Federer ousts Roddick to reach final

RelatedMore Australian Open:Serena reaches women's final THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer moved within one victory of his 14th Grand Slam title with another dominating victory, ousting Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 Thursday to reach the Australian Open final.

Roddick, who undertook a rigorous off-season training regimen designed to help him beat Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal, was in good form.

But the second-ranked Swiss star outplayed the American in every phase of the game. Ripping winners from all over the court and usually forcing Roddick to hit more than one good shot to win a point, he even had more aces than the hard-serving American, 16-8.

"I served well in the first set and that gave me a lot of confidence," Federer said. "I was moving well and getting a lot of balls back and making it difficult for Andy to get the upper hand from the baseline. That was kind of what I was hoping for."

Federer, seeking his fourth Australian title, will face the winner of Friday's semifinal between Nadal and fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco.

"I don't have to wait to see who wins, I can start preparing for a leftie tonight," Federer said.

The women's final matchup was set earlier in the day. American Serena Williams was calm, collected and cool -- with the Rod Laver Arena roof closed to keep out Melbourne's oppressive heat wave -- to end Olympic champion Elena Dementieva's 15-match winning streak with a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

All that stands between her and a 10th Grand Slam title is third-seeded Russian Dinara Safina, who is hungry to take home her first major trophy to go along with the two that brother Marat Safin has earned. Safina ousted fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semifinal. The winner Saturday also will rise to the No. 1 ranking.

By the time Federer and Roddick were on court in the evening, temperatures had dropped to 32 C from 44 C in the afternoon -- news reports called it Melbourne's hottest January day since 1939 -- so the retractable roof was open.

That would seem to have given Roddick, who grew up in the heat of Texas and Florida, an edge. Against a hot Federer, it didn't matter. A behind-the-back hit right to the ballboy after a Roddick fault in the first game was a dead giveaway.

Although Roddick won their last meeting, Federer held a 15-2 edge over him coming into the match.

"The last time I lost, so coming into this match there was a bit of pressure," Federer said.

It didn't show. Instead, this one played out like many of the Swiss star's previous victories.

Blunting Roddick's blistering serves, Federer broke twice in the first set. Adding to Roddick's frustration was a call that went against him as Federer served at 4-1.

A Federer shot was called out, but he successfully challenged. Chair umpire Enric Molina ruled that Roddick couldn't have gotten to the ball and gave the point to Federer. Roddick argued he stopped running when he heard the "out" call, and he had a running dialogue with Molina during several changeovers.

With both players holding easily in the second set, a tiebreaker loomed with Roddick serving at 5-5. Federer broke at love, then easily held with Roddick failing to get a serve return back in play.

"Let's not kid ourselves," Roddick said. "You're down two sets to him and scraping, trying to survive. I hit the ball pretty well. He just came up with shots when he needed to. That's what he does."

Roddick had 38 winners, only 18 unforced errors and two double faults.

After serving a double-fault at 2-2 in the third set, Roddick got a warning for an audible obscenity and told Molina: "I take back the apology."

Roddick served again at 5-5 in the third set, and Federer -- who seems to come up with his best tennis under pressure -- broke again. He easily held, finishing off the match with a forehand down the line -- his 51st winner to just 15 unforced errors.

"Towards the end of the tournament, I think this is where you should judge a great player," Federer said.

Williams has a history of winning the Australian Open in odd-numbered years -- 2003, 2005 and 2007 -- but there was nothing odd about her victory in the semis.

She followed her traditional pattern of playing her way into form after struggling in earlier matches. She benefited from fourth-round opponent Victoria Azarenka retiring sick after winning the first set, and got a chance to recuperate when the roof was closed due to the heat Wednesday after she'd lost the first set in the quarterfinals against Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"I'm excited that I'm playing really consistent," said Williams, the reigning U.S. Open champion. "This whole Australia swing, I was just really struggling with my form, for whatever reason, 'cause I definitely put in the time, but it just didn't come together."

It certainly did against Dementieva, who beat her in their last three meetings and was coming off consecutive titles at two warm-up tournaments.

"I think she was very powerful today," the fourth-seeded Russian said. "I think I was maybe not aggressive enough and maybe I was playing not deep enough, which allowed her to be very aggressive and dictate the game."

Williams later was back on court to partner with sister Venus in a women's doubles match. Seeking their eighth Grand Slam title together, the sisters routed Australia's Casey Dellacqua and Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-0, 6-2 to reach the final.

Safina has yet to win a major, losing the 2008 French Open final to Ana Ivanovic in her best previous run. She lost to Williams in last year's U.S. Open semifinals.

Her older brother won the Australian title in 2005, the day after Williams beat then-No. 1 Lindsay Davenport in the women's final.

Safina was looking forward to giving him a belated birthday present. Safin turned 29 on Tuesday.

"Maybe now I have some money to buy him a present," she joked. "It's great that I can follow his steps. He was my idol. He's still my idol."

Serena reaches Aussie Open final

RelatedScores Down Under:Women's drawMen's draw THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams moved within one win of a 10th Grand Slam title and fourth in Australia with a dominating 6-3, 6-4 victory over Elena Dementieva on Thursday.

With the roof closed at Rod Laver Arena to protect the players and fans from outside temperatures topping 44 C, Williams played her best match of the tournament.

"I haven't moved like that for a while, so I was a little shocked," said Williams, who has a sequence of winning the Australian Open every alternate year since 2003.

The 27-year-old American was only a game from a quarter-final exit on Wednesday when Svetlana Kuznetsova was serving for the match.

But the reigning U.S. Open champion found her rhythm quickly against Dementieva, who has not gone past the semifinals at a Grand Slam since 2004.

