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SUNDAY'S FINAL (SELECTION IN BOLD)

Andre Agassi 1.15 USA (2) vs. Rainer Schuettler GER (31)

- Unbeaten in his three previous finals and on a 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park, it's hard to see Agassi dropping this one. If he continues to play as he has been over the past fortnight an eighth Slam should be a formality. Schuettler definitely has the ability to match it with Andre from the back for periods of the match but over the length of a five-setter he may struggle. He must also cope with the unique atmosphere of his first Grand Slam final. Agassi in four.

FRIDAY'S SEMI FINAL (SELECTION IN BOLD)

Rainer Schuettler 2.25 GER (31) vs. Andy Roddick USA (9)

- Fitness will surely play a massive role in this encounter. Roddick has of course just played one of the longest matches in Grand Slam history to follow up a five setter against Youzhny. He is serving to a very high standard and must feel confident, but if Schuettler can prolong this - and given the German's current form and fitness, he certainly can - he must be favoured to reach the final. The forecast is for a very warm night much unlike the cool evening conditions that Roddick has been accustomed to so far. The only problem I can envisage is that Schuettler gets ahead of himself and starts thinking about the final too early.

THURSDAY'S SEMI FINAL (SELECTION IN BOLD)

Wayne Ferreira RSA vs. Andre Agassi 1.15 USA (2)

- The veteran South African has made it to his second Aussie Open semi final courtesy of some great play but also a faltering and mentally inept Ferrero in the quarters. He'll go in as one of the longest priced (6/1) semi finalists in Grand Slam history and anyone who has taken a look at their head-to-head record will know why. The series stands at 10-0 (all on hard) with Agassi surrendering just one of 22 sets played. The tournament favourite has had the perfect run to this stage and it would indeed shock all and sundry should he not progress to the final in this one.

QUARTER FINAL MATCHES FOR WEDNESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Younes El Aynaoui MAR (18) vs. Andy Roddick 1.67 USA (9)

- You've got to hand it to both of these - the Moroccan with the unprecedented performance against the world number one and Roddick coming from two sets and a break down to defeat Youzhny - a comeback that I must say thought was well beyond the young American. El Aynaoui won't have the luxury off settling down into and dominating as many points as he did with Hewitt as Roddick will win plenty of free points with the big serve. The prime-time night fixture might just be to the A-Rod's liking, but this is a tough one to call with any confidence.

Rainer Schuettler 2.00 GER (31) vs. David Nalbandian ARG (10)

- The hard work in the off-season has paid off for the underrated German as he now finds himself in his first Grand Slam quarter final. The predicted win over Blake showed just how he has improved in the last 12 months. He runs just about everything down, frustrating opponents with his speed around the court. They played each other three times last year with Schuettler winning two (hard and carpet) of the three. All were tight matches and I envisage another one today but the daytime conditions must favor the fitter Schuettler for mine.

QUARTER FINAL MATCHES FOR TUESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Wayne Ferreira RSA vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero 1.40 ESP (4)

- The South African has continued his amazing run of success at Melbourne Park, but it's very hard to go against the in-form Spaniard. Ferrero was very impressive against a nervous Ancic in the last round but he has had a busy few weeks and is getting treatment for a leg/thigh problem, so he's got to be some risk, but on talent and class he should be far too good.

Sebastien Grosjean FRA (12) vs. Andre Agassi 1.25 USA (2)

- It's 2-all between these two and 2-1 in Agassi's favour on hardcourts (inc. a tight three set win at last year's TMS Paris). Just about everything points to a comfortable Agassi win in my book. He soundly defeated Grosjean 2 & 3 in the Kooyong warm-up a week ago and has had such as easy run to this point he'll have plenty in the tank should it go the distance.

The German has matched his best performance in the Aussie Open after the Safin walkover while Blake is in uncharted waters at the business end of a Grand Slam. The young American has a great game and he says he's matured and learnt a lot in the past 12 months, but I feel Schuettler might be too consistent for him today. He has been in excellent form over the past two weeks and for mine will have too much patience and experience in the predicted testing conditions Monday.

A 2-0 head-to-head record in the Russian's favour must be worth something here. Don't get too carried away with the A-Rod's form - he has defeated Krajan, Voinea and Vicente to get here - but he'll need to find a new level today. Youzhny looks and sounds very confident here while his win over Novak in the previous round must be rated very highly.

OTHER 4th ROUND MATCHES FOR MONDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Lleyton Hewitt 1.16 AUS (1) vs. Younes El Aynaoui MAR (18)

- It won't be easy for El Aynaoui to come up from that lengthy and tough encounter with Lopez on Saturday. If the Moroccan was fresh, I'd have to give him a sneaky chance, especially given how close their match at the US Open was. But a well rested Hewitt will have far too much run in the stifling afternoon conditions on Rod Laver Arena.

