Almagro to face Gasquet for Gstaad crown

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07/31/2010 - Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicolas Almagro of Spain and France's Richard Gasquet were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title at the Swiss Open Gstaad.

The second-seeded Almagro earned a 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 6-3 victory over fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, while the seventh-seeded Gasquet advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Kazakhstan's Yuri Schukin.

Almagro needed to save a set point in the first-set tiebreaker before winning it, but Gimeno-Traver saved a pair of break-point chances against his serve in the second set and converted one of his two to even the match. Almagro then opened a quick 3-0 lead in the third and closed out the match in two hours to advance to his second ATP final in the past three events.

The world's 18th-ranked player notched his sixth career title and first of 2010 two weeks ago by stunning crowd favorite Robin Soderling in the final at the Swedish Open.

Almagro is 6-2 all-time in ATP finals, all of which have come on clay.

Gimeno-Traver was denied his first-ever ATP final for the second straight event. He lost to Gael Monfils in the semifinals of the Mercedes Cup two weeks ago.

Gasquet will appear in his third final of the year. He lost to Marcos Baghdatis in Sydney back in January and beat Fernando Verdasco in Nice just before the start of the French Open.

Saturday's match against Schukin, who was playing an ATP semifinal for the first time after Friday's stunning quarterfinal win against top-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, was not too difficult for the 47th-ranked Frenchman.

A break in the eighth game enabled Gasquet to take the first set and he broke again for a 4-3 lead in the second, then finished the match in just 88 minutes.

Gasquet is 6-7 all-time in ATP finals and won this tournament back in 2006.

Almagro won the lone previous meeting with Gasquet, rallying from a set down to capture a second-round match in Acapulco back in February.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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