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Time Check. 1100 Melbourne = 1100 AEDT; 0000 GMT; 1900 US ET

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - SUNDAY 30th JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (3) vs. Marat Safin RUS (4)

- This promises to be a most exciting final. The markets look about right, so for me, it's a 'no play'. Hewitt has been playing some inspired tennis over the past fortnight and it would take a brave person to go against him here with an odds-on Safin. The Russian showed great composure against Federer and he'll need it all again today. If he can stay patient and focused and not succumb to the mental pressure that has affected Hewitt's opponents so far in this tournament, then he has the game to win. The head-to-head is locked at 5-5, but Hewitt leads 3-2 on hardcourts, including winning their last three encounters on the surface. He has handled the pressure well in the last week, but this is the one where it counts. He must be ready to go on the offense at the right times as pure defense won't be enough against Safin in the form he is in.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - FRIDAY 28th JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (3) vs. Andy Roddick USA (2)

- Somehow, just somehow, Hewitt pulled off another Houdini-like performance to get past Nalbandian on Wednesday night. He looked down and out, but as before, used his mental toughness to great advantage. Roddick meanwhile, had a much easier time of things against Nikolay Davydenko. Hewitt holds a 4-1 head-to-head advantage - the last win coming at the Masters Cup late last year on Roddick's home soil. It must be noted however, that the courts here are much slower and the higher bounce is clearly not to Hewitt's liking. Roddick comes in much fresher, having spent less than half as much time on court here, and will get plenty of free points on serve. I'm sure Hewitt won't give in without a fight, but he looks to be up against it today.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - THURSDAY 27th JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Marat Safin RUS (4) (RLA Night)

- Last year's finalists meet a round earlier this year. I'm not about to make a play against Federer who is on a staggering 24-0 run against fellow top-10 players, but he does look to bt some risk today. Safin will have nothing to lose and importantly, has the service weapon to get some free points. He will certainly be appreciative should bad weather force the roof to be closed. Federer holds a convincing 6-1 head-to-head advantage, but three of the last four sets they've played have gone to tie-breaks. Federer thrives on pressure, but should he fall behind in the match, he will be surely tested.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - WEDNESDAY 26th JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

David Nalbandian ARG (9) vs. Lleyton Hewitt AUS (3) (RLA Night)

- I want to oppose Hewitt again, but I'm not sure the Argentinean is mentally up to facing a pumped up Hewitt and a stadium full of patriotic Aussies. Having said that, the pressure has never been so intense on Lleyton Hewitt as it will be today. He has stumbled before and lets not forget was a few points from going out in two of his previous matches here. If Nalbandian can put memories of their one-sided Wimbledon final aside and overcome the mental toughness of Hewitt, then he is a chance.

Nikolay Davydenko RUS (26) vs. Andy Roddick USA (2) (RLA M3)

- Davydenko had a small injury scare late in his match with Canas but retained his poise to close it out. With a chance of this one being played indoors given the forecast extreme heat (many were caught out yesterday with Safin getting the ideal conditions), it's hard to see the Russian getting close. All previous meetings have been very one-sided in the American's favour.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - TUESDAY 25th JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Andre Agassi USA (8) (MCA Night)

- Will Andre Agassi, with his amazing record at Melbourne Park use his experience here to good measure? Or, will Roger Federer prove just how good he is and lift his game when it matters? Federer has an unprecedented record against top-10 players in recent times and despite not looking at his best at times here, is near impossible to oppose. Agassi got close at the U.S. Open last year, but that was in the wind. The world number one will get perfect indoor-like conditions tonight and have the ideal stage to prove just how far out he is above the rest.

Marat Safin RUS (4) vs. Dominik Hrbaty SVK (20) (MCA M3)

- Safin did extremely well to hold his nerve against Ollie Rochus on Sunday night. The Belgian's variable game matched up well with the fiery Russian and after going 0-for-15 in break points at one stage, it looked as though the volcano might blow. Hrbaty meanwhile, was far too superior for an out of sorts Thomas Johansson. The Slovak holds a narrow 6-5 head-to-head advantage but their last meeting was back in '02. Hrbaty is playing with great confidence at the moment and while Safin will appreciate the extra pace, I'm not sure that he is back to the best form he showed late last year.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - MONDAY 24th JANUARY

Rafael Nadal to bt Lleyton Hewitt

Other matches (selections in bold):

Guillermo Coria ARG (6) vs. David Nalbandian ARG (9) (RLA Night)

- Coria was relentless against Ferrero in the previous round, while Nalbandian was far too solid against what looked to be a mentally and physically exhausted Fernando Gonzalez. Coria leads the head-to-head 3-0 at ATP and challenger level, but all three have been on clay. Can't see there being a great deal in this. Coria will run and retrieve all night, but lacks the reliable big shot to finish off the point that Nalbandian is certainly capable of.