David Nalbandian 3.00 ARG (10) vs. Roger Federer SUI (6)

- These two met twice last year, once on clay at Monte Carlo and the other on carpet in Federer's backyard in Basel, with Nalbandian coming out on top on both occasions. I really do think this will be a tight one. Federer came into the tourney under a slight injury cloud but has gone along very nicely with straight set wins over Saretta, Burgsmuller and Vinciguerra. Nalbandian meanwhile has been assisted by a couple of retirements and a win over the Crabb, but looks to be improving as the week goes on. The heavier night-time conditions might just be to the Argentinean's liking.

OTHER 4th ROUND MATCHES FOR SUNDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Wayne Ferreira 1.65 RSA vs. Sargis Sargsian ARM

- The South African with his experience at the business end of Slams and more importantly here in Melbourne is reason enough to have him a clear favourite today. But another lengthy encounter is on the cards. Ferreira came from nowhere to beat Fish in the 3rd Round (not for the first time in his career!), while Sargsian knocked out local fave Philippoussis in four playing some very smart tennis. Not sure how much that huge win will affect him mentally, but if he can get himself back up this is not out of the question by any means.

Mario Ancic CRO vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero 1.25 ESP (4)

- The Spaniard made hard work of his last match with Santoro where he was clearly the best player while failing to convert 20 of 26 break point opportunities. Ancic has shown to possess a level of maturity beyond his years here this week but this will be a learning experience.

Felix Mantilla ESP vs. Sebastien Grosjean 1.33 FRA (12)

- Mantilla's 'never say die' attitude has got him through three straight five setters - the last two from two sets to one down against Gambill and Costa - but this is a big ask. I was willing to oppose the Frenchman in the last round against Lapentti but it was a very impressive display indeed form the past Aussie Open semi finalist. As much as I try, I just can't make a case for the Spaniard here.

Guillermo Coria ARG vs. Andre Agassi 1.16 USA (2)

- Andre was really put to the test against Escude in the 3rd round but he lifted his game when it mattered to come out with a win in what was a very tight match. Coria meanwhile continued his fine run with a straight sets win over Nieminen but will find this much tougher. Agassi toweled up the Argentinean 2 & 0 in their only meeting in Cincinnati last year. He certainly has the ability to match it with Agassi from the back, but his serve is relatively weak and against the best returner in the game, may prove his downfall.

Any doubts over the Russian's fitness will be put to the test by the hard running German here. Schuettler has been in great form with straight sets wins over Portas and Krajicek while Safin failed to overly impress when dropping a set to both Sluiter and Montanes. Schuettler has taken set off Safin in their last two meetings - both at the business end of the St Petersburg event in Russia - so this should be a tight one.

The left-handed Spaniard won the only meeting between these two at the TMS Madrid last year and on current form he must be rated a huge chance here. El Aynaoui disposed of the lowly Kutsenko in the 2nd round but did drop two sets to Gimelstob is his first match so he'll need to lift his game for this one. Lopez made very few errors in a straight sets win over the in-form Ginepri in the last round and will be riding high on confidence today.

Lleyton Hewitt 1.10 AUS (1) vs. Radek Stepanek CZE

- Stepanek has impressed me greatly this week but it will be very tough to come up after that massive five-set win as predicted over Kuerten. A lengthy doubles match in the heat of the day on Friday won't have done anything to help keep the legs fresh for this and he'll need to be will Hewitt at the other end. The night fixture should favour the Czech slightly but class will prevail.

Andy Roddick 1.14 USA (9) vs. Fernando Vicente ESP

- Expect Vicente to put up more of a fight that a disinterested Voinea did on Thursday. Vicente put in a great performance to get past Chela with a hard working win that would have taken plenty out of the tank. He can get plenty of balls back to get right in this match though. If he can get his less experienced opponent frustrated, he might just have a show here.

Mikhail Youzhny RUS (25) vs. Jiri Novak 1.62 CZE (7)

- Novak has made extremely tough work of his wins over Spadea and Olivier Rochus, but should be feeling confident of a win today. He has a 2-0 head-to-head record and has too much experience for my liking in this encounter.

James Blake USA (23) vs. Alberto Martin 3.50 ESP

- Both are looking to advance to their first 4th round at a Slam. Martin played a very clever game to get past Gonzalez in the last round and did have a 3 & 6 win over Blake in their only previous meeting (Indianapolis, 2000). No question that Blake, who has not dropped a set to either Vanek or Acasuso here this week, has the game, but he is short on Grand Slam experience and has been know to get a little mentally weak when things get tough.

David Nalbandian 2.00 ARG (10) vs. Xavier Malisse BEL (20)

- The Argentinean holds the 1-0 head-to-head record here after that five-set win in last year's Wimbledon semi-final. Malisse made rather hard work in getting past Dupuis in the 2nd round while Nalbandian had too much for Crabb. Nalbandian looks fully fit and quietly confident this week, but this is a very tough one to predict.

Andreas Vinciguerra SWE vs. Roger Federer 1.25 SUI (6)

- The Swede has started playing well again and has had a very easy run since qualifying, but will find this very tough. A fit Federer simply wins, but there is still that lingering injury doubt so it's hard for me to bet this one.

