Williams began the game as the outsider according to the Tennis Betting but cruised to a 6-1 6-3 victory in just over an hour to secure her seventh victory in eight games against the Belarusian.

She won the first set in 26 minutes and broke the world number one in the second game of the second set, which ultimately proved crucial.

On her way to an impressive victory, the 30-year-old American hit 26 winners – including 14 aces – to win the 41st WTA title of her career.

“I think Victoria is the player to beat,” Williams said afterwards. “She has won I don’t know how many tournaments this year alone. That’s an amazing amount. So if you look at the stats, you just have to put her up there as the player to beat.”

Williams has now won all 13 of her matches on clay this year, losing just one set in the process – to Caroline Wozniacki in the third round in Madrid.

The American has not quite hit the heights of her early career in recent seasons and her French Open 2012 Odds reflect this. But the manner of this victory suggests she may be fighting her way back to her best.

Williams now turns her attention to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome where nine of the world’s top-ten players are taking part. She is seeded nine but on current form is widely expected to reach yet another final in the last tournament before the action gets underway in Paris.

The American will be chasing her second French Open title following her solitary success at Roland Garros in 2002.

Much of the build-up to the visit by the South African Conference leaders to Australia was dominated by NSW improving on their defeat by derby rivals, the Brumbies, in Canberra, last weekend.

The win meant the Bulls secured a seventh consecutive victory over the Waratahs, leaving the Sydney club 12 points behind the Brumbies, ahead of a difficult two-game tour of South Africa.

“It was a terrible result for us. We wanted more out of that game than that, and we are going to have to live with the consequences”, said Elson, who saw his side surrender a 24-20 lead with just three minutes remaining. “They played very good field position at the end.”

Waratahs head coach, Michael Foley, added: “I thought for large parts of that game we did exactly what we wanted do to, and had good control against a side that was obviously very fired up about their performance, last week.”

The Waratahs now risk being overtaken in second place by the Reds, and Foley said it was essential players’ heads did not drop, because he could not afford any passengers in South Africa against the Western Stormers (May 20) and the Free State Cheetahs (May 27).

He said: “All that matters for us now is to recover from the disappointment and to prepare well for next week.”And when we get into next week’s game, make sure we’ve dealt with the details in preparation that allows us to control the things that we can control.”

The Waratahs have announced a 26-man squad for the upcoming two-match tour of South Africa, which includes Wallabies winger, Drew Mitchell.

Bet sure to place your online bets before the first kick, or catch up on your favourite sport with the best rugby previews.

The American is set to miss this year’s Betfair French Open after the American being struck down by a hamstring problem.

The former world number one has been forced to withdraw from both the Madrid Open and Rome Masters due to the injury and may not be able to take his place in the draw at Roland Garros.

Roddick has struggled in the past on clay, with his best effort in Paris coming back in 2009 when reaching the fourth round.

But the American, with his battling nature, will not want to miss out on a Grand Slam event and will look to prove his fitness before the end of the month.

The US could be without two of their top players in Paris, with Mardy Fish also struggling for fitness.

World number nine Fish withdrew from the Madrid Open and is in danger of losing his place as US number one, with John Isner just one place behind him in the standings.

As for Roddick, he has slipped to 27 in the world and it looks like his best chance of a return to top-20 will be a successful grass-court season.

The big-serving right hander will be keen to make an impact at Wimbledon, a tournament in which he has finished runner-up in on three separate occasions. Thought the current Betfair Wimbledon betting suggests his time has passed at SW19.

It looks like they might be a long wait for another American victory at the French Open, which this year is due to begin on May 27.

The last US player to lift the trophy at Roland Garros was Andre Agassi, who was successful back in 1999.

Clement had been confident prior to the feature Group 1 event that his charge would run a big race, having never finished out of the first two in good company, since the second of his nine racecourse appearances.

Winner of last season’s Group 1 Criterium International at Saint Cloud, in October, on testing ground, the easy underfoot conditions were also expected to help the son of Turtle Bowl, who had made a winning reappearance, this term, at Maisons Lafitte, when landing the Group 3 Prix Djebel by a neck from the smart Abtaal.