After beating Russians in two successive matches, she'll face another one in the final. No. 3 Dinara Safina defeated No. 7 Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the second semifinal.

Twice before, Williams has had to save match points in her semifinal en route to the Australian title.

Dementieva didn't take her that far this time, giving Williams too many free points with eight double faults.

The Russian had been on a 15-match winning streak and had two titles to open the season, including wins over No. 2 Williams and No. 3 Safina at the Sydney International.

"I had a good run ...(but) I feel like today I was not quick enough," she said. "I was not maybe aggressive enough against her. She dictated points.

"But I have no regrets. I had just a great time here."

While it was cooler inside than out at Melbourne Park, Williams already had soaked through her blue dress by the time the second game was over, not surprising since they had played 16 minutes.

When Williams blasted a clean crosscourt winner while serving at 3-3, she gave Dementieva a long glare. Dementieva smacked a service return winner on the next point and glared right back.

Dementieva held to start the second set in a game that went to deuce five times and lasted 14 minutes, then broke Williams en route to a 3-0 lead.

That sparked a four-game run for Williams until Dementieva broke to even the second set at 4-4.

Then nerves seemed to get the best of Dementieva. Having problems with her service toss, she double-faulted twice, the second setting up break point. Williams ripped a backhand winner down the line and pumped her fist.

Williams has had problems with her first serve throughout the tournament, but it came through when she needed it most.

Serving for the match at 5-4, she started with an ace and hit another serve that Dementieva sent long.

At 30-15, Williams followed with another ace. Dementieva squealed and bent over in frustration. Another powerful serve on match point set up an easy overhead and it was over in 98 minutes.

Roger Federer, seeking a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam singles title to match Pete Sampras' career record, was playing American Andy Roddick in the night semifinal.

No. 2 Federer, who is 15-2 against the seventh-seeded Roddick, who beat defending champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Top-ranked Rafael Nadal set up an all-Spanish final against Fernando Verdasco when he beat No. 6 Gilles Simon 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 on Wednesday night, when the temperature had dipped to 34 C from the high of 43 C.

Verdasco ousted 2008 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

No Spanish man has won the Australian title.

Wednesday marked the start of what weather forecasters were predicting would be a once-in-a-century heat wave for the city.

Nadal, Verdasco onto Aussie semis

RelatedScores Down Under:Women's drawMen's draw THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The way Rafael Nadal sees it, one good thing will come from the first all-Spanish semifinal in a hotly contested Australian Open.

A Spaniard will reach the final.

After improving one round on each of his previous four trips to Melbourne Park, odds are it will be top-ranked Nadal, who finished off a 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 win over No. 6 Gilles Simon on Wednesday as the temperature dipped to 34 C from a daytime high of 43.

Nadal will meet another Spanish left-hander for a spot in the final after Fernando Verdasco ousted 2008 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

"I think it's incredible for us," Nadal said. "One will be in the finals, so we have to be happy with that."

No Spanish man has won the Australian title. Nadal reached the semifinals last year without dropping a set, but was upset by Tsonga.

He rebounded from that to win the French Open for the fourth straight time, then ended Roger Federer's five-year reign at Wimbledon and his 237-week stretch at No. 1.

Verdasco had his time in the sun in November, when he guided Spain to victory in the Davis Cup final at Argentina while Nadal was absent, recovering from knee tendinitis.

If he thought the atmosphere was intense in Argentina, he agreed it was stifling in Melbourne. But that hasn't stopped Verdasco from going past his best previous run of a fourth-round exit at a major.

Wednesday marked the start of what weather forecasters were predicting would be a once-in-a-century heat wave for the city. Hardy trees accustomed to a decade of drought were wilting. Dead or dying moths flopped onto the courts.

Nadal, a Majorca native, was relieved he'd been given a night match, and joked about burning his feet when he went outside to practice earlier in the afternoon.

"Believe me, I never feel the same like today when I was warming up outside," he said. "The conditions were very hot. I couldn't walk."

The women's quarter-finalists didn't see the humour in it.

Serena Williams agreed the cool air conditioning revived her game after she'd dropped the first set against Svetlana Kuznetsova in her quarter-final. With the temperature nudging 40, the extreme heat policy came into play and the stadium roof was closed.

Williams still had to work to force a third set, breaking Kuznetsova in the 10th game of the second when the Russian was serving for the match. That was the start of a dominating run, when she won nine of the next 10 games in a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 victory.

Williams said playing in the brutal heat felt like an "out-of-body experience." The break to close the roof after the first set had Kuznetsova fuming.

"Why should I not be?" Kuznetsova said. "Game going my way. I was very comfortable playing outside. It's two different games."

Williams moved within two wins of a fourth Australian title and will meet Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva in Thursday's semifinals.

The fourth-seeded Dementieva beat 20-year-old Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in a match played entirely in the baking sun.

.The 27-year-old Russian said she couldn't understand the tournament's heat policy or why the roof wasn't closed for her game.

But the two-time Grand Slam finalist said she'll take conditions as they came Thursday, when she's one of three Russians in the semis. Tournament organizers said they couldn't make a decision on closing the roof based on forecasts and had to wait until closer to the match to decide whether to close the roof.

No. 3 Dinara Safina played No. 7 Vera Zvonareva in the second semifinal.

Federer, seeking a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam singles title to match Pete Sampras' career record, was playing American Andy Roddick in the night semifinal.

No. 2 Federer, who is 15-2 against Roddick and 6-0 in Grand Slams, lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic last year. No. 7 Roddick beat Djokovic in the quarter-finals Tuesday.

No. 14 Verdasco became the lowest ranked of the semifinalists when he beat Simon and is hoping to replicate Tsonga's '08 run.

