Federer gets tricky Melbourne draw
Source: Agencies |
January 16, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
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ROGER Federer faces a challenging path if he is to extend his record grand slam haul to 16 at the Australian Open, starting Monday, with a first round test against Russian Igor Andreev.
In their last meeting, 36th-ranked Andreev took Federer to five sets at the 2008 US Open. The Swiss could meet local hope Lleyton Hewitt or 15th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in the fourth round.
In the women's draw, four-time champion and top seed Serena Williams opens against Poland's Urszula Radwanska for what appears to be a relatively trouble-free run to the quarterfinals. However, Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva will need to be on her best form early on if she hopes to match or improve on her semifinal run last year after being dealt a possible second-round encounter with former No. 1 Justine Henin.
Chinese national teammates Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai were drawn against each other in the very first round.
The Chinese women's best performance at the Australia Open was to reach the final 16. Li Na, seeded 16th here, opens against New Zealand's Marina Erakovic. She will have to better Daniela Hantuchova of Slovenia and fourth seeded Caroline Wozniachi of Denmark to reach the quarterfinals. Li beat the Dane in Sydney. This is Li's highest ranking in a grand slam tournament.
For Federer, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis also looms as a possible fourth-round opponent, ahead of a potential quarterfinal against Russian world No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko.
Rafa Nadal has a much smoother route to the last eight as he sets out to defend the title he claimed in a five-set thriller against Federer a year ago.
The world No. 2 was paired with Australian Peter Luczak but may face a third-round hurdle against big-serving American John Isner, who knocked Andy Roddick out of the US Open last year.
"I was just boarding the plane actually and one of my mates called up and he said I (had) Nadal," the 78th-ranked Luczak told reporters. "Yeah, it was a bit of a depressing flight that one."
Henin reached the Brisbane International final in her first tournament back from retirement and should have too many weapons for compatriot and first-round rival Kirsten Flipkens.
The Belgian could set up a mouth-watering quarterfinal against either French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova or fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, who won the US Open on her own comeback last year.
Clijsters, who needed three sets to subdue Henin in Brisbane, has drawn a qualifier in the first round.
Third seed and 2008 champion Novak Djokovic will open against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, while US Open champion and fourth seed Juan Martin Del Potro will be hoping his wrist injury does not cause him too many problems against American Michael Russell.
Fifth seed Andy Murray, who carries Britain's hopes of ending a 74-year wait for a men's grand slam champion, will play a qualifier in the first round but faces a potential quarterfinal showdown with Nadal.
Tournament director Craig Tiley said their expectations were to have "record-breaking crowds every day right throughout the fortnight."
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