The Frenchman has a distinct head-to-head advantage (4-1; 2-0 on hard) but Lapentti has come up at a very big price for mine. Both are past semi finalists here, so they know the conditions well. Lapentti breezed through against Sanchez in the second round and had a nice doubles workout Thursday. Grosjean meanwhile didn't have it all his own way against Kucera and does look vulnerable in this match-up.

The highly rated Argentinean was very impressive against Canas in the second round and will be too solid from the back of the court here. Nieminen relied on Kafelnikov making a lot of errors in his second successive five-set win on Wednesday and I don't foresee him having such a luxury today.

Mardy Fish 2.25 USA vs. Wayne Ferreira RSA

- Fish finished the year on 13-2 challenger run and has continued that form this year with some amazing tennis. Anyone who gets past Moya twice in two weeks can play, so who knows this could be his break-out tourney. Ferreira has the experience but isn't getting any younger, so don't be surprised to see him tested in the hot afternoon conditions.

Sargis Sargsian 3.75 ARM vs. Mark Philippoussis AUS

- Sargsian has had wins over the highly rated Argentinean duo of Calleri and Gaudio so he comes into this with some great form. He also came out on top the last time they met in Toronto (2000). Philippoussis has been given a US Open-Sampras like draw here - remarkably his third straight night match. Despite this, I really do think it will be tight. Sargsian will throw up a lot more variety and might just have the smarts to topple the Scud in this one.

Mario Ancic CRO vs. Peter Luczak 2.75 AUS

- Hard to believe one of these two are heading for the final 16 of a slam, but the Melbournian must be rated some chance. He has been playing super tennis over the past two or three weeks and with a rowdy crowd to spur him on anything is possible here. Mario Ancic is a talented youngster but he made an enormous number of errors against Schalken and on what I've seen will need to lift his game for this.

Fabrice Santoro 4.33 FRA (28) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (4)

- Very hard to go against the in-form Spaniard after an impressive win over Lisnard on Wednesday, but don't expect another cake walk today. The Frenchman has had a very light workout this week and certainly has the ability to prolong this one.

Albert Costa 1.73 ESP (8) vs. Felix Mantilla ESP

- A 7-2 head-to-head record (2-0 on hard) in Costa's advantage is telling when it comes to finding a winner here. Mantilla has impressed with two five-set wins over Zabaleta and Gambill, but he'll find this much tougher.

Nicolas Escude FRA (29) vs. Andre Agassi 1.18 USA (2)

- The Frenchman has some very fond memories of this court after clinching the Davis Cup against Arthurs a few years ago. He has advanced with four set wins over Motomura and C Rochus but he'll need to lift his game significantly today on what I've seen so far this week. Agassi was ruthless against H-T Lee and the he'll will most certainly be hoping to avoid a dog fight in the late afternoon heat. Not at this price.

Guga is all the rage in Melbourne this year, but I'm yet to be convinced. Yes, he won a series event in Auckland on the way here, but he certainly didn't have things all his own way against Arazi in the 1st round - a player who he has had no problem with whatsoever in the past. And one must not forget that he is yet to advance past the second round in six starts here. Stepanek had Guga's measure at the rich TMS Paris (carpet) last year and was ultra impressive in his 1st round win over Carlsen.

It must be said that the A-rod has been far from impressive down under this year. He lost the plot in the wind in Sydney and made rather hard work of Krajan on Tuesday night. Voinea looked fit - despite coming in with a serious leg concern - in his 1st round win over Sa and took care of two big servers in Boutter and Dent here last year, so this does not look beyond him. Looks like the perfect time to utilise William Hill's injury/void rule.

The consistency of the German should be enough in this one. Krajicek has been training hard for some time now and is as fit as ever at this time of the year but he'll need more than the booming serve today, not that Schuettler has too much trouble with big servers himself.

Both advanced after tough first round encounters. Martin got past the talented up and comer Alex Bogomolov Jr., while Gonzalez had some trouble in an error ridden win over Varlet. I have my doubts over the Chilean's fitness at this point in time, so if Martin can extend this he may just be a little too solid.

Vicente came back from 2 sets down to our pick Horna in the 1st round, helped considerably by a massive 26 aces, while Chela somehow dropped a set to the erratic Beck. Vicente notably has a 2-0 head-to-head record (both on clay) and has come up a little big for mine.

Lleyton Hewitt 1.04 AUS (1) vs. Todd Larkham AUS

- The Aussie has been given the favorable night session and will be looking for an Agassi like performance here to conserve some energy after that first round five-setter against Larsson.

Younes El Aynaoui 1.29 MAR (18) vs. Vadim Kutsenko UZB

- The qualifier Kutsenko got past the spasmodic Ljubicic in his Grand Slam debut but this will be tougher. As predicted, El Aynaoui had a tough time of it against Gimelstob before the Yank was forced to pull the pin with cramps when leading two sets to one, but he should be on his game for this one.

Robby Ginepri USA vs. Feliciano Lopez 1.83 ESP

- Very tough to separate these two. The big serving Spaniard will go for more, while Ginepri will be more patient and wait for the errors to flow.