Nadal owns a 6-0 record against him, including a French Open quarter-final last year when Verdasco won only three games. But the 22-year-old Nadal has seen vast improvement in Verdasco, who reached the final in Brisbane in a tuneup event and has now won five straight matches on hard courts for the first time.

His five-set win over Andy Murray, considered by many as a tournament favourite after recent wins over Nadal and Federer, grabbed attention.

"Fernando is playing at his best level," Nadal said. "I never played against him when he's playing at the level like right now, because I think he never played at this level before."

Verdasco said the Davis Cup victory, when he had to rally from 2-1 down to win the deciding singles match, was a turning point.

"That Davis Cup, it change my life so much and gave me a lot of confidence," the 25-year-old Verdasco said. "Mentally made me much stronger for these matches here, five-set matches, and also with a lot of pressure, because it's a Grand Slam.

"That (win) in Argentina makes me grow up a lot."

Until then, he was more famous for posing nude for a magazine to promote men's health.

Verdasco did some off-season work with Gil Reyes in Las Vegas and had a two-hour discussion with Andre Agassi, a four-time Australian Open champion.

"For me, Rafa is the toughest player in five-set matches ... (and) is going to be the toughest match possible, Verdasco said.

"Right now I'm believing so much about me, about my game," he added. "I'm feeling pretty good, and I just think that I can beat anyone."

Serena rallies big past Kuznetsova

RelatedScores Down Under:Women's drawMen's draw THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- After struggling under a searing sun, Serena Williams found her rhythm when the Rod Laver Arena roof was closed Wednesday and advanced to the Australian Open semifinals.

Three-time Australian champion Williams dropped the first set but recovered when the roof was closed for the second and third sets to beat Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.

Kuznetsova, who was broken when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second, was the only other major winner left in the women's tournament.

Williams, who has nine Grand Slam singles titles, joined three other Russians in the semifinals.

"Me against the Russians, I guess," she said.

She next plays Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva, who ousted Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in Wednesday's earlier match.

Olympic silver medallist Dinara Safina and No. 7-seeded Vera Zvonareva meet in the other semifinal.

Dementieva questioned the wisdom of leaving the stadium open for her match as temperatures touched 40 degrees C.

The roof stayed open for the first set of the Williams-Kuznetsova match, but the tournament's Extreme Heat Policy was put into effect at the break between sets -- giving the players time to refresh and organizers time to close the retractable roof.

The temperature rose to 42 C as the afternoon progressed, the start of a heatwave predicted in and around Melbourne through Saturday.

Williams said before the roof was closed, "I was in like an out-of-body experience."

"I was in a lot of trouble. I just relaxed," she said. "I just wanted to fight and at least play three sets."

Williams has won the Australian title in 2003, 2005 and 2007. She's two wins from continuing the odd-numbered sequence.

"I just have to keep playing well and just go for two more," she said.

While the Williams-Kuznetsova match was interrupted for 10 minutes to close the roof, matches on outside courts were suspended or rescheduled to be played in the second closed arena.

Dementieva made a scorching start against 20-year-old Suarez Navarro of Spain, who upset Venus Williams in the second round, winning 16 of the first 18 points for a 4-0 lead.

She raced through the first five games in 22 minutes and, after eventually holding serve in a sixth game that went to deuce 11 times and lasted 17 minutes, finished off in 1 hour, 35 minutes.

"You can work so hard trying to get ready for the weather conditions, but when you have to face 40 or 41 (degrees), there is no way you can get used to it," Dementieva said. "The best way is to play as quick as possible and just get away from the court. I mean, there is no way to adjust with the heat here."

.Both players were soon draping towels packed with ice around their necks during changeovers and sought shade as long as possible behind the baselines between points.

Dementieva was having particular problems with her high service toss as she looked straight up into the sun, double-faulting four times in that long game. She finished with 10 double-faults.

She blamed that on the harsh sun.

"Usually when you're playing at 11 a.m., it's not that strong. But today it was a very dangerous sun and very strong," she said.

Even local wildlife was struggling in the heat, with moths fluttering onto the court and dropping dead.

"It was hot for everyone, you know," Dementieva said. "They were like ready to die; not to survive a day like that."

.Fourth-seeded Dementieva had never gone past the fourth round in 10 previous trips to Australia. Now she's only one win from reaching a third Grand Slam final. The 27-year-old Russian lost the French and U.S. Open finals in 2004.

Rafael Nadal, who beat Roger Federer in the French Open and Wimbledon finals and then overtook him at No. 1, plays No. 6 Gilles Simon of France in the men's quarter-finals later Wednesday.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who upset Nadal in the semis here last year before losing the final to defending champion Novak Djokovic, faces Spanish Davis Cup winner Fernando Verdasco.

Djokovic dropped out of the tournament Tuesday when he retired ill from his quarter-final against Andy Roddick while trailing two sets to one. Roddick will play Federer in a semifinal.

Australia Open braces for heat wave

RelatedAustralian Open heat:Djokovic forced to retireRoddick reaches semis
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- When it comes to playing night matches at the Australian Open, American Andy Roddick and Serbia's Novak Djokovic think convention shouldn't always dictate ladies first.

"If everything is equal all across the way, I feel like maybe the men should get the first match every once in a while during the first week of a Slam," Roddick said Tuesday after his quarter-final win over 2008 champion Djokovic. "If all things are equal, then I feel like the scheduling should be the same."

The Australian Open has equal prize money for men and women despite men playing best-of-five sets and women best-of-three.

Djokovic and 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis complained of a late start after their fourth-round match finished at 2:26 a.m. because the previous women's match lasted three hours.

Baghdatis, whose 4:34 a.m. loss to Lleyton Hewitt at last year's tournament is a record for a late finish at the Australian Open, said he and Djokovic had joked about the women's match never ending.