Nikolay Davydenko RUS (26) vs. Guillermo Canas ARG (12) (MCA M4)

- This one could last a while as both know how to keep the errors at a premium. Canas has had the better of the Russian in three previous meetings on clay, grass and hard (indoors), two of which were last year, so he has to hold the upper hand coming into this encounter. I'm not about to write off the Russian today however, as he is playing some very tasty game at present. Whether has has the patience to get past the bulldog is the big question.

Philipp Kohlschreiber GER vs. Andy Roddick USA (2) (VA 1100)

- Kohlschreiber was impressive against the tiring Lisnard in the third round, but this will be his first introduction to the big-time. Roddick looks to be running into some solid form here in Melbourne and is serving very well. Tough to see the German getting closer than a breaker in a set or two.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - SUNDAY 23rd JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Marcos Baghdatis CYP (RLA M2)

- The fired-up Cypriot stole a set off Federer at the U.S. Open last year and is one to watch in the coming years no doubt about that. I don't think Federer has the title wrapped up here by any means and don't expect a whitewash here.

Joachim Johansson SWE (11) vs. Andre Agassi USA (8) (RLA M3)

- Johansson will have to serve at his very best to be a chance here. He played out a marathon in the last round against Feliciano Lopez and it was only thanks to nerves on the Spaniards behalf that he has progressed. The Swede got through a light practice session on Saturday at Melbourne Park but did look to be affected by cramping and a calf/hamstring injury late in his last match. Agassi really looks to be travelling well at the moment and as good as he returns the ball, it's hard to go against him today.

Marat Safin RUS (4) vs. Olivier Rochus BEL (VA M4)

- Ollie Rochus continued his barnstorming start to the year with a win over Beck in the third round. The pint-sized Belgian had the patience and smarts to get the better of Tommy Haas' conqueror. Safin meanwhile, survived a scare when he looked to roll an ankle and brief lapse in the second set against Ancic. Few will forget Rochus' win over Safin back at Wimbledon in '02, and I don't know if Safin likes his game a lot, but I do feel the Belgian might run out of legs today.

Dominik Hrbaty SVK (20) vs. Thomas Johansson SWE (30) (SC3 M3)

- Thomas Johansson had too much experience for Kevin Kim when coming through his third consecutive five-setter on Friday, while Hrbaty outlasted Gaston Gaudio in a high-standard marathon. On current form, I can't see Johansson getting too close here. Hrbaty doesn't deserve to be too short, but I don't think Johansson is playing anywhere as well as he was when he won the title here.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - SATURDAY 22nd JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Guillermo Coria ARG (6) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (31) (RLA 1100)

- Not for the first time, J-C Ferrero put an injury concern well and truly behind him with his demolition of a error-ridden Zabaleta on Thursday night. Whether it was a well-placed pain killer or he is over it completely remains to be seen. Coria meanwhile, looked set to go to five, but broke Mello at 6-5 in the fourth before taking out the breaker, in a high-quality encounter. The Argentine has not taken a set off Ferrero in two previous matches - but both were on clay back when Ferrero was at his best. Ferrero is capable of an upset, but on recent form is hard to make a play.

Fernando Gonzalez CHI (23) vs. David Nalbandian ARG (9) (MCA M2)

- There is no doubting that Gonzalez is in some very good form. He edged a tight first set against Andreev in the previous round before running away with it. Nalbandian refuses to win matches with ease, so while it's hard to see him strolling to victory here, I do think he'll be too solid for the Chilean.

Rafael Nadal ESP vs. Bobby Reynolds USA (MCA Night)

- Nadal survived a match point where all Youzhny had to do was ease the volley into the court while Reynolds was simply too good for Pavel on the day. The Romanian looked a little flat and after missing a chance to take the first set, was always fighting an uphill battle. This wont be easy for Nadal - he is expected to win and is already looking forward to playing Hewitt in the next round, which is very dangerous. Having said that, while Reynolds has good serve, it's hard to see him matching the Spaniard pound for pound from the back of the court. Nadal was broken six times by Youzhny so he does appear very short.