Mikhail Youzhny 1.13 RUS (25) vs. Joseph Sirianni AUS

- Miracles do happen, but twice in one week? I don't think so. I've copped plenty for throwing Mirnyi into my day two multi at 33s on (and rightly so!) and it's almost a case of once bitten twice shy today, but the Russian will have far too much class and ability here.

Olivier Rochus BEL vs. Jiri Novak 1.17 CZE (7)

- Olivier took a set off the Czech in their only prior meeting last year at Indian Wells but this is clearly not his favourite surface. He came back from two sets down to the mentally challenged Di Pasquale and will fight hard again, but class should prevail.

Marat Safin 1.10 RUS (3) vs. Albert Montanes ESP

- A fit Russian wins this one.

James Blake 1.17 USA (23) vs. Jose Acasuso ARG

- Looks like one for the multi's here. The Argentinean gets through thanks to the Carraz retirement but this is a big ask. On dirt it would be closer, but the young American should be far too good.

David Nalbandian 1.36 ARG (10) vs. Jaymon Crabb AUS

- Tough one here. Nalbandian got past an injured Golmard while Crabb beat a typically erratic Ilie. The Aussie has been playing some great tennis over the past few weeks but will struggle to match it from the back against this guy.

Anthony Dupuis FRA vs. Xavier Malisse 1.33 BEL (20)

- A fit Malisse wins this, but there is still a small concern about the Belgian's fitness, so it's hard to bet here.

Andreas Vinciguerra 1.40 SWE vs. Julian Knowle AUT

- Vinciguerra had a big win over Koubek after coming through qualies here while Knowle stumbled across the line against an Aussie junior. The Austrian's serve was just terrible late in this game so I fancy the Swede will get more back and have far too much.

Lars Burgsmuller GER vs. Roger Federer 1.14 SUI (6)

- Once again, it's hard to be touching this price on players coming in with injury concerns.

Hard to believe the two Argentineans have not previously met on the ATP Tour, but this should be a great match. Coria is a tremendously talented youngster who made quick work of the more experienced Clavet in the 1st round and at 6/4 looks well over the odds.

Kafelnikov dropped a set to Morrison in the 1st round while Nieminen got past the in-form Davydenko. It's always dangerous to write off past champs and on ability the Russian wins, but he comes up against a player who might provide a little more opposition today.

The rather inconsistent Frenchman comes up against an in-form Christophe Rochus today. The Belgian qualifier dispatched of Labadze in the first round with ease, while Escude typically had a loss of concentration when dropping a set to Motomura. Christophe has played well here before, will be at home in the Court 18 atmosphere, and is riding sky high on confidence so I don't believe a win today is out of the question.

Carlos Moya 1.42 ESP (5) vs. Mardy Fish USA

- Fish came out on top in a tight clash in Sydney last week but one has to favour the Spaniard in the best-of-five situation. Both had solid first round wins, but the price looks about right here.

Michel Kratochvil SUI vs. Wayne Ferreira 1.57 RSA

- Kratochvil made light work of Sanguinetti in the opening round, while Ferreira dropped a set to Robredo. The South African has a great record here but has been known the make rather hard work of these type of matches.

Gaston Gaudio 1.50 ARG (17) vs. Sargis Sargsian ARM

- Gaudio for me but has come up a little short for my liking.

Fabrice Santoro 1.57  FRA vs Wayne Arthurs AUS

- The big serving Aussie came back from two sets down to trump our pick Daniel in the 1st round - an amazing performance considering his injury layoff. This will be tougher. The Frenchman has the smarts to work Arthurs around the court and he'll need more than his big serve to get through this.

Sjeng Schalken 1.40 NED (16) vs. Mario Ancic CRO

- Schalken has improved in recent times but as previously mentioned has a poor record in Melbourne. He got past Brasington in the 1st round after coming in with a slight injury cloud (W/D Chennai w. wrist). The youngster Ancic impressed when putting out Waske in straight sets, but the Dutchman will have far too much experience here.

Mark Philippoussis AUS vs. Paradorn Srichaphan 1.55 THA (11)

- The Scud has been well looked after with another Centre Court night match. He might have got past Verkerk in four but this will be tougher. The Thai hero is short enough and lacks Grand Slam experience but should be far too good at this point in time.

Peter Luczak 1.61 AUS vs. Renzo Furlan ITA

- Furlan was the subject of a massive plunge on Monday as word got around that Pavel was on one leg while Luczak continued his good form with a straight sets with over Savolt. It's a fairly short price to be taking for someone in his first Grand Slam main draw, but form and home crowd advantage should be enough.

Jean-Rene Lisnard FRA vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero 1.15 ESP (4)

- Lisnard got past Gaudenzi in five after starting the year well in Chennai with wins over Pless, Okun and Schuettler. Ferrero impressed in Sydney and finished Squillari off nicely. Should have far too much class, but will have to be on his game.

Albert Costa 1.50 ESP (8) vs. Scott Draper AUS

- Draper was erratic at times against Alex Kim while Costa dropped the third set to qualifier Prinosil. The Spaniard has the class and consistency to overwhelm Draper, but with the local crowd support it could go down to the wire.