Djokovic got through the Baghdatis match in four sets, but complained the late finish didn't give him enough time to prepare for his quarter-final against Roddick. He retired in the fourth set because of fatigue, soreness and the heat.

He didn't like the idea of playing a late night match and then going back into an afternoon slot.

"I think doesn't really benefit for a lot of people to play that late," said Djokovic, adding that the afternoon schedule for the quarter-final had hurt him.

Djokovic didn't get on court until 11:10 p.m. on Sunday night after the women's match went three hours.

"I went to sleep around 5, 5:30," Djokovic said. "Didn't really have time to recover."

Seventh-seeded Roddick agreed that the turnaround from a late match could be very difficult, saying he frequently had the late matches at the U.S. Open.

"That night of sleep is suspect, at best," he said. "It's maybe three, four hours, and it limits what you can do the next day in practice."

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said organizers try to keep the time between matches consistent.

"We can't, of course, help the length of a match," Tiley said. "And we don't want to disadvantage someone by changing that rotation. It's never ideal, because if it was, everyone would want to play at the same time."

As for putting the men before the women at night, Tiley said: "Everything is under consideration."

"It may be the same next year, or there may be some things that are different," he said.

Switzerland's Roger Federer hopes the Australian Open and other Grand Slams adopt a men's-first policy at some night sessions.

"I think it would be nice to come up with a concept that maybe the guys get a 7:30 start match one time," Federer said. "If they (women's matches) play long like today -- we started, what, 10 (p.m.)? It gets late for fans ... for everybody. You might have the greatest match taking place at 2 a.m.

"I think it would be nice if they would sort of consider that in all the Grand Slam tournaments, especially the ones that have night sessions."

HEAT WAVE: If players thought 35 C on Tuesday was hot, they could be in for a shock this week.

The state of Victoria has issued a public warning as the temperature is forecast to soar above 40 C the next four days, the longest heat wave here in 50 years.

Emergency workers fear heat-related illnesses and fires, while at Melbourne Park the sweltering courts will challenge even the fittest of players.

"It was quite, quite hot," said 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli of France, who lost 6-3, 6-0 to Vera Zvonareva in an afternoon quarter-finals match. "I have to say it was definitely some tough conditions."

Defending men's champion Novak Djokovic blamed both the heat and fatigue for causing the cramping and soreness that led him to retire from his quarter-finals match with Andy Roddick.

"Conditions were extreme today," he said.

Dokic's estranged dad stays away

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Jelena Dokic's estranged father has no intentions of travelling to Melbourne to watch his daughter play in the Australian Open quarter-finals.

Dokic, a former top-five player who had dropped to No. 621 after fighting depression for years, beat Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 5-7, 8-6 to reach Tuesday's quarter-finals. Her next opponent will be another Russian, third-ranked Dinara Safina.

"I won't travel to Melbourne after what she and the organizers of the tournament said about me," Damir Dokic said via telephone Monday.

Jelena Dokic, a former Wimbledon semifinalist who moved to Australia from Europe in 1994, split with her family after she started training with Croatian coach Borna Bikic in 2003. She renounced her Australian citizenship in 2001 to play for Serbia, but returned in 2006 and has been embraced by Australians.

"I've said always my whole story with him is finished," Jelena Dokic said of her father. "It would have to be an unbelievable miracle for him to change.

"I don't see that happening. I have my tennis and I have my life. I want to do it that way. Knowing him, I just don't see any possibilities."

Australian Open officials said while Damir Dokic is free to purchase tickets to Melbourne Park, he would not be allowed to make contact with his daughter -- unless given permission to do so by her.

In the past, Damir Dokic accused Bikic and his brother Tin Bikic, Jelena's boyfriend, of "drugging" her.

On Monday, Dokic reiterated his accusations against the brothers, calling them "Croatian Ustashas" -- referring to the Croatian Nazi puppet regime that ruled in the state during the Second World War.

"I'm still convinced she is under some kind of pressure or blackmail, and that those two Ustashas had spent her money," said Dokic, who was a member of an ultranationalist Serbian Radical party.

He also denied Jelena's claim the two had not spoken in years.

"That's a lie," said Damir Dokic, who was banned from the U.S. Open in 2000 for abusing staff over the price of a salmon lunch. "We spoke over the phone in October when she wanted to return to Serbia."

Damir Dokic, who once threatened to kidnap his daughter after claiming she had been brainwashed by Australia "with the help of Croatia and the Vatican" and also made headlines for smashing a journalist's phone at Wimbledon, said he has plans to travel to the next Wimbledon and watch her play at other WTA tournaments in Europe.

"I'll simply buy a ticket and go to the stands," he said. "Who can ban me?"

He denied reports he had collapsed after watching Sunday's victory over Kleybanova.

"I never watch her matches," Dokic said. "I don't need that stress.

"I have a high blood pressure."

Zvonareva into Aussie Open semis

RelatedMore Australian Open:Men's scoresWomen's scoresMurray ousted THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Vera Zvonareva ran off 11 straight games in a 6-3, 6-0 win over Marion Bartoli at the Australian Open on Tuesday to reach the semifinals for the first time in 25 majors.

The 24-year-old Russian's best performance in six previous trips to Melbourne was the fourth round -- she'd gone out in the first round at the Australian Open three times, including last year. And she made the quarter-finals at the 2003 French Open.

Seventh-seeded Zvonareva rallied from an opening service break to dominate 2007 Wimbledon finalist Bartoli in the remainder of their quarter-final.

"I'm very excited about it," said Zvonareva, who cut her unforced errors from 15 in the first set to two in the second. "I think it was a great day for me."