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (25) vs. Lleyton Hewitt AUS (3) (RLA Night)

- There were some worrying signs indeed for the great local hope when Hewitt slipped back into his old ways of playing not to lose and on the defense early on against Blake. The American was playing very well and could easily have taken the second set. Chela will be able to play an error-free game but won't be able to send too many winners past the Aussie. Look for the slower night time conditions to suit Chela, so it would be no surprise at all to see this one go the distance.

Tim Henman GBR (7) vs. Nikolay Davydenko RUS (26) (VA 1100)

- Henman has notched up a win in both previous meetings (hard & carpet in '03), so he'll be confident of a strong showing today. His form has been reasonable to this point, but don't expect Davydenko to give without a fight. The Russian was very impressive in the last round against the lowly Christophe Rochus, but the market looks about right in this one.

Radek Stepanek CZE vs. Guillermo Canas ARG (12) (MCA 1100)

- Stepanek was quite fortunate to come out with a win on Thursday after letting a lead slip. He got on top early in the deciding set however and the rest was history. He is in some solid form but for mine, Canas, as he showed against Verdasco in the last round, will just wear his opponent into the ground. The Argentine will go all day that's for sure, but lacks a major weapon to get the job done easily.

Jean-Rene Lisnard FRA vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber GER (SC3 M2)

- Lisnard has come through qualifying and a couple of five-setters to get here. He was history in his last match until Grosjean pulled a thigh muscle when closing in on a two-set lead. Against a player of higher quality I have no doubt Grosjean would have retired, but he must have thought he had a chance on one leg. Kohlschreiber meanwhile, also had the assistance of a retirement in the second round. He will have to be patient here, as Lisnard will get plenty back into play. However, if the German can take advantage of the Frenchman's relatively weak serve, then he looks close to a good thing here.

Jurgen Melzer AUT (32) vs. Andy Roddick USA (2) (RLA M2)

- Melzer can be very streaky and an shock upset is always on the cards with the Austrian, but A-Rod, despite a momentary lapse on serve with cost him a set, was ultra-impressive against Rusedski on Thursday night.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - FRIDAY 21st JANUARY

Other matches (selections in bold):

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Jarkko Nieminen FIN (RLA M3)

- Federer was a little streaky against Suzuki on Wednesday night but wont have too many problems here.

Marcos Baghdatis CYP vs. Tommy Robredo ESP (13) (MCA Night)

- Baghdatis played some very solid tennis to get the better of Ivan Ljubicic in the previous round. He served very well and showed maturity beyond his years when patiently waiting for the right ball to put away. Things don't get any easier here with Robredo however. The Spaniard was not all that convincing against Zib, and will need to be playing near to his best for this one. Baghdatis, a former junior champ here, is playing with great confidence having won five matches in a row and he will get plenty of support in the MCA for this night match, but Grand Slam experience may prevail again.

Joachim Johansson SWE (11) vs. Feliciano Lopez ESP (24) (VA M4)

- Hard to see Lopez making too much of an impact here if his form against Sargsian is anything to go by. Johansson looks fit and continued to impress in the Australian summer with a high-quality match with Wessels on Wednesday night. The Vodafone Arena may just be that fraction slower, but with less wind, the Swede should have no troubles with his booming serve.

Taylor Dent USA (29) vs. Andre Agassi USA (8) (RLA Night)

- Dent got close to the veteran American at the US Open a few years ago before injury intervened. This is Agassi's turf here however and while he would prefer to play this in the day, he is almost impossible to oppose here. Dent powered past Tabara after getting down two breaks early and will have to serve at his very best to be a hope here.

Marat Safin RUS (4) vs. Mario Ancic CRO (28) (RLA M2)

- Ancic looks to have run into some decent form here after an injury-hampered preparation for Melbourne. I'm tipping Safin to prolong rallies a little more than either Hernandez or Phau have been able to however. The Russian looks to have put that ordinary Hopman Cup form behind him and will have too much from the back of the court in this match-up.

Olivier Rochus BEL vs. Karol Beck SVK (SC3 M2)

- It would take a brave punter to go against Olivier Rochus in his current form. The shortest player on the ATP Tour makes up for his lack of height with plenty of guts and fighting ability. He just had to keep the ball in play against Monfils on Wednesday but should be able to lift for this. Beck is clearly enjoyed the pace from a tiring Haas in the last round and it wont be easy backing up. Can easily see this going the distance, so the value does look to be with Beck.