The run gave connections plenty of confidence that he would have every chance at Newmarket, while cutting his odds with the bookmakers. Find great odds on horse racing at Bet Victor.

Given a fine ride by the outstanding, Olivier Peslier, French Fifteen was held up towards the rear of the stands side group at HQ, before being delivered with what, on most occasions, would surely have been a perfectly timed challenge, just inside the final furlong.

However, the hot favourite, Camelot, a horse who could turn out to be a very high-class performer, eventually kept on just the stronger on the uphill run to the line, to score by a neck, the pair coming clear of another French raider, Hermival, who was first home on the far side to finish third overall.

A crack at the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot over a mile, or a step up to 10 furlongs for the French Derby at Chantilly, could be next on the agenda for French Fifteen, who looks sure to pick up a top grade win before too long, after such a fine effort in defeat on the Rowley Mile. Place a bet on racing on www.betvictor.com.

The cauldron and the pedestal on which it stands are always the subject of a unique design intended to tie in with how the cauldron is lit at the culmination of the Olympic opening ceremony. Some bookmakers are even running Olympics betting on who will light the cauldron.

At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, former decathlete, Rafer Johnson, lit a wick at the top of an archway, having climbed up a long flight of steps. In Barcelona, eight years later, archer, Antonio Rebollo, shot a flaming arrow over the cauldron to ignite it. Rebollo overshot the cauldron by design, but his arrow still lit it by lighting gas rising from the cauldron.

At the Atlanta games in 1996, the cauldron was a giant scroll decorated in red and gold. It was lit by Mohammed Ali via a mechanical fuse ball that transported the flame up a wire. Thirty-six years earlier, as Cassius Clay, he had he had won a gold medal in light-heavyweight boxing in Rome.

Meanwhile, at the Paralympics in the same year, the scroll was lit by paraplegic climber, Mark Wellman, who was able to hoist himself up a rope to the cauldron.

For the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Aboriginal Australian sprinter, Cathy Freeman, walked across a circular pool of water, lit the cauldron through the water, and so surrounded herself with a ring of fire.

At Athens in 2004, the cauldron took the form of a giant olive leaf, which lowered itself down to accept the flame from Greek windsurfer, Nikolaos Kaklamanakis.

And at the last summer Olympics in Beijing, back  in 2008, the cauldron took the shape of a scroll that poked out of the stadium, and spiralled upwards. Chinese male gymnast, Li Ning, who was raised to the stadium roof level by wire, and ran around the rim of the stadium, suspended as he ran, and ignited the cauldron.

Visit the Betfair 2012 Olympics betting website for more information on the upcoming Games.

Quarterbacks are always the jewel in the crown of the offence and this year there is plenty of strength in depth in this category. Plenty of NFL bets have been placed backing Stanford’s Andrew Luck to head to the Indianapolis Colts to replace league-legend Peyton Manning, no pressure then!. Other top prospects in this category will be Robert Griffin III, Brandon Weeden and Ryan Tannehill, who are all expected to be taken in the first round this year.

Running back is a position which has changed dramatically over the past few years and this year’s group of prospects look a bunch that have plenty of strength in depth. Headed by Trent Richardson from Alabama who already looks a very well rounded back who can do it all, he’ll be competing with Lamar Miller and Doug Martin for the first running back to be taken in the 2012 draft. Punters who bet on NFL seem to particularly like Martin from Boise State, who may not be as quick as Miller or as powerful as Richardson but has a great all-round game and is a very consistent performer.

The wide-receivers group this year doesn’t look as strong as in past years with no A.J Green or Julio Jones amongst their number but there is still some talent to be picked up and it will probably be Michael Floyd or Kendall Wright who takes top honours within this category. Floyd from Notre Dame has some question marks over his character but his ability is unquestionable, it just remains to be seen if he can be kept on the straight and narrow by the professional game. If it were our choice we would take Wright in front of Floyd due to his physicality and ability to make plays all over the field.

Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers are the guys who put points on the board in the NFL and all of those mentioned are capable of doing just that after this year’s NFL draft.

