Davydenko Haunted by Uncompleted Match
Russia's Nikolay Davydenko advanced to the second round at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York once he overwhelmed Jesse Levine of the U.S. during their tennis match August 27, 2007. For Davydenko, the real troubles began after the match, when he was questioned in connection with the gambling scandal triggered by his recent loss to Martin Vassallo Arguello. Russia’s number one will have to face the ATP investigators after the China Open next month.
Wild card Jesse Levine was evidently no match for Nikolay Davydenko, who lost no more than five games in three sets. For the Russian, the real turmoil began after the match, when he was again questioned about suspected involvement in contract matches.
Online betting exchange Betfair announced early August it won’t take any more bets for matches of Davydenko after his bizzare defeat in the second-round against Arguello in Poland. Roughly £5 million had been bet on that match, 10 times as much as usual. The strange thing was that the gamblers were still aggressively betting on Arguello (who is just No. 87) even after the Russian took the first set.
As to the U.S. Open, the stunning performance of Maria Sharapova is worth mentioning. Brilliant Sharapova began the defense of the title with a 6-0 6-1 win over Italy's Roberta Vinci at Flushing Meadows. Apart from Sharapova, Russia’s Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, Vera Dushevina, Vera Zvonareva, Elena Likhovtseva, Ekaterina Bychkova and Ekaterina Makarova sailed to the round two as well.
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All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 29, 2007
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