Gaston Gaudio ARG (10) vs. Dominik Hrbaty SVK (20) (VA 1100)

- Hrbaty cleaned up Gaudio in straight sets here last year and while the Argentineans hardcourt game has picked up a notch or two since, he might be up against it again today. Hrbaty has defeated an injured Soderling and the qualifier Tipsarevic to progress to this point, but did drop a match to the clay-loving Acasuso in the lead-up and is not the most reliable prospect at odds-on territory. I'm happy to sit this one out.

Thomas Johansson SWE (30) vs. Kevin Kim USA (MCA M2)

- Kim was just too solid and patient in the heat against Garcia-Lopez on Wednesday, while Johansson just did enough to edge Calleri. The Swede looked very shaky from the back of the court in the latter stages of that one when giving up a 5-2 final set advantage. He steadied to break Calleri at 5-6, but they were indeed worrying signs. Kim is looking to win three main draw matches at tour level for the first time in his career here. He will be high on confidence and is arguably playing the best tennis of his life.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - THURSDAY 20th JANUARY

Expect plenty of heavy hitting in this encounter. Gonzalez advanced by coming back from two sets to love down for the first time in his career against Acasuso on Tuesday. Andreev meanwhile, showed no mercy in finishing off Burgsmuller. The Russian took Gonzalez to five sets at Wimbledon last year so it would not surprise to see a similarly close contest today. With the prices on offer, there is only one player to consider supporting.

The Russian is no easy-beat in the Slams and while it's hard to oppose Nadal again - we learnt that the hard way in the previous round when the Spaniard out-powered a disappointing Benneteau - he has just come up too short today. I feel the centre court scheduling will assist the Russian somewhat in keeping conditions to his liking. Nadal can still get a little impatient should things not go his way, so I'm going to side with experience today.

This should be a very entertaining match. Hernych is not afraid to go for his shots, while Stepanek will be moving him around all over the court. Hernych has won seven of his last eight matches so he'll be sky high on confidence coming into this. Stepanek is in some decent form and enjoys the conditions here, but he looks well under the odds here for mine.

The young Kohlschreiber is amassing a very handy hardcourt record over the past year or two. He easily accounted for Kenneth Carlsen in the first round here and while his opponent today plays a totally different game, I do like his chances of an upset. Massu came through an injury cloud to get past Dupuis in the opening round but his opponent today will prove a little tougher in the rallies. The German has the confidence of knowing he can beat Massu, having taken out the Chilean previously - albeit in a clay challenger a few years ago.

Guillermo Coria ARG (6) vs. Ricardo Mello BRA (VA M2)

- Coria could hardly have been more impressive against Berdych in the first round while Mello did very well to notch up a straight-sets win over Alberto Martin. Both can play solid error-free tennis on a hardcourt, but Coria has the class and ability to will wear the Brazilian down.

Bobby Reynolds USA vs. Andrei Pavel ROM (17) (Ct8 M1)

- The qualifier Reynolds literally scraped over the line against Almagro in the first round. I certainly would not have wanted to see that one go to a fifth set. He has a decent serve, but the rest of his game will be exploited today. Pavel will be just too solid.

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (25) vs. Gregory Carraz FRA (Ct18 M2)

- Carraz simply served out of a tree on Tuesday, belting down no less than thirty aces. A hapless Mathieu made some shocking forehand errors when under pressure but could not do anything with the Carraz serve. Chela will get a lot more back and be much more consistent, so it's very hard to see Carraz getting through this one.

Fernando Verdasco ESP vs. Guillermo Canas ARG (12) (SC3 1100)

- Surprisingly, it's Verdasco who holds the 3-0 head-to-head advantage here, but all matches were on clay, two were close and the other involved a retirement. Verdasco has shown somewhat of a newfound maturity in recent times, but he'll need all the patience he can muster in this one. Canas will go all day and near error free from the back of the court, and while he doesn't have the service weapon, he looks too solid here.

James Blake USA vs. Lleyton Hewitt AUS (3) (RLA M3)

- Blake made quick work of a slumping Mayer, but Hewitt it must be said, was ultra impressive against Clement. These two have quite a history, dating back to that controversial US Open meeting in 2001 when Blake had him on toast, but the head-to-head is 5-zip and Blake is still a long way from his best.

Sebastien Grosjean FRA (14) vs. Jean-Rene Lisnard FRA (SC2 M2)

- Lisnard fought extremely hard to get here, but he runs into an opponent with the clear class and talent advantage today.

Other matches (selections in bold):

Mariano Zabaleta ARG vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (31) (MCA Night)

- Zabaleta got past the first round of a slam outside the French for the first time in his last eight attempts with the win over Kimmitch. Ferrero dropped the opening set to qualifier Van Germerden and has to opposed at some stage this week. Ferrero was forced to retire from a doubles match last evening with a 5-3 lead in the 3rd set, with an ankle injury. The seriousness of the injury is unknown, so I'm staying well and truly away from this one.