Felix Mantilla 1.50 ESP vs. Jan-Michael Gambill USA (27)

- Gambill was only broken once on serve in five sets against the dangerous Llodra on the way to winning his first match in six visits to the Aussie Open, while Mantilla got past our man Zabaleta also in five. Both have started the year with some solid performances but at this price, I have to side with the Spaniard.

Nicolas Lapentti 1.42 ECU (24) vs. David Sanchez ESP

- Very tough to pick this one. Lapentti put last weeks shocker in Sydney behind him with a thrashing of Benneateu while Sanchez came back to knock out Pless. Too short for me.

Karol Kucera 3.50 SVK vs. Sebastien Grosjean FRA (12)

- The head-to-head record of 3-0 - a straight sets win on hardcourts to Grosjean in each of the last three years - is damning, but Kucera was very impressive in his straight sets demolition of Vacek on Monday and must be rated some chance today. Grosjean had no problems with Meligeni but has come up well under the odds for my liking.

Hyung-Taik Lee KOR vs. Andre Agassi 1.15 USA (2)

- Lee is on an 8-0 run and as they say, winning form in good form, but this will be tough. The tournament's second favourite Agassi won't be looking to get involved in a lengthy fight in this one or it could get interesting. A nice 'popcorn' match for me.

Stepanek had a very good rookie year on the ATP Tour last year claiming several more highly ranked players on all surfaces. He started this year with a win over the highly rated Lopez in Doha followed by losses to Youzhny and Russell. He is making his Australian Open debut, and should be favourite in my book. The aging Carlsen is on an 0-5 run here and early season losses to Hantschk and Mantilla have not impressed.

Kuerten is on a 4-0 (1-0 on hard) run against Arazi, but all have gone the distance. It won't be difficult coming back down to earth after the impressive Auckland win and the Brazilian has never advanced past the second round in six starts here. The inconsistent Arazi, past quarter-finalist here, struggled with injury for much of last year, but by all accounts is fit and raring to go for '03 and should give Guga a shake.

Andre Sa was competitive on hardcourts last year, but a fully fit Voinea should prevail in this one. That is the big question however. He withdrew from Sydney a set down to Youzhny and was noticeably affected a fortnight ago in Adelaide with a lower back/hamstring strain. He made the 4th round here last year and is no stranger to these conditions, but there is too much uncertainty over his fitness.

These two meet for the second time in two weeks after Vicente came out on top in a three setter in Auckland. Horna is making his Aussie Open debut and prefers the dirt, but his only appearance at a big hardcourt event last year was very impressive indeed. He defeated A Martin and Schalken before going down to Safin in a 3rd set tiebreaker at Miami. Vicente has had a few matches under his belt in the last two weeks after a poor finish to '02, but this won't be easy.

Last year's semi-finalist Novak is coming off a huge year but there are easier 1st round opponents that this. Spadea has a very decent record in Melbourne and early losses to Vahaly and Zabaleta this year provides no cause for concern. This looks well over the odds for mine.

Knowle lost his last eight matches in '02 and has not notched up an ATP Tour win since Newport last July. He did win a weak field challenger (hard) in February last year, but will find it tough against the 18 year-old local who, as Australia's #2 Junior, beat Okun and Burgsmuller in last week's Sydney qualies before taking a set off eventual winner H-T Lee.

Robby Ginepri to bt Marc Rosset (1.55)

The veteran Rosset is only considered a slight threat on the indoor courts these days and with no lead-up matches under his belt, he looks to be here to make up the numbers. Ginepri is in his Aus Open debut but is in some fine form, taking Novak to the limit in Auckland last week after failing to drop a set through qualifying.

Juan Ignacio Chela to bt Karol Beck (1.14)

The youngster Beck is finding his first visit down under very tough as witnessed in a 1 & 2 thrashing by Crabb in last week's Sydney qualifying.

Max Mirnyi to bt Joseph Sirianni (1.03)

Just how did this guy get another wildcard?

Rainer Schuettler to bt Albert Portas (1.12)

The Spaniard has done very little on hardcourts for some time now, so it really is hard to see him winning this one. The German took a set off Ferrero in the semis of Sydney last week after three good wins and has played very well here over the last few years.

James Blake to bt Jiri Vanek (1.10)

There's no doubting Blake's talent, but he still lets himself down mentally on occasions. He has started the year off fairly well, finally defeating Hewitt at the Hopman Cup and they losing a tight three setter to Moya last week in Sydney. Vanek is on an 0-8 Grand Slam run and this won't be easy.

David Nalbandian to bt Jerome Golmard (1.50)

Golmard is still under an injury cloud here having retired from him opening game of the year in Chennai after only playing two games. Nalbandian had a three set loss to Zabaleta last week in Auckland but this looks well within his capabilities.

Anthony Dupuis to bt Jacobo Diaz (1.25)

The Frenchman had a good win over Mirnyi in Adelaide and would be happy to see his draw here. Diaz is 0-4 at the Aussie Open and 0-7 in Slams excluding the French and first up in '03 will find it tough to break the duck today.