She's had four 6-0 sets in 10 sets in her five straight-sets wins.

"I'm not really thinking about the scores or sets or any statistics," she said. "I'm just trying to concentrate on every match and trying my best. And I think I've been doing pretty good so far."

Bartoli of France, seeded 16th, had ousted top-ranked Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round.

"I think she played just unbelievably well," Bartoli said of the last 11 games. "She barely missed one ball after that. I was hitting as hard as I could. She was always coming back with some better shots."

In the following match on Rod Laver Arena, defending champion Novak Djokovic was up against No. 7 Andy Roddick in the first of the men's quarter-finals.

Roger Federer, seeking a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam singles title, was against No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro in a night match.

Andy Murray may have to wait awhile before he's picked again to win a Grand Slam tournament.

Touted by British bookmakers as a favourite at the Australian Open, Murray lost to No. 14 Fernando Verdasco of Spain in five sets Monday in the fourth round.

He twice blew a one-set lead and missed chances to break serve in the pivotal sixth game of the deciding set. He then dropped serve in the subsequent game and was beaten 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal had a far easier time, downing 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. He has yet to drop a set ahead of his quarter-final against sixth-seeded Gilles Simon.

Verdasco will meet fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the runner-up here last year who defeated No. 9 James Blake 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Of the top eight seeded players, Murray will be the only one missing from the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

Improvements coming to Melbourne

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- The Australian Open venue will be upgraded and expanded with a third covered arena, improved players' facilities and a large outdoor gathering area under a US$3.3-million proposal unveiled Monday.

Victoria (state) Premier John Brumby said he hoped the investment would ensure that the Australian Open would remain in the city until at least 2036. Melbourne Park's contract to host the tournament expires in 2016.

"This is the biggest event anywhere in the world in January, and we need to keep it," Brumby said. "If we want to secure this venue and this Australian Open post 2016, we do need to make further investments."

The plan includes a large piazza-style "Town Hall" that will be covered from the hot summer sun, a retractable roof for Margaret Court Arena, improved players' facilities and more practice courts.

It will give Melbourne Park three covered arenas -- Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena have retractable roofs.

Tennis Australia President Geoff Pollard said the 21-year-old Rod Laver Arena needed only "a bit of sprucing up," not an expansion.

"We still maintain that 15,000 is the right size for a wonderful centre court stadium for viewing tennis," he said. "We don't support getting bigger than that.

"There is no bad seat in Rod Laver Arena."

The improvements will be undertaken over the course of many years so as not to disrupt the Open, which generates the equivalent of 1,000 full-time jobs.

NOT SO HAPPY NEW YEAR: China's Zheng Jie retired after five games from her fourth-round match with a wrist injury Monday, an inauspicious start to the Year of the Ox.

No. 22 Zheng, who reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year after beating then-No. 1 ranked Ana Ivanovic, injured her left wrist when she fell awkwardly against eighth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova. She had treatment immediately but retired two games later at 4-1 in the first set.

Zheng's injury came on Lunar New Year, the biggest holiday for Chinese.

"This is my first time in the fourth round in Australian Open," said 25-year-old Zheng. "I'm so happy for it. Today is Chinese New Year.

"I hoped I can win this match. It's so bad I'm injured."

She said the pain in her wrist affected her backhand. She had not yet seen a doctor to determine what was wrong, but had a self diagnosis: "Just very sore pain and cannot use the power."

SOVIET INSPIRATION: Svetlana Kuznetsova is gaining motivation from her new coach, Soviet-era star Olga Morozova.

"She's very positive. She's always fun to work with," 2004 U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova said of Morozova, who has coached her since last October.

"Every day she has so much motivation. Sometimes I come to practice -- you know, every day you cannot bring 100 per cent of yourself. I see her, how she's motivated. I think this is great thing about her."

Kuznetsova trained for years in Spain but decided to return to Russia last year and hired former Wimbledon finalist Morozova.

She advanced to quarter-finals Monday after opponent Zheng Jie retired with a wrist injury.

Morozova was the first Soviet woman to reach a Grand Slam final -- three decades before a Russian woman won a Slam. She reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals in 1974, losing to Chris Evert in both.

"I'm really enjoying working with her and getting to know more things, more different opinions," Kuznetsova said. "Before I used to know only Spanish school, now I know a bit more Russian school."

Morozova's Grand Slam achievements were not matched by a Russian woman until 2004, when Anastasia Myskina took the French Open title, the first of three that year by Russians -- Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon and Kuznetsova the U.S. Open.

JANE OF ALL TRADES: Serena Williams says that while tennis is her forte, she has a passion for many other things.

"I can do it all. I cook, I clean, I write, I make jokes, I tape," she smiled, referring to taping an ankle during her Monday match. "I just pretty much do everything."

Williams, who advanced to the quarter-finals after Victoria Azarenka withdrew from their match with a virus, said she pursued other interests in order to broaden her horizons.

"I can't hit a ball in a box for the rest of my life," she said.

Williams already designs a clothing line and said she also plays a baby-blue Gibson Stratocaster guitar -- favouring "power-chord punk rock" like Green Day.

"I've always tried to do other things that I really enjoy, that I have a passion for," she said. "For me that makes me enjoy tennis more because I'm really, really good at tennis.

"Maybe I'm not so good at designing and drawing. I try to be as good as I can at it but it makes me appreciate my tennis game a little bit more."

HALL OF FAMER: Former No. 3-ranked Wendy Turnbull -- known as "Rabbit" for her quick footwork on the court -- was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame on Monday.

Turnbull made the final of every Grand Slam except Wimbledon and held a top 10 year-end ranking for eight consecutive years (1977 to '84) and top-20 for 10 years (1977 to '86). In doubles, she won the titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and Roland Garros.