Santiago Ventura ESP vs. David Nalbandian ARG (9) (MCA M3)

- Can see Nalbandian making harder work that he should yet again, but the Spaniard looks to have run his race here. He was cramping up towards the end of his first round match with Calatrava so look for him to struggle should it go the distance.

Tim Henman GBR (7) vs. Victor Hanescu ROM (VA M3)

- Hanescu saved a number of set points late in his match with Volandri and could consider himself more than a little fortunate not to drop a set. Henman will be better for the match against Saulnier and would have to be strongly favoured to advance here. Hanescu will appreciate the indoor-like conditions, but will have to play at his very best to be in it.

Christophe Rochus BEL vs. Nikolay Davydenko RUS (26) (Ct19 M3)

- Rochus is match-fit having come through quallies and the clay-loving Montanes, but Davydenko was impressive against Karanusic in the opening round and should be able to wear the Belgian down in this one.

Jurgen Melzer AUT (32) vs. Nathan Healey AUS (SC3 M2)

- Healey progressed by staying on his feet aganst Saretta. You can never have Melzer too short as he can be hit and miss and has been mentally fragile in the past, but I can't be touching the Aussie here.

Greg Rusedski GBR vs. Andy Roddick USA (2) (RLA Night)

- Don't expect A-Rod to have this all his own way. Rusedski has nothing to lose here and can dictate proceedings a little, but Roddick has played well at Melbourne Part at night before so is very hard to oppose.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - WEDNESDAY 19th JANUARY

I fancy Zib is going to give as good as he gets here. We cant read too much into Robredo's win over Draper in the first round other than the fact that he maybe should have won even more convincingly. Zib was solid enough against Wang on Monday and if he can stay patient, looks right in this. Having played a lot of tennis recently, he looks to be well conditioned should this go the distance in the anticipated heat.

Tabara was very impressive against the more experienced Enqvist in the first round. He is a very good mover and solid from the back so I'll like his chance when a rally develops today. Getting into a rally wont be easy however if the Dent serve is at its best. The balls will be flying in the heat, which should suit the American, but he is not reliable enough to justify this quote.

We can't read too much into Ancic's win over the clay-loving Hernandez on Monday. Phau, who accounted for an out of sorts Costa, will have a better chance of prolonging this one and with Ancic coming in with an injury-hampered lead-up, he might just be found wanting in the heat of the day. When the heat is on at Melbourne Park, preparation becomes important and Phau, with the the all important match-fitness on his side, must be rated a decent chance here.

Both players worked hard for their respective first round wins. Tommy Jo over a gutsy Luzack and Calleri over Mirnyi. Johansson will have to pick up his serve a little if he is to justify these odds. Calleri can play a patient error-free game when required, so I cant see there being too much in this. Johansson will have the vocal Swedes in his corner however and will enjoy the hot conditions, but I like Calleri to scrape home.

Joachim Johansson SWE (11) vs. Peter Wessels NED (MCA Night)

- Two big servers, so a tiebreak or two is not out of the question, but it is very hard to see the Dutchman getting within a glimpse of winning this one.

Rainer Schuettler GER vs. Andre Agassi USA (8) (RLA M3)

- Andre came out flying in round one and looks to have recovered from that minor injury scare last week at Kooyong. Despite a straight-sets win over Patience in the first round, Schuettler will find out how close he is today. The German had a limited preparation for this tournament so this looks well and truly beyond him.

Marat Safin RUS (4) vs. Bohdan Ulihrach CZE (VA M4)

- The Russian impressed up against the youngster on Monday night and is set to make a charge now that Moya is out of his quarter.

Karol Beck SVK vs. Tommy Haas GER (16) (RLA 1100)

- Both breezed through their opening round matches, Beck over a hopelessly out of form Reid and Haas over a typically spasmodic Malisse. Haas will have the patience and class to progress with relative ease here.

Janko Tipsarevic SCG vs. Dominik Hrbaty SVK (20) (Ct18 1100)

- The former Oz Open junior champion Tipsarevic played well enough on Monday, but he lacks a weapon to push Hrbaty too far today. The Slovak looks to be running into some very handy form in Melbourne.

Kevin Kim USA vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez ESP (Ct7 M1)

- Kim had enough left in the tank to get past a tiring H-T Lee on Monday while Garcia-Lopez pulled the shock of the first round with a win over Moya. I see no reason why the Spaniard can't continue his run today. He is giving up a lot of hardcourt experience here, but has the talent to run away with it.