Lleyton Hewitt 1.07 AUS (1) vs. Magnus Larsson SWE

- The veteran Swede got through qualies with a good win over the dangerous Tursunov, but isn't anywhere near fit enough for a best-of-five against Hewitt.

Cecil Mamiit 1.70 USA vs. Todd Larkham AUS

- Journeyman Todd Larkham came through qualifying with three good wins but has failed to get past the first round here on four other occasions and has some ordinary challenge tour form from the second half of last year. Mamiit has more experience and did have a good win over Burgsmuller and took a set off Kucera in the Chennai lead-up, so is a deserving favourite for mine.

Younes El Aynaoui MAR (18) vs. Justin Gimelstob 5.00 USA

- Gimelstob has lost two tight matches to Kucera (Chennai) and Squillari (Syd Q) and has been seen working very hard on the practice courts, so this might not be the procession that some expect. The Moroccan started the season with a semi appearance in Doha after six straight losses round off his best career year in '02, but this is a danger game for mine.

Vadim Kutsenko UZB vs. Ivan Ljubicic 1.30 CRO

- Kutsenko is making his Grand Slam debut after a tight three set win over Godwin in the final round of qualifying. Ljubicic came out on top in a tight three setter when these two met in Tashkent last year, and over five sets here one has to go with the class to prevail again.

Feliciano Lopez 3.00 ESP vs. Alex Corretja ESP (15)

- It's hard to know how much motivation Corretja is placing upon his campaign here this year - he did beat Arazi in the Kooyong warm-up - but this is hard to assess. Lopez is a highly rated Spaniard with a big serve and heavy hitting game that got him some big wins last including a round of 16 at Wimbledon. He is in his Aussie Open debut, but what he lacks in experience he might be able to make it up in match fitness and exuberance.

Andy Roddick 1.08 USA (9) vs. Zeljko Krajan CRO

- I'm not tipping the A-Rod to get too far here, but this should be a formality.

Mikhail Youzhny 1.45 RUS (25) vs. Richard Gasquet FRA

- What an intriguing 1st round match-up! The 16 year-old Frenchman has been getting plenty of headlines down here with an impressive display at the Kooyong warm-up. He might have to wait a little longer for his first Grand Slam match win however, as he will face a tougher test mentally over the five sets here. Youzhny should be well an truly over any Davis Cup hangover and has made the 3rd round in both starts here.

Olivier Rochus 1.85 BEL vs. Arnaud Di Pasquale FRA

- Very tough. One of these will advance past the first round for the first time here, but who? Olivier has not been disgraced with losses to Voinea and Safin in the last two weeks while Di Pasquale has gone down to Gasquet and Fish. The camp says the Frenchman is fit and raring to go, but don't write off the gutsy Belgian.

Marat Safin RUS (3) vs. Raemon Sluiter 4.25 NED

- The $64 question has to be just how in the Safin shoulder holding up? Last year's runner-up pulled out of Sydney last week as a 'precaution', but one must assume the injury is not too bad. Nevertheless, Sluiter, although a rather inconsistent type, is certainly capable of prolonging this match. He will appreciate the faster surfaces and might be worth a spec at this price.

Albert Montanes 1.66 ESP vs. Mariano Puerta ARG

- A couple of genuine clay courters meet here. Montanes has the advantage of having a few matches in Chennai, but both were easlily defeated in 1st round Sydney qualifying. Good Luck.

Todd Reid AUS vs. Richard Krajicek 1.22 NED

- The 18-year old Aussie has been competitive in the last two weeks when taking a set off Spadea and Gaudio and he also claimed a set of Escude in the corresponding match here last year. Over five sets the big serving Dutchman is going to get too many free points, but I wont be touching this price.

Gregory Carraz 2.10  FRA vs. Jose Acasuso ARG

- Acasuso had a great year on clay but is yet to prove himself whatsoever on hardcourts. Carraz gets into the main draw for the first time as a lucky loser from qualifying. He'll be match fit and have too much experience in these conditions for mine.

Alberto Martin ESP vs. Alex Bogomolov Jr. 3.25 USA

- Very tough opener for the Spaniard here. Bogomolov Jr. is a fiery type with a very big backcourt game that is sure to pose a few problems today. He beat Haas in L.A. last year and won a challenger in late November. He qualified into his first Aussie Open main draw and inexperience may prove his downfall, but should go close.

Julien Varlet FRA vs. Fernando Gonzalez 1.20 CHI (13)

- Fernando Gonzalez burst onto the scene last year with some massive wins on hardcourts including a round of 16 here and a quarter final at the U.S. Open. The man with the biggest forehand in the game lost to Ferrer last week in Auckland and notably withdrew from the doubles citing a right knee injury, so may be some risk here. The Frenchman is only playing his 2nd Grand Slam match and is coming from challenger level so he's hard to recommend.