Overall, Turnbull won 13 singles and 55 doubles titles before retiring in 1989.

Favourite Murray out Down Under

RelatedMore Australian Open:Men's scoresWomen's scoresSerena into quarters THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andy Murray wasn't the only one feeling pain Monday at the Australian Open.

While Murray's anguish was mostly psychological -- the fourth-seeded Scot was ousted by Spain's Fernando Verdasco 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 -- three other players had to quit mid-match with injuries or illness, paving the way for Serena Williams of the U.S., Gilles Simon of France and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia to reach the quarter-finals.

Top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, left 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile feeling out of sorts with another dominating performance in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win. He has yet to drop a set and next faces the sixth-seeded Simon, who advanced when fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils retired with a wrist injury.

"I am playing well, but you never know if it's going to be enough," said Nadal, who had 33 winners and just 11 unforced errors.

Verdasco will meet fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, who beat No. 9 James Blake 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3), leaving No. 7 Andy Roddick as the only American in the men's draw. Tsonga was runner-up last year to Serbian Novak Djokovic, while Blake has failed to get past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam in 28 appearances.

In Canadian results, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., and Toronto partner Daniel Nestor beat Yan Zi of China and Bahamian Mark Knowles, Nestor's former doubles partner, 7-6 (8), 6-4 in second-round mixed doubles play.

Montreal's Eugenie Bouchard and Indian partner Kyra Shroff won their first-round junior doubles matches when Ema Burgic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Chanel Simmonds of South Africa retired while trailing 6-1.

Tsonga was unhappy with a delay caused by Australia Day fireworks. Blake broke him right after they resumed play, but Tsonga rallied and raced through the tiebreaker.

He said he feels he's improved from last year.

"It's different because I have more experience now," Tsonga said. "I hope I will make the results better."

Williams was the biggest beneficiary of the wave of retirements. She was down a set to 13th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and so frustrated with her first serve that she got a warning for a verbal obscenity for cursing it. The 19-year-old Azarenka, who woke up sick, had to quit in the second set.

Williams, seeking a 10th Grand Slam singles title, next plays 2004 U.S. Open champion Kuznetsova, who advanced when Zheng Jie of China retired at 4-1 in the first set. They are the only major winners still in the women's draw.

No. 22 Zheng, hoping for victory on Chinese New Year, injured her left wrist in a fall. She had treatment immediately but retired two games later and will go for X-rays Tuesday.

Murray said he, too, hasn't been feeling well the last few days, though he refused to use it as an excuse.

"I don't feel that was the reason why I lost," Murray said. "I definitely did have my chances, and he played too well. I'm disappointed that I lost. But I'll try and learn from it. It's not a disaster. I'm still playing well. I lost to a good player in a very close match. I'll have more chances to win Grand Slams."

Murray saved two match points after falling behind 40-0 in the last game but wasn't able to fend off a third, netting a backhand.

Murray, who lost in the U.S. Open final last year to Roger Federer, was trying to become the first British man since 1936 to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Verdasco saved two break points in the pivotal sixth game of the fifth set, firing aces when he needed them. He broke Murray in the next game.

"The consistency of his first serve was pretty awesome for the last two, three sets," Murray said.

Verdasco was a key player in Spain's Davis Cup final triumph in Argentina, and he said he was able to draw on the experience, when he clinched the title by rallying from a set down after doing the same in his first match.

"I think that Davis Cup final made me much stronger mentally," Verdasco said. "And this pre-season, I was working really hard. So today, I was really believing in myself, that I can win the match."

Williams could only watch in sympathy as Azarenka deteriorated quickly. She said she wanted to win, but not like this.

"I just want to go inside and make sure she's OK. I feel so bad. She was playing so well," Williams said.

Azarenka said she was vomiting all morning and had a fever with what later was diagnosed as a virus. She decided not to default before the match but ran out of energy.

Azarenka, serving at 30-30 while down 2-4 in the second set, wobbled back into the shade at the rear of the court, holding her face and choking back tears.

She had needed a medical timeout earlier in the set and left the playing arena. She returned for 1 1/2 games but was unable to continue and was helped from the court by two trainers.

"The doctors didn't want me to keep going, but I wanted to keep trying and see how I do," Azarenka said. "But it was probably not a very good idea because it just gave me even more trouble after."

The winners of the two completed women's matches will meet in the quarter-finals.

Carla Suarez Navarro, the 20-year-old Spaniard who ousted seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in the second round, beat No. 21 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 6-3, 6-2.

She next plays Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova.

The fourth-seeded Russian, who reached the finals at the French and U.S. Opens in 2004 but has not been to a Grand Slam title match since, extended her winning streak to 14 matches. She won two titles in tuneup events.

Serena moves into Aussie quarters

RelatedLive scores:MenWomen THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams reached the Australian Open quarter-finals when a tearful and dizzy Victoria Azarenka had to retire in the second set on Monday due to sickness.

The 19-year-old from Belarus was one of three players who had to withdraw from fourth-round matches on a sunny but mild day in Melbourne, with temperatures hovering around 24 degrees C.

Second-seeded Williams was up a service break at 4-2 in the second set after No. 13 Azarenka had won the first set 6-3.

Azarenka, serving at 30-30, wobbled back into the shade at the rear of the court, holding her face and choking back tears as she tried to compose herself.

She had needed a medical timeout earlier in the set and left the playing arena. She returned for 1 1/2 games but was unable to continue and was helped from the court soon after by two trainers.

"I just want to go inside and make sure she's OK. I feel so bad. She was playing so well," Williams said in an on-court interview. "There are so many more great Australian Opens out there for her."