Other matches (selections in bold):

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Takao Suzuki JPN (RLA Night)

- This could get very ugly.

Jarkko Nieminen FIN vs. Paradorn Srichaphan THA (27) (VA M3)

- Still not convinced that the Fin is anywhere back to his best, but Paradorn Srichaphan certainly isn't. There were rumours flying around Melbourne Park regarding his fitness before his match with Starace. He looked fit enough despite having some treatment on court. Can see this being very close, so the value looks to be with Nieminen.

Ivan Ljubicic CRO (22) vs. Marcos Baghdatis CYP (Ct21 M2)

- Baghdatis got the better of a long battle with Luzzi and while the scoreline might not be flattering, the high looping ball from the Italian proved hard to handle. He'll enjoy more pace today from Ljubicic. 

Sargis Sargsian ARM vs. Feliciano Lopez ESP (24) (SC3 M3)

- Lopez can never be considered a certainty, especially up against a grinder like Sargsian, but there is no way I could part with my hard-earned on Sargsian here. He had a tough time of things against Sanchez in the first round and on that form is hard consider here.

Olivier Rochus BEL vs. Gael Monfils FRA (SC3 M2)

- There is no denying that Ollie Rochus is in the best form of his career, but Monfils, who has absolutely nothing to lose, was so impressive against Ginepri in his main-draw Grand Slam debut on Monday, that he looks over the odds today. I wouldn't want to see this one go deep into the fifth given the Frenchman's lack of experience, but he has the youthful eagerness to come out on top here.

Gaston Gaudio ARG (10) vs. Mardy Fish USA (MCA 1100)

- Very tough to predict an outcome here. Gauido is a fraction underrated on a hardcourt for mine, while Fish not the most reliable type going around. At the odds, the Argentine looks the one to support, but I wont be getting involved.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - TUESDAY 18th JANUARY

The German-born Queenslander Kimmich has no shortage of winning experience on these courts having won the wildcard playoffs here in December without dropping a set. Zabaleta went out to the eventual Auckland champ Gonzalez last week, but it must be said, that he has done very little on hardcourts since his career best 2003 season. Excluding the French Open, the Argentine has not gone past the first round in his last seven Grand Slams.

Benneteau won very convincingly when they met indoors in Lyon late last year. He is however coming off two fairly disappointing losses to Dent and Acasuso in the lead-up. He also lost to Salzenstein in final round quallies here last year. Nadal on the other hand, made the third round (l. Hewitt) on his debut here last year. He retired last week in Auckland with chest pains but I don't expect that to be a factor today.

Two rather inexperienced types go at here, both in their first Grand Slam away from home. Reynolds did very well to squeeze past the more experienced Andy Ram in the final round of qualifying and looks to have the match-fitness here to get past the clay loving Almagro.

The spasmodic Spaniard is not one to be taking too often at odds-on territory. A substandard performance against Ivo Minar last week in Sydney was enough evidence to support this theory. Muller has gone down to Grosjean and Saulnier at Doha and Auckland in respective lead-up tournaments, but after notching up wins over the likes of Agassi and Nalbandian on hardcourts last year, must be rated a decent chance today.

The chain-smoking Frenchman can put short bursts together but is hard to support in a best-of-five match off his favoured clay. He pulled from Sydney quallies last week citing a thigh strain. Pavel went out to the giant-killer Minar last week in Sydney but this looks comfortable enough.

An injury-free Mathieu gets a chance to start the year off well with a win here. He notched up two solid wins in Chennai before a quarterfinal loss to Moya and has looked sharp in practise here. Carraz will appreciate the faster conditions, but I can see a lot of balls coming back with interest from his opponent today.

Winners in the week before the slams don't find it easy the next week so I'm tipping this one to be close. Gonzalez was very impressive last week by all accounts when taking the title without dropping a set, but Acasuso himself blew punters away when notching up wins over Benneteau and Hrbaty. The head-to-head heavily favours the Chliean, despite their only meeting on a hardcourt at ATP level going to three sets.

The big-serving Guccione has bowed out in quallies in both lead-up events in Australia and it not up to this level. Would have like to see the Argentinean play a lead-up tourney himself, but if he is anywhere near his best he wins this one.

Hard to see Calatrava turning up for anything but the first round losers cheque. He pulled out of Sydney quallies last week citing a calf strain. Ventura qualified impressively at the same tournament before losing a tight one to Dent. Just gets the ball back, but should prevail with relative ease.

