. “It’s a whole Red Bull front row, which is probably the first time for that, so obviously we’re doing something right here.”

Speed failed to qualify three weeks ago at Sonoma.

Jimmie Johnson qualified third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer.

“We started in race trim and made a lot of good gains and then switched the car into qualifying trim and it was fast there,” Johnson said.

Kyle Busch, the defending race winner, Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott, David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose completed the top-10.

Stewart, who currently holds a 180-point lead, qualified 32nd, while fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in 13th.

Saturday’s race is scheduled to start just after 8:00 p.m. (et).

Safina, Serena, Venus reach Wimbledon semis

Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) – Top-ranked Dinara Safina, two-time champion Serena Williams and five-time titlist Venus Williams were quarterfinal winners Tuesday at Wimbledon. Fourth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva also won on Tuesday, as the top-four seeds all made it into the semifinals here.

This marks the first time since 2006 that all four top-seeded women reached the semifinals at a Grand Slam event.

Thursday’s semis at the All England Club, which will both pit an American against a Russian, will have Safina facing the third-seeded Venus and a second-seeded Serena taking on Dementieva. Serena and Venus are former world No. 1s, which means three of the four semifinalists have held the top ranking.

Venus has won the last two titles here, including a victory over her younger sister in last year’s finale.

The French Open and Australian Open runner-up Safina was tested by rising 19-year-old German Sabine Lisicki on a hot day at the AEC, as the big Russian prevailed 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1 on Centre Court.

Temperatures topped 90 degrees on Tuesday.

Lisicki broke serve early for a 2-1 lead and served for the opening set, but Safina won the first three points of that 10th game and broke to tie it. The set went to a tiebreak and Lisicki won four straight points to grab a 4-1 edge.

A double-fault by Safina gave Lisicki a 6-3 advantage, but the Russian blasted a forehand winner and Lisicki missed an easy forehand at the net that would have given her the set. With a chance to get back into the tiebreak on serve, Safina committed her seventh double-fault to drop the first set and slammed her racquet in disgust.

The second set remained on serve until Safina broke for a 4-3 edge. She nearly gave the break back serving in the 10th game, but Lisicki slipped while setting up for a backhand on break point and the mishit gave Safina another chance. The Russian managed to hold serve and force a decisive third set.

Unfortunately for Lisicki, the German simply ran out of gas in the final set, as Safina cruised in the last seven games by breaking Lisicki’s serve four times in as many tries. The first three games of the set all resulted in breaks of serve, but Safina would assume control by holding serve and then breaking for a comfortable 4-1 advantage.

The big-serving Lisicki then called for a trainer, as she had her legs iced while laying face-down on the court.

Safina then held for a 5-1 cushion despite misfiring for three straight double faults at one point, and she broke her German counterpart in the next game by converting on her first match point when Lisicki missed the court with one final errant backhand.

The 23-year-old Safina moved on in 2 hours, 28 minutes despite piling up a whopping 15 double faults. She did, however, tally six breaks, compared to only two for Lisicki, who wound up out-acing Safina 12-0.

“I was Santa Claus on the court, serving so many double faults,” Safina said. “I was tough mentally, that was the key today.”

Safina, who does not like to play on grass, will now perform in her first- ever Wimbledon semifinal. She’s been the runner-up at three of the last five Grand Slam events. Safina lost to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French Open final four weeks ago and succumbed to Serena in the Aussie Open final back in January.

The reigning Aussie Open and U.S. Open champion Serena blew past eighth-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court. The 27-year-old Serena reached her sixth Wimbledon semifinal by dousing Azarenka in 1 hour, 13 minutes.

Serena took control of the opening set against Azarenka by breaking her Belarusian counterpart for a 4-2 lead. The American then held and broke again, with a set-ending forehand winner.

In the second set, the 19-year-old Azarenka recorded her first break of the day to assume a short-lived 3-2 lead, as she was unable to consolidate the break. Serena would break right back to level the stanza at 3-all.

Following a hold, Serena notched another big service break for a 5-3 advantage and then closed out the match by holding her big serve to advance. Serena set- up the only match point she would need with a forehand winner, and converted on it with another forehand winner that just caught the baseline.

A clean Serena committed a mere seven unforced errors, fired nine aces among her 26 winners and broke Azarenka four times, while the Belarusian settled for only one break en route to defeat.

Azarenka upset Serena in this year’s final at the so-called “Fifth Slam” in Miami.

Venus, seeking a third straight and sixth overall Wimbledon title, cruised to a lopsided 6-1, 6-2 triumph over 11th-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in a brisk 68-minute affair. The seven-time Grand Slam champ has yet to drop a set in her five matches at this fortnight and has won 33 straight sets here, dating back to 2007.

There was not much drama for Venus, who won the first six points on the way to a 5-0 lead in the first set. The 20-year-old Radwanska finally held serve in the sixth game, but Williams quickly put it away in the next game with an ace on set point.

The total domination in a 27-minute first set included four aces for Venus and 14 total winners. Radwanska had just three winners and won only two points against Venus’ potent serve.

That quickly changed early in the second set, as Radwanska won eight of the first nine points to open a quick 2-0 lead. Venus, who double-faulted to give Radwanska a break in the second game, broke right back in the third and held serve to level the set.

Venus broke serve again for a 3-2 lead, winning a marathon fifth game with a brilliant point at the net, and Radwanska never recovered. The American finished the match with a perfectly-placed forehand winner.

The 29-year-old Venus is now 67-9 all-time on grass, including 63-7 at Wimbledon.

“Do I feel invincible?” Venus said. “I’d like to say yes, but I really do work at it.”

The mighty Williams sisters have combined for seven of the last nine Wimbledon titles, with Venus capturing five and Serena two. The two met last year in the championship match, a 7-5, 6-4 victory for Venus. Both of Serena’s titles at the All England Club came in back-to-back finals against her sister in 2002 and 2003.

Venus is 5-2 in seven Wimbledon finals, while Serena is 2-2.

The two-time major runner-up and reigning Olympic gold medalist Dementieva throttled Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2 on Court 1 on Day 8. The weak-serving Russian moved on in 66 minutes, despite piling up nine double faults. Dementieva did, however, record five service breaks in nine tries, while being broken only once by the 29-year-old Schiavone.

The 27-year-old Dementieva will play in her second career Wimbledon semifinal, with both coming over the last two years. The Russian lost to Venus in last year’s final four here.

On Thursday, Safina and Venus will meet for a fourth time, with the American leading the all-time series 2-1. The Russian beat Venus in Rome earlier this season.

In the other semi, Serena and Dementieva will square off for a fifth time, with the Russian holding a 3-1 lead in their lifetime set. The American bested Dementieva in this year’s Aussie Open semis.