Officials said Azarenka was suffering from dizziness and an "undisclosed illness."

Williams, seeking a 10th Grand Slam singles title, next plays 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who advanced when Zheng Zie of China retired at 4-1 in the first set.

No. 22 Zheng injured her left wrist when she tumbled after the third game. She had treatment immediately but retired two games later.

The all-French men's match between No. 6 Gilles Simon and his long-time friend Gael Monfils lasted only three sets.

No. 6 Simon, who was leading 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 when No. 12 Monfils withdrew with a right wrist problem, reached the quarter-finals at a major for the first time.

The winners of the two completed women's matches meet in the quarter-finals.

Carla Suarez Navarro, the 20-year-old Spaniard who had an upset win over seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams in the second round, beat No. 21 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-2.

She next plays Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva, the No. 4 seed from Russia who made the quarter-finals for the first time in 11 years at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova.

Azarenka was taking the match to Serena Williams, with both women going for winners constantly.

Williams was looking quicker on her feet than in her last two matches, but her first serve was another matter.

Clearly trying to concentrate, she regularly was bouncing the ball 20 times -- she once hit 37 -- before making her toss.

At 3-5 in the first set, Williams double-faulted for the second time to give Azarenka a set point, then loudly cursed her first serve, earning a warning from the umpire for an audible obscenity and sending a backhand long on the next point.

Things got better for Williams as she saved three break points in her opening serve of the second set in a game that went to deuce five times, then broke Azarenka to pull ahead at 2-1, shouting "Come on!"

Azarenka appeared to become ill after pulling within 3-2 and went off court. Williams took advantage of the time to get her ankles retaped.

Williams, who has won the Australian title in 2003, 2005 and 2007, and Kuznetsova are the only major winners still in the women's draw.

Suarez Navarro is into the quarter-finals in her first trip to the Australian Open and second time overall, after reaching that round on debut as a qualifier for the last French Open.

The fourth-seeded Dementieva, who reached the finals at the French and U.S. Opens in 2004 but has not been to a Grand Slam championship match since, extend her winning streak to 14 matches. She won two titles in tuneup events.

Dementieva was ousted in the quarter-finals at the French last year and reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

The top eight seeds in the men's draw made it to fourth round here for the first time since 1970.

No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 4 Andy Murray and No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were in action later Monday. If the top eight reach the quarters, it will be a first in a Grand Slam in the Open era.

Simon secured his place quickly Monday. No. 2 Roger Federer, No. 3 Novak Djokovic, No. 7 Andy Roddick and No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro all made it through on Sunday.

It was a tough win for Simon.

Monfils, a semifinalist at the French Open last year, had treatment during the third set, after going to the baseline to start the fourth, walked to the net and told Simon he could not continue.

The pair hugged at the net and kissed each other's cheek. Despite being close in age -- Simon is 24, Monfils is 22 -- it was their first match at tour level.

"It's very hard, because we're very close," Simon said in an on-court interview. "I didn't want to win like this. Sorry everybody, that's not the way you want to win."

Federer, Safina win Jankovic ousted

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia -- For two sets it looked as if Roger Federer's run at a record 14th Grand Slam title was going to be derailed by Tomas Berdych at the Australian Open. Then the six-foot-five Czech had a meltdown, and Federer swooped, recovering for a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory Sunday -- only his fourth career comeback from two sets down -- to reach the quarter-finals. "You've got to hang in there, there's no other solution," Federer said. "... Tried to weather the storm. He was hitting the ball so heavy and so hard. He pushed me to the limit." Defending champion Novak Djokovic wasn't pushed while taking a 5-0 lead, then had to work hard for a 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory over 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. The atmosphere was more like a soccer match, with large contingents from Melbourne's Greek and Serbian communities loudly cheering between points. The players got a late start and didn't finish until 2:26 a.m. Monday local time. Women's No. 1 Jelena Jankovic had already gone down in straight sets to 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli in the day's first match on Rod Laver Arena. No. 3 Dinara Safina had a narrow escape in the subsequent match, saving match points before fending off another French woman, Alize Cornet, in three. A massive upset result loomed in the late afternoon when 20th-seeded Berdych was on top for the first two sets, working Federer around with powerful forehands to keep the Swiss star on the defensive. He consistently targeted Federer's backhand with his powerful, kicking serve. But Federer started finding his range and rallied in the third set and the momentum, already shifting toward him as Berdych's errors mounted, really shifted his way at the start of the fourth set. Berdych recovered from double breakpoint to deuce, and Federer got another breakpoint on a close line call. Berdych wanted to challenge, but no replay was available due to a technical glitch, so the call stood. Berdych argued with the chair umpire to no avail with the crowd breaking out in jeers, then netted a forehand to fall behind for the only break of the set. Federer led 4-0 in the fifth but, serving at 5-2, nervously squandered double match point then double-faulted to give Berdych a break chance. He forced deuce, fired back-to-back aces -- the last was No. 20 for the match -- then leapt in the air with a big "Yes!" "I enjoy those kind of fights. It doesn't happen all the time. It's always special," Federer said. "I hope it's a good omen. I feel like I could play a couple more sets, so that's a good sign." Federer has won 13 Grand Slam singles titles, one short of Pete Sampras' record. Federer will face No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 winner over No. 19 Marin Cilic of Croatia. The last time he rallied from 0-2 to win in five was against Rafael Nadal at Miami in 2005. Federer, who held the No. 1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks until losing it to Nadal last August, rarely has needed to come back from two sets. He has done it twice in majors, against Armenia's Sargis Sargsian in the second round at the 2001 French Open and Dutchman Peter Wessels at the 2000 U.S. Open. Federer beat Berdych in the corresponding round here last year -- after he'd been pushed to 10-8 in the fifth set against Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic. He lost to another Serb, Novak Djokovic, in the semifinals. Djokovic will play seventh-seeded Andy Roddick, who ousted No. 21 Tommy Robredo 7-5, 6-1, 6-3. Safina, who was down 5-3 and 40-15 with Cornet serving for the match, rallied to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals here for the first time. "I am so lucky that I'm in the quarter-finals, she was one point away," said Safina, who had eight double faults and 52 unforced errors. "My heart is still pumping so hard." She'll next play 187th-ranked Jelena Dokic, a 2000 Wimbledon semifinalist with a career-high No. 4 ranking who is in her first Grand Slam event in three years. The local favourite beat Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 5-7, 8-6. Kleybanova upset 2008 runner-up Ana Ivanovic in the previous round. Bartoli was the aggressor in a 6-1, 6-4 win over Jankovic that wasn't entirely unexpected. "Yeah, it's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," Jankovic said. "Today was a tough day for me. "I had a slow start. I let my opponent completely come on top of me and play her game. I gave her a lot of confidence." The 23-year-old Serb remains without a Grand Slam singles title and could also be without the No. 1 ranking in another week. If Safina wins, she'll top the rankings after the season's first major. "It doesn't matter because it's just the beginning of the year, and there is many more tournaments to play," Jankovic said. "Maybe it will change, the No. 1 ranking, but it's not important what you do now, it's the whole year ahead of us." Bartoli had not been past the second round in seven previous trips to Melbourne Park, but was 3-3 in head-to-heads including a quarter-final win at Wimbledon two years ago. She next plays No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, who beat No. 10 Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-4 in an all-Russia match. "I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day, it was just a matter of executing it, you know, play the right shot at the right time," Bartoli said. "But I was not overwhelmed by the situation, and I just went for my shot and everything went in."