The Italian shocked Kiefer here in the first round last year. He is not the worst player going around on a hardcourt by any means. Hanescu is fast running out of chances on hardcourts. He had a solid run a few years ago but failed to back it up last year, his hardcourt results particularly disappointing. Volandri had a narrow loss to Arthurs last week, but he'll get more chances today.

Marach got the better of Christophe Rochus in what can only be described as an ordinary final round qualifying match on Saturday. He likes it much slower than this. On the other hand, Lisnard played very well to make quick work of Phau in his qualifying match and has a lot more hardcourt experience to his name.

2005 AUSTRALIAN OPEN - MONDAY 17th JANUARY

Suzuki is a very average 1-5 at Slams, but he will be match hardened and did play well in his final round qualifying win over Pless. Gambill notched up a few wins over lowly ranked Aussies last week in Sydney quallies before being comprehensively outplayed by Ivo Minar. He is just 2-7 here and is very low on confidence at the moment. Will need to serve the lights out to be a chance today.

Srichaphan has continued to trend of doing well in the opening event in Chennai (although he beat nobody in the top-50) - this time he should have beat Moya when leading 5-2 in the deciding set in the final - but seems to struggle a little here. He went home to Thailand after Chennai then pulled out of the Kooyong event citing a wrist injury. He will need to be fully fit for this one however. Starace had a break-out year on the main tour last year and despite a poor end to the year indoors, has proven himself in these conditions.

Lu is another player who has struggled to bring solid challenger form up to the ATP tour but he did push Kuerten to three sets in Cincinnati last year. He has been training hard in the lead-up with the likes of Schuettler and Pless. Wessels played indoors at the Hopman Cup (ret. with shoulder) but then lost to Jan Vacek in a second round qualifying match in Auckland. He has the experience and the big serve to take out this one, but is very injury prone and is 0-3 here.

Baccanello is not the worst of the Aussie hopefuls, but like many others, he struggles to match it at ATP level. He will get a big lift from the crowd, so you just never know here. Lopez has the big left-handed serve and forehand as weapons, but if they go missing, he can make hard work of these matches. Look for this one to go to four or five and lets hope the Lopez three-quarter length pants stay in the locker.

Tabara has stepped up his game in recent times and while this has not gone unnoticed by the bookies, his game does appear to match-up fairly well with the Swede. Enqvist has a lot more experience here and is no stranger to the rebound ace. While he is playing a little better than he was at this time last year, is still running at no better than .500 on hardcourts.

Patience will be trying to repeat his performance here last year, where after qualifying, he beat Andreev and Davydenko. He looked solid enough in qualifying this year and has already defeated Schuettler 62 62 in the opening tournament of the year in Chennai. The German since lost to Enqvist in three then beat Guccione in the Kooyong warm-up, but has clearly not fully regained his confidence following injury and minor surgery post-season last year. He is on a 1-12 run at ATP level on hardcourts so easy to oppose.

The exciting prospect in Monfils is making his much-awaited main draw Grand Slam debut. The Frenchman with an explosive game will have nothing to lose today and should be able to use his eager youthfulness to great advantage. I'm sure he wont mind the pace that Ginepri will provide. The outside court will suit. Ginepri has had an average lead-up and for mine, is still struggling to match the form of his breakout 2003 season.

Phau started the year off as a finalist at the New Caledonia challenger but was comprehensively outplayed by Lisnard in final round quallies on Saturday. I have doubts whether he can beat Costa at his own game today. The Spaniard has played well here in the past and I'm willing to put a cross through his dreadful match against Andreev in Sydney.

Soderling is coming off a decent season, but was a disappointing 9-12 on outdoor hardcourts. Hrbaty plays well on the rebound ace. A shock loss to Acasuso early in Auckland last week has given him more time than in the past few years to prepare for his first round here. He looks to be too consistent for the Swede today.

H-T Lee pulled from Sydney quallies last week with a back injury, but looked to be okay in practise here on Sunday. He has shown some indifferent form in recent times, but he has the experience edge this should it get tight. Kevin Kim has a solid game without a major weapon and he struggles big time to step his game up from challenger level.

Two qualifiers go at it here. Luzzi also qualified for Auckland last week, so he has had plenty of matches, but he will have to play considerable better than he did against Shannon Nettle in the final round of quallies if he is get past the future top-10 player from Cyprus. Baghdatis has been highly impressive in recent times and after breezing through quallies without dropping a set, looks the winner here.