Jaymon Crabb 1.60 AUS vs. Andrew Ilie AUS

- Crabb has impressed in the lead-up with a tight loss to Gasquet in Adel qualies followed by wins over Beck, Portas, Squillari in Sydney before taking a set off Ferrero in the main draw. Ilie on the other hand failed to qualify and had a well documented disastrous year in '02 when failing to win a match on the ATP Tour.

Dominik Hrbaty 2.10 SVK vs. Xavier Malisse BEL (20)

- Malisse is under somewhat of an injury cloud coming into this with dodgy appendages such as leg, calf, chest and elbow mentioned in one place or another. Hrbaty has been backed from 7/4 into evens with some shops, so there must be something there, but that's not quite enough for me. Malisse's record in Grand Slams is excellent and while Hrbaty has form from Auckland, there's too much uncertainty.

Stefan Koubek 1.55 AUT (32) vs. Andreas Vinciguerra SWE

- The Swede has a respectable 6-3 record here and having come through qualies will be match fit and well acclimatised. He'll have an army of Swedish support to help him get home, but Koubek is on a 7-1 run this year including a win over Vinciguerra on the way to the Doha title.

Lars Burgsmuller 1.67 GER vs. Juan Balcells ESP

- Balcells is on an 0-5 Grand Slam run and is 0-2 here, lost to Okun in Chennai and Vacek in Sydney qualifying - hardly enough to get me excited about this encounter, but he did take Grosjean to four here last year and did reach the Scottsdale final. Burgsmuller has losses to Mamiit and Henry as a lead-up and is on an 0-6 Grand Slam run himself, but deserves to start a solid fave.

Flavio Saretta BRA vs. Roger Federer 1.20 SUI (6)

- The Swiss star talked about a groin strain to explain his loss to Squillari in Sydney and has been posted at as much as 1/5 here. Saretta warmed up for this with a Challenger win in Brazil, but Federer has an good record here and if fit should win this with ease.

The Swede is a former finalist here but has had a dreadful lead-up after returning from injury with 1st round losses in Adelaide and Sydney and some less than impressive play at Kooyong. Gaudio had a win over the Aussie youngster Reid last week in Sydney then blowing a 5-4, 40-15 1st set lead against Schuettler shortly before 'tanking' the second set. I'm hoping a little more importance will be placed upon a Grand Slam match.

Another comeback from injury for the 'Pou' but there is no talk of winning Wimbledon this year. While he did win one match to German qualifier Kohlmann in Chennai, he was thrashed by Schuettler and disappointing in the Kooyong lead-up. Verkerk is an up and comer with a huge serve himself and with tight losses to Zabaleta and Kuerten in the last two weeks, his form is more than creditable. The Dutchman is playing only his second Grand Slam match but I don't think he is the type to get overawed by the prime-time opening night atmosphere that this clash will produce.

The Dutchman has a dreadful 2-7 record at Melbourne Park and is returning after a break since the TMS Paris in late October (he withdrew from Chennai citing a wrist injury). The fact that he has played no lead-up events is a concern. Brasington finaled at a US challenger (hard) late last year and has the advantage of having three matches here under his belt here already.

Alex Waske's hard work paid off with a marathon final round qualifying win on Saturday. Prior losses to Zabaleta and Luczak in the last two weeks were no disgrace. The big serving 18 year-old Ancic burst onto the scene with the massive upset of Federer at last year's Wimbledon. He finished last year with two indoor carpet challenger wins. He leads the h-h 2-0, but I'm tipping his inexperience in these conditions to prove his downfall today.

I'm led to believe Savolt is a under a slight injury cloud (elbow?) and losses to Alex Kim (Adel) and Portas (Syd Quallies) does not read well. Local boy Luczak might have gained entry into his first Grand Slam main draw via a wildcard, but I can tell you his form has been quite solid. He qualified for Sydney with wins over Labadze, Waske and Pless and gave Nieminen a fright in the main draw after a less than ideal preparation.

The German won through qualies to get into his first Australian Open. A tight match against Giovanni Lapentti was backed up with a defeat of the higher ranked Carraz. Santoro started the year in Doha with wins over Mantilla (semi Auck) and Christophe Rochus and a three set loss to El Aynaoui. Experience counts for something but the Frenchman is not getting any younger and in the stifling conditions expected Monday, I'm going with the more match fit and acclimatised Phau.

The Aussie is a disappointing 2-4 at his home Grand Slam and while he has been declared fit after sustaining a calf strain a few weeks ago, he will surely suffer from a lack of match practice should this one go the distance. I must say I don't know a lot about the Brazilian, apart from a impressive final round qualifying win over Economidis - his 3rd straight set win - that got him into his first Grand Slam main draw. The Arthurs serve might be enough to get him home but this is over the odds.

After four consecutive 1st round losses in Melbourne (Rusedski x2, Rafter and Ferrero) this is the one Draper can win. He is playing some solid tennis despite opening the season with two first round losses. He faced a serving onslaught twice against Krajicek and Srichaphan and battled on gamely in both. Kim has the memory of beating Kafelnikov here last year but has losses to Voinea and Fish in his two starts while his wins over Savolt and Calatrava don't get me excited.

