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Weve embarked on tennis offseason, but just to keep things in perspective, consider this: The time between the end of the 2016 Davis Cup competition and the start of ATP World Tour play on Jan. 4, 2017, is almost exactly the same as the length of Novak Djokovics break earlier this year between Wimbledon and his next tournament appearance.The new year in tennis is a fresh start in only one significant way: psychologically. It isnt even relevant rankings-wise because of the rolling system that refreshes every week over a 52-week period.But never discount the importance of mental factors, which is why everyone, including tennis players, tends to look at Jan. 1 as a time to make a new start, to do better, to adopt and keep resolutions. This helps explain why the Australian Open, Januarys Grand Slam event, so often serves up unexpected results.Here are five surprising performances we could see next month in Melbourne:Milos Raonic will win the tournament.Nobody is quite as ready for a Grand Slam breakthrough as this 25-year old Canadian. Now No. 3 in the rankings, Raonic won just one event in 2016 (Brisbane, an ATP 250 tuneup for the Australian Open). But he was a Wimbledon finalist and routinely lifts his game at the majors. Raonic gave Andy Murray all he could handle before bowing in five sets in the 2016 Australian Open semis.Unlike some of the other players on the best to never win a Slam list, Raonic isnt an older habitual also-ran, like a Tomas Berdych or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, nor subject to shrinking away from big opportunities, like a Kei Nishikori. Raonic has had bad luck with injuries and tough draws, and hes lost some very close key matches against the top players. After losing the Wimbledon final to Murray he said, This ones going to sting. He is primed.Neither Angelique Kerber nor Serena Williams will win.Kerber is in a unique position. She proved through 2016 that she can handle the pressure that goes with becoming the top player by finishing No. 1 for the year. The pressure is off -- so off that Kerber, whos always blown hot and cold, may be hard-pressed to find her motivation.Williams is 35 and just one Grand Slam away from breaking a tie with Steffi Graf to become the Open eras most prolific major singles titlist. Shes been having a great time since last September, expanding her social life, hobnobbing with celebrities, posting open letters on Facebook. What she has not done is hit a tennis ball under competitive conditions since she lost in the semifinals of the US Open.Williams was in the same situation in 2016 and still made the final in Melbourne. But its a year later at a time when the toll on her body is greater, the opponents are tougher and her aura of invulnerability has faded.Juan Martin del Potro will go deeper than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.Del Potro wrote one of the great feel-good stories of 2016. He mounted a spectacular comeback following a series of wrist injuries and surgeries that essentially ruined his career following his triumph at the 2009 US Open. At that tournament, he defeated Nadal and Federer back-to-back to win his lone major.Federer is now 35, and Nadal is 30. Ranked Nos. 16 and 9, respectively, both are coming back from long injury-induced layoffs. Wouldnt it be ironic if No. 38 del Potro met and defeated them in successive matches again -- preferably in the second week. Yikes!Madison Keys will challenge for the title if she can get past early-round jitters.The big opportunity may come in the form of a match point against Kerber, an upset of Williams or a draw that opens up like a superhighway to the final. If she can get some traction early, Keys could win her first Slam.Look for last years seeding bloodbath -- just nine WTA seeds, five of them top 10, limped into the round of 16 -- to be repeated. The game remains unsettled, and Keys gained a lot of valuable experience last year. Her ability to stay the course for a seven-match title drive remains in doubt, but keep in mind shes still just 21.Andy Murrays seven-year streak of reaching at least the quarterfinals will come to a grinding halt.One scripted storybook moment for Murray could have been a win over Melbourne nemesis Djokovic in the 2017 Australian Open final, bringing with it the No. 1 ranking. Instead, the crescendo occurred early and with an even greater prize: the prestigious year-end No. 1 ranking for 2016.Murray, 29, rode a 26-match winning streak into the offseason. His efforts must have been draining, physically and emotionally. Expect him to be vulnerable Down Under.Wholesale Balenciaga . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Cheap Balenciaga .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. https://www.fakebalenciaga.com/ . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Balenciaga Shoes Sale . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Fake Balenciaga Cheap . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekends gambling action.?Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, and pick percentages are via Wunderdog Sports.SaturdayOklahoma State Cowboys at Kansas JayhawksClosing line: Oklahoma State -23Kansas was again a big underdog in conference play, but it looked competitive in this one. The Jayhawks trailed by just four at halftime, and were easily covering the 23-point spread.Turnovers would ultimately cost those who bet Kansas. The home underdogs turned it over on three of their first four possessions in the second half, as Oklahoma State scored 17 points off those mistakes. Despite those giveaways, the Jayhawks were still down just 17 late in the fourth -- but Chris Carson put an exclamation point on the Cowboys win with a 16-yard touchdown run. That was a costly exclamation point for those who bet Kansas, as it gave the Cowboys a 24-point win.Final score:?Oklahoma State 44, Kansas 20 (Oklahoma State covers)Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Air Force FalconsClosing over/under:?58.5It seems there is one of these bad beats every week -- a college football game that goes over the total after multiple overtimes. But the fact that its happened before doesnt make it easier for those who took the under in this one.Hawaii led 10-7 at halftime, with the total points nowhere near the closing over/under of 58.5. The scoring picked up a little in the second half, but it was still just 20-20 late in the fourth. Air Force proceeded to go on a 19-play drive that killed the final 8:18 of regulation, and had a 32-yard field goal to win it. But Luke Stregel missed it wide right, sending the game into overtime. If it was decided after just one overtime, those on the under would win. But a pair of touchdowns sent the game into double overtime, where Hawaiis Marcus Kemp caught a 25-yard touchdown on the first play to push the total over.Final score:?Hawaii 34, Air Force 27 in 2OT (Game goes over)SundayCleveland Browns at Cincinnati BengalsClosing first half line:?Bengals -7The Bengals closed as an 11.5-point favorite and were favored by a touchdown on the first-half line, but the most memorabble play from this game was one to forget if you took Browns +7 for the first half.ddddddddddddA.J. Greens 48-yard touchdown on the final play in the second quarter turned a four-point Bengals lead to a 21-10 advantage at halftime, and first-half wagers on the Browns from winners to losers. It was a tough loss for those who took the underdog, as Cleveland actually led 10-7 late in the second quarter. A quick Bengals scoring drive capped by a Brandon LaFell 44-yard touchdown and a Browns punt -- on their first drive after losing Cody Kessler to injury -- set up the potential for a Hail Mary. Then A.J. Green did the rest.Halftime score:?Bengals 21, Browns 10 (Bengals cover)Seattle Seahawks at Arizona CardinalsClosing line:?Cardinals -2.5In a game that ended after midnight on the East Coast, those who took the Cardinals as a small favorite are wishing they took the under instead.With less than five minutes left in regulation, Arizona led 3-0 and hadnt allowed Seattle to cross midfield all night. But the Seahawks blocked Ryan Quigleys punt and took over at the Cardinals 22-yard line. Seattle settled for a Steven Hauschka field goal to tie it, and that score would hold until overtime.The teams exchanged field goals on their first possessions in overtime and were now in sudden death. Arizona proceeded to drive down to the Seattle 1-yard line, and those who bet the Cardinals were going to be winners. According to ESPNs win probability model, the Cardinals had a 99.6 percent of winning with 4:13 left in overtime -- but Arizona couldnt punch it in and Chandler Catanzaro somehow missed a game-winning 24-yard field goal. Hauschka would later miss a chip shot to win it, costing those on the Seattle moneyline a winning bet as well (those bets pushed).Neither team scored a touchdown on Sunday night, but it was clear that Arizona had the edge. The Cardinals had 186 more yards of total offense, more than twice as many first downs and had the ball for nearly 18 minutes longer than Seattle.Final score:?Seahawks 6, Cardinals 6 in OT (Seahawks cover) ' ' '