The youngster from Taipaei comes in with a wildcard. He has done well at Challengers over the past few years, but really struggles to step it up to ATP level. The journeyman Zib has played some decent tennis of late, but looked very much out of sorts in Sydney last week. He is 0-6 at Slams dating back to 1999 but after qualifying here - albeit against three average Aussies - will be match-fit and a deserved favourite.

Finally, the tattooed Tipsarevic is an excellent retriever and looks to have the clear edge here for mine. He is 0-4 at the slams but up against the Italian Braccialli who likes courts much faster than this, looks comfortable enough.

Other matches (selections in bold):

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Fabrice Santoro FRA (RLA M2)

- Not the easiest first round match-up for the world number one and he is most vulnerable in the first round. After starting the year 8-0, it's almost impossible to go against him here. Anyone brave enough to take anywhere between 1.60 and 1.80 about a guy winning seven matches in Australian Open conditions, good luck to you. Also not sure if the eve of a Grand Slam is the right time to get the new coach along. Santoro never ceases to surprise, so I'm not ruling him out of an upset here.

Davide Sanguinetti ITA vs. Jarkko Nieminen FIN (Ct 11 M4)

- There doesn't look to be a lot in this one. Sanguinetti is coming off a disappointing year, is on an 0-5 run here and is enjoying family life now, but is still capable of putting it together, as a win over Safin at the recent Hopman Cup showed. Nieminen has had some good matches in the lead-up, but has not returned to his best form since injury. He is also without a coach at present and looks to be suffering somewhat from the lack of guidance.

Ivan Ljubicic CRO (22) vs. Luis Horna PER (Ct 21 1100)

- Ljubicic lost to Roddick and Massu then beat Gaudio in the Kooyong warm-up so he will come in with some matches under his belt. His Grand Slam record is quite poor however, suggesting that maintaining concentration may be a problem. It's hard to read exactly how Horna is travelling - a first round loss to Ollie Rochus in Auckland his only lead-up match - but he is capable on the surface. He has not one a Grand Slam match outside the French in seven attempts.

Scott Draper AUS vs. Tommy Robredo ESP (13) (VA M2)

- The pro-golfer/tennis played Draper makes what looks like a farewell to Melbourne Park here. No matter how poorly Robredo is playing (he let a big lead to Sluiter slip last week in Auckland) it's impossible to go against him here.

Joachim Johansson SWE (11) vs. Sjeng Schalken NED (MCA M3)

- Johannsson withdrew from Sydney with a hammy, but was playing super tennis in the lead-up. He was training here at Melbourne Park back in December, so has arguably had the best preparation of anybody. He will be very short however. Schalken is no where near his best after an injury and illness plagued end to 2004, so is very hard to support.

Sargis Sargsian ARM vs. David Sanchez ESP (Ct 4 M3)

- Not the ideal lead-up for the Spaniard after suffering a double bagel to Spadea of all people last week in Auckland. He'll win a few more games today though. Sargsian just looks to be traveling okay, but if he can stay on his feet he will have too much.

Taylor Dent USA (29) vs. Florent Serra FRA (Q) (Ct 18 M3)

- Serra used his grinding game to good measure in qualifying here, but I'm not sure he has the ability to break Dent too often today. The big-serving American should be over the dizzy spells/illness that forced him to quit Sydney last week.

Dieter Kindlmann GER (Q) vs. Andre Agassi USA (8) (RLA M3)

- There aren't any with a better record at Melbourne Park than Andre Agassi (44-4). He just loves the rebound ace. The big question is whether the old man's body will hold up. He played a match against Henman on Saturday, but was clearly holding back a little and was not playing his usual patient game.

Marat Safin RUS (4) vs. Novak Djokovic SCG (Q) (RLA Night)

- Safin is a two-time finalist here but his preparation had been dreadful. Having just played the Hopman Cup, he is short on match-fitness in these conditions and looks some risk today. Djokovic qualified well with wins over Wawrinka and Moodie. He is playing his first slam match and has little hardcourt form even at challenger level, but showed late last year with a win indoors that he will be a force to be reckoned with. Not sure if the prime-time centre court setting will suit him though.

Ivo Karlovic CRO vs. Bohdan Ulihrach CZE (Ct 14 M3)

- Karlovic is having a horror run at the moment. Having said that, he does have that serve to rely on. It's been a long-time since Ulihrach has done anything of note, he just has not recovered from the drug suspension a few years ago. Look for three or four breakers to decide this one.

Oscar Hernandez ESP vs. Mario Ancic CRO (28) (Ct 19