Andrea Petkovic reached three Grand Slam quarter finals in 2011 and the German strongly believes she can win one of the big four events in 2012.

The 24-year-old will go into the Australian Open with confidence high, after an impressive last 12 months which started with a last-eight appearance in Melbourne. Those looking at the Australian Open Tennis Odds will be wondering if he can push on.

Petkovic had only once got past the third round at a Grand Slam before 2011, a fourth round appearance at the US Open in 2010, but showed signs that she could be a contender in the coming years.

The world number 10 rose from 32 in the standings, as she reached 12 ATP quarter finals and three finals – winning the Strasbourg clay event back in May.

Petkovic’s recent form is enough to help her feel confident of success, but she has also been inspired by other results. The betfair womens tennis betting odds show she is on the up.

The German number one was inspired by Sam Stosur’s display at the US Open, especially the Aussies victory over Serena Williams in the Flushing Meadows final.

“I was really cheering for her (Stosur) throughout the US Open because she’s such a great personality and such a great girl. I was really happy that she won.

“It gives all of us a lot of motivation, also Petra Kvitova winning in Wimbledon. For all of us it’s a sign that any of us can do it.”

Ironically, Stosur’s coach Dave Taylor is several in the game that rate Petkovic as a real threat to secure her maiden grand slam title in 2012.

After 13 straight defeats, the Indianapolis Colts finally broke their duck against the Tennessee Titans to avoid an embarrassing 0-16 season.

Ironically enough, the man who saved them, Dan Orlovsky was the quarter-back in the Detroit Lions team that became the first side to fail to win a single match in 2008. Orlovsky threw one touchdown pass and put in a key block to help his side score an 80-yard touchdown to help the Colts overcome the Titans by 27-13 on Sunday. People following the American Football Betting Odds should remember this.

The result could signal a changing of the guard as it was the franchises’ first win in 14 years without Peyton Manning and it only took them 14 games and three quarterbacks.

Orlovsky was obviously relieved to finally break the team’s duck and says it’s nice to get that winning feeling back.

“I’m happy for a lot of people on this team, for a lot of people in this organization,” Orlovsky said. “It’s a lot better than the feeling we’ve had lately.”

The victory was their first for 50 weeks which was also against the Titans and the veteran quarter-back who has struggled to nail down a starting spot in his seven year career was on a 0-9 in his nine previous NFL starts.

The impressive performance shocked Titans’ coach Mike Munchak and he believes that if the Colts had played that well all season they’d comfortably be in the play-offs. Anyone looking at the Super Bowl Betting should bear this in mind.

“I never would have expected us to come out, and they’re playing like the team going to the playoffs and we’re the team that’s 0-13,” coach Mike Munchak said. “We just weren’t playing well at all. The intensity wasn’t there at the start.”

Roger Federer was the one player who did not want the 2011 season to finish. With his three main rivals injured or ill, the world number three romped to his sixth Year End Championship, a one hour 6-3 6-0 hammering of Rafael Nadal the highlight.

The Swiss legend rated this victory as one of his best, which suggests he thinks he is playing as well as he ever has done. Statistics suggest otherwise – 12 wins in 18 slam appearances between 2003 and 2007, four in 16 since – but the quality of the opposition in recent years might mean Federer has indeed improved rather than declined. People who Bet on Australian Open Tennis should remember this.

If he repeats the form he ended 2011 in – three of his four titles this year came in November – then a fifth Australian Open title is a distinct possibility. Punters clearly think so, backing more than they are Nadal, despite losing six of his eight slam finals against Nadal and his last three hard court slam clashes against Novak Djokovic. The Free Betting Tennis reflects this.

This hard court fallibility against the Serb is significant, as Federer’s record on the surface is still formidable – there have been quarter final slip-ups at Wimbledon and Roland Garros recently but not at Melbourne Park or Flushing Meadows, where you have to go back to 2003 to find a pre-last four exit.

If Djokovic plays as well as he did in beating Federer in straight sets downunder this year, then the four-time winner will struggle. He is not alone in being vulnerable if the Serb maintains his form from this year, but is unique in having the current form and Australian Open record to take advantage if Djokovic does become fallible.

Following rumours that he is about to be replaced in the 2012 draft, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has insisted that his teammates appreciate the work he does around the field.

The Jets have rejected the claims that Sanchez could move on but the 25-year-old says he will be staying put for at least another season and feels there is no need for him to defend his position. Those who Bet on NFL super bowl action should remember this.

“I’m not here to defend why I should be the quarterback,” Sanchez said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

“When it comes to work ethic, the people in the building know how hard I work and how much I care about playing here and how much I love this team and franchise. . . . We’ll assess the offseason when that time comes.”

Sanchez has built-up a reputation throughout his career for failing to deliver the goods for his team in the regular season before coming into his own in the post-season. People Betting on NFL need to need to bear this in mind.

The coaching staff have regularly stated that it has been their goal to help him find consistency but he has once again struggle to perform to the same level every week.