The CAS ruled that the Association’s bylaw was not in accord with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s code;  it represents an extra sanction on top of the one already imposed under the Agency’s rules.

The decision also has implications for the cyclist David Millar, both of whom will be free to compete in the London Olympics, if they are selected by their respective national governing bodies. Given their prowess in their respective sports, Millar and Chambers are likely to be popular options in the Olympics 2012 odds.

Whether or not you think athletes who have been found to be drug cheats should be allowed to compete again is a moot point. It’s a bit like the old debate around crime and punishment – i.e. do you believe in retribution or rehabilitation?

Of all the athletes around Team GB, surely the least likely to take performance-enhancing drugs would now be Dwain Chambers. Therefore, if you believe in rehabilitation, then he has ‘served his time’, and perhaps should be able to compete.

However, it is more complex than that, as there may be evidence that drugs that help build muscle, like anabolic steroids, for example, could conceivably have a lasting benefit beyond the period in which the substance was being taken.

Some athletes have come out in force against the lifting of bans. Paula Radcliffe, for example, says she will organise a campaign to pressurise the World Anti-Doping Agency into applying tougher bans, and has criticised the organisation after the CAS ruling that the British Olympic Association’s lifetime ban for drugs cheats was unenforceable.

It is a tough one – but, surely, it would be better and clearer for all concerned if cheats were simply banned for good?

Follow the build-up to London 2012 at http://betting.betfair.com/betting/2012-olympics/

Bielsa appears to be the favoured option for the Catalan giants, who are looking to take the man who has led Bilbao, a little-fancied club on Betfair, into the final of both the Europa League and the Copa del Rey.

The decision by Guardiola to walk away from the club he has won 13 titles with as manager, since taking over in 2008, comes after their Champions League semi-final defeat to Chelsea.

The loss came a week after Barça’s crucial – but unsuccessful – El Clasico match against Real, a result which effectively ended the La Liga title race.

Guardiola is believed to have thrown his support behind Bielsa as the man to replace him at the helm. The Argentine has worked wonders, since taking the head coach’s job at Bilbao, last summer, leading the club to sixth in the league, as well as the European final.

If Barça can’t tempt the former Argentina head coach to the Camp Nou, then they are reportedly weighing up whether to promote one of Guardiola’s inner-circle, namely his assistant, Tito Vilanova.

Alternatively, Barça could go outside the club, bringing in an experienced manager, to try to fill the sizable shoes left by the departing boss.

Some have called for former Barça midfielder, Luis Enrique, to be brought back to the club. The former B team chief has been doing a decent job at Roma, albeit maybe not enough to convince the Barcelona decision-makers to opt for Enrique, ahead of other options.

The Barça hierarchy has long admired former Villarreal head coach, Ernesto Valverde, and he would certainly have the experience, if that is the main attribute the Catalans want from their new man.

Marcelo Bielsa and Los Leones are proving a popular talking point on the Betfair Europa League website.

After taking time off from the game in 2010, Garcia returned to the tour the following season, crowning his re-emergence in October, by winning the Castello Masters by 11 shots. He won the Andalucía Masters, the following week.

Finca Cortesin near Marbella will once again host the prestigious World Match Play. It is sure to be an exciting four days, with the likes of Graeme McDowell and Charl Schwartzel both recently confirming their participation.

Garcia is understandably looking forward to once again playing on home soil, and says he is excited about the opportunity to once again play in front of his compatriots.

“It is tough to qualify for such an elite field, so I am delighted to have won my place”, said Garcia. “I am hitting the ball really well, and the confidence is coming, so I am looking forward to playing at Finca Cortesin very much.

“As everyone knows, I love match play, and even more, I love playing in Spain in front of my home fans, so I think this will be a great week for me”, he added.

The tournament in Southern Spain provides the players with some respite, as the match play format is generally seen as more enjoyable than the traditional stroke play form of the game.

This year’s event will have possibly one of the strongest fields of the season, with holder Ian Poulter, set to defend his title. Open Champion, Darren Clarke, and former world number one, Martin Kaymer, have also confirmed their participation.

Looking forward: Sergio Garcia is a 25/1 bet in the golf betting for the Open Championship title. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the current favourites.