These two meet for the tenth time, but it's Zabaleta who holds the 2-0 advantage on hardcourts. The Argentinean has form - he is coming off a semi final loss to Kuerten in Auckland and a quarter final loss to eventual winner Davydenko in Adelaide. He has been working hard for over a month with a new coach and is clearly very motivated to perform well at the moment. Mantilla, who has lost in the first round in his last five appearances, lost to Santoro in Doha but had a tight win over Novak to reach the Auckland semi before a heavy loss to Hrbaty.

Davydenko started the year very impressively with a title win in Adelaide. A loss to Squillari last week in Sydney gives him time to prepare for this and he has been seen partaking in vigorous practice sessions with Max Mirnyi. Nieminen took a set off Safin last week in Sydney but was very fortunate to make it past Luczak in the previous round. He has not done enough on this surface for my liking.

You have to go back 17 Slams to the '98 Wimbledon since Kafelnikov has gone out in the 1st round, but such has been his decline in form and match fitness that a loss here is a distinct possibility. A 2 & 5 loss to Vicente in his only lead-up match when collecting appearance money in Doha and the fact that he was originally not coming to Melbourne has some questioning his motivation here. Morrison is making his Aussie Open singles debut but played very well this time last year and should have the edge in the extreme conditions late in the day on Court Three.

Jean-Rene Lisnard to bt Andrea Gaudenzi (1.60)

Lisnard had a decent record in challengers last year, albeit mostly on the dirt, but started this year well in Chennai with wins over Pless, Okun and Schuettler. That's enough for me up against the veteran Italian who struggles to find a weapon on this surface.

Kristian Pless to bt David Sanchez (1.57)

The Spaniard is 0-7 in Grand Slams excluding the French and is yet to prove himself capable off the dirt. He took a set off Youzhny and Coria in two 1st round losses this year but this looks tough. Pless made the 3rd round here last year with wins over Mirnyi and Arazi. He has losses to Lisnard and Luczak in the past two weeks but this should be easier.

Sebastien Grosjean to bt Fernando Meligeni (1.18)

Melgieni is 1-7 at the Aussie Open and didn't feel it necessary to leave home to play a lead-up event, instead preferring a challenger tourney in his native Brazil. Still the 1st round cheque in a Grand Slam is nothing to sneeze at! Grosjean, a semi finalist here two years ago, had a solid workout at the Kooyong event so this should be comfortable.

Guillermo Coria to bt Francisco Clavet (1.24)

The veteran Spaniard keeps on going but has notably decided not to play a lead-up tourney this year. The talented Coria is a mere 14 years his junior and will have more run and stamina in the predicted extreme conditions on Monday.

Carlos Moya 1.10 ESP (5) vs. Dick Norman BEL

- Certainly not the easiest match-up here for the Spaniard. The lefty Dick Norman won four challengers last year and leapt up the Champions Race and has been seen working hard on his game in Melbourne. Both lost to Mardy Fish in three sets last week in Sydney. Not at this price.

Joachim Johansson SWE vs. Mardy Fish 1.36 USA

- The big serving Swede is making his Grand Slam debut after a solid qualifying win over Andrei Stoliarov. He has impressed in stages when failing to qualify in Adelaide and Auckland so must be rated some chance but I have noticed he can become a little tentative when things become tight. Fish won five matches after qualifying in Sydney so he has had a nice tune up himself.

Davide Sanguinetti ITA vs. Michel Kratochvil 1.83 SUI

- History shows that Rebound Ace is not the Italian's favourite surface. He finished '02 in horror fashion after winning three tourney's early including Delray Beach. He has a best 2nd round in five appearances in Melbourne and lost to Sluiter 3 & 3 in his only lead-up match in Auckland. Kratochvil is 3-2 from two appearances here and defeated his opponent 2 & 0 in their only meeting ('01 on hard).

Wayne Ferreira 1.73 RSA vs. Tommy Robredo ESP (26)

- The South African has an amazing record here, never losing a first round encounter in 12 starts as well as reaching a quarter and semi. He had a nice preparation in Sydney, losing to eventual winner Lee in the semis and defeated Robredo in straight sets in the last US Open. The Spaniard played better than the 2 & 2 scoreline vs Roddick suggests in Sydney last week, but looks a little inexperienced for the veteran.

Agustin Calleri 1.75 ARG vs. Sargis Sargsian ARM

- Sargsian looks to have fully recovered from a brief injury layoff last year and notched up wins over Varlet and Montanes in Chennai before going out 4 & 4 to winner Srichaphan. Calleri looks to have the class and took out some very big names late last year, but has been a major disappointment in the Slams, losing in the 1st round the last six starts. He must be favoured to break the duck today however.

Jurgen Melzer AUT vs. Paradorn Srichaphan 1.12 THA (11)

- Melzer had some solid results indoors last year, but has shown little with losses to Martin and Carraz to suggest that he has adapted to conditions down under. The Thai sensation has come up very short but should progress with relative ease.

Renzo Furlan ITA vs. Andrei Pavel 1.28 ROM (21)

- Pavel went down to the in-from Behrend in