However, he is not concerned by his position and is adamant his coaches still have faith in him.”I think Coach has a great deal of respect for me and I share that same respect for him,” Sanchez said.

“He’s seen flashes of a great quarterback in me. He’s also seen some bonehead mistakes. When he’s talking about being a great quarterback that just means consistent. That’s what I’m striving for. All that stuff is in the near future. I’m working towards it every week.”

Christine Bleakley will soon be gracing our screens as the new co-presenter on Dancing on Ice 2012. The show starts in January and is eagerly awaited by a nation whose appetite for reality TV seems to have no end!

Although we haven’t had the official celebrity line-up yet, we’ve got a good idea who will be taking part. There’s a mixture of celebrities from the UK’s favourite soaps, with the big four of Coronation Street, Eastenders, Emmerdale and Brookside all being represented. There’s also alpine skier Chemmy Alcott and 90s pop star Chesney Hawkes. Rosemary Conley, fitness guru, has also been seen in training with Torvill and Dean. And maybe the comedy turn for DOI series seven will be Keith Chegwin. People placing a Dancing on Ice bet should remember this.

Christine is said to be delighted to have been asked to replace former host, Holly Willoughby. Holly is switching channels to host the BBC reality contest The Voice.
Christine comes from Northern Ireland. We first saw her presenting BBC One’s The One Show with Adrian Chiles, and then the pair moved to ITV’s Daybreak. Christine actually left Daybreak just last week, after the appointment of a new editor on the show.

The Northern Irish gal is no stranger to reality TV, as she took part as a contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2008. Christine danced with professional partner Matthew Cutler. They survived until midway through the series when she was beaten by Rachel Stevens in the dance off.

Having had her own experience as a contestant on Strictly means that Christine will probably be able to empathise very well with the celebrity contestants during the highs and lows of training for Dancing on Ice.

Holly is going to be missed by all DOI fans, but we think Christine might just be big enough to fill her skating boots!

Snooker star Stephen Lee says he is enjoying a new lease of life and is much more motivated when he gets on the baize.

The 37-year-old from Trowbridge was one of the sport’s brightest prospects after turning professional in 1992 but after falling out of the prestigious world’s top 16 has recently regained his old spark.

Currently ranked 16, ensuring he does not have to suffer the drama of the unpredictable qualifiers for the big tournaments, Lee said: “I was at a low, it was getting me down. I didn’t like the way I was playing. Now a big pressure has been lifted.

“I’m looking forward to all these new tournaments and I’m feeling the benefits of playing all the time. I’m hitting the ball nice, I’m just having a go at everything. It’s been good.”

His best showing last season in a ranking event was a quarter-final spot at the China Open, including a breath-taking 61 clearance to beat Mark Williams on the final black.

Winning the fourth Players Tour Championship event was his first ranking title for four years. Those looking at the snooker odds should remember this.

Despite falling to Ricky Walden in the opening round at the UK Championship, Lee is confident he can build on his recent form.

“I’m sharp without practising,” the four-time ranking event winner added. “I’m feeling OK without putting any hard solo work in. People following the snooker master betting odds should remember this.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of movement within rankings. I think it’s a proper calendar to be judged on.”

Lee will have his work cut out at the Masters in January with a first-round clash against world number one Mark Selby at London’s Alexandra Palace.

The 2010 runner-up Gary Anderson survived an almighty scare on night six to reach round two of the PDC World Darts Championship.

The unheralded Jyhan Artut of Germany took the reigning Premier League champion to a final-leg shoot-out but was to miss four chances at causing one of the greatest shocks in the history of the competition before Anderson regained his composure to seal an unconvincing 3-2 victory with a 76 checkout.

The ‘Flying Scotsman’ endured a nightmare start, missing 13 doubles in the first two sets, and was quickly trailing by two sets. Fans of darts betting should bear this in mind.

He then found his range to level and the pair traded blows as the final set went to sudden death, with Hannover thrower Artut on the cusp of taking a prize scalp at 5-4.

Artut fell at the final hurdle when he missed four darts, allowing Anderson to force a deciding leg, and the Scot would take out 76 to complete a 14-darter and the match.

Anderson said: “I was going to meet up with the other boys who are out and go out for Christmas dinner because it looked like I was having a few days off! It was a get out of jail free card tonight.

“He did play well but the first two sets I couldn’t hit a double to save my life, but I managed to nick a few here and there.”

Anderson said he would have to raise the bar to stand any chance of progressing at Alexandra Palace. Anyone looking at the Betfair darts should remember this.

He added: “It’s a wake-up call. I’ve been struggling to get myself to the board to practice recently and that’s definitely a wake-up call.

Also on night six, former world number one Colin Lloyd came from a set down to beat American and close friend Darin Young 3-1, Michael van Gerwen claimed the scalp of 21st seed Colin Osborne and Terry Jenkins was a comfortable 3-0 winner over Bradford youngster Joe Cullen in the final match.