Top seed bounced at Aussie Open

RelatedLive scores:MenWomen THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic is out of the Australian Open, beaten in straight sets by 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli of France.

Bartoli beat the Serbian star 6-1, 6-4 in the opening match Sunday at Rod Laver Arena. Jankovic lost last year's U.S. Open final to Serena Williams and has not won a Grand Slam title.

In the second set, Bartoli went ahead 5-4 on a service break, then held to win the match with a forehand winner.

The 24-year-old Bartoli lost to Venus Williams at Wimbledon two years ago and has never advanced past the second round in seven previous trips to Melbourne Park.

"I tried to not think about it for the whole match," Bartoli said of a possible upset of the No.1-ranked player.

"This is my first time playing in Rod Laver Arena. I think I just played amazingly today and I'm so glad to put on a good performance."

Nadal, Murray on collision course

RelatedWomen's draw:Serena dominatesFan fav Ana ousted
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray appear bound for a semifinal showdown at the Australian Open after dominant third-round victories on Saturday.

Nadal, the top seed, was nearly perfect, making only eight unforced errors in beating Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. The 22-year-old Spaniard is bidding to win his first Australian Open and prevent second-seeded Roger Federer from tying Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

Nadal had his serve broken in the second game of the match, the first time he dropped serve in the tournament.

Fourth-seeded Murray, meanwhile, ran off 11 straight games in another dominating performance, overwhelming Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-0, 6-3. Murray, seeking his first Grand Slam title, had only 10 unforced errors, including just two in the second set, and overcame a brief lapse toward the end.

"I hope I can keep this form up," Murray said. "I'm going to have to play my best every match to have a chance."

The 21-year-old Scot next faces No. 14 Fernando Verdasco. Nadal will play Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, who came back from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet of France, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6 (10), 6-2, 12-10 in a four-hour marathon.

Gonzalez, a 2007 finalist at Melbourne Park, saved a match point in the third set tiebreak before he fought back to win the match, in which the fifth set alone lasted 88 minutes.

Ninth-seeded American James Blake also reached the fourth round on Saturday.

Blake beat No. 18 Igor Andreev of Russia 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to set up a clash with fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, one of three Frenchmen to make it through to the fourth round.

The crowd in Hisense Arena was definitely pro-Murray, with Scottish flags and tartan hats scattered about on a cool night.

Constantly confounded by Murray's blend of power, speed and spin, Melzer did get a huge ovation when he rallied from 15-40 to hold while down 3-0 in the third set to end Murray's streak of 11 games. He had double break point as Murray served in the next game, only to see the him rally.

Melzer broke as Murray served for the match at 5-1 and fended off double match point in the next game. But Murray easily held in the next, finishing it off with his eighth ace and getting one step closer to becoming the first British man to win a major since 1936.

Sometimes sprinting to his chair during changeovers, Murray has raced through his first three matches in a combined 4 hours and 15 minutes, thanks in part to a 45-minute effort in the first round match when Andrei Pavel retired with a bad back.

It has been 81 years since Jean Borotra provided France with its only Australian Open men's singles champion, but there is a real hope of a breakthrough this year.

Tsonga, runner-up to Novak Djokovic at Melbourne 12 months ago and the fifth seed this year, booked his place in the last 16 with a 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win over Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela.

Gilles Simon, seeded sixth, managed to blunt the big serve of Croatia's Mario Ancic to win 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-2, while 12th seed Gael Monfils defeated Spain's Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3, 7-5.

"It's time for us," Simon said. "If it's not now, it's never."

Simon said all of the Frenchmen, who have been friends since they were children, got a real confidence boost out of seeing Tsonga reach the Australian Open final in 2008.

"We know that we are all very good players but there is not one better than the others," Simon said. "To see him reach the final, it was really, really good for us and for our confidence.

"Finally, we just saw that we were able to do it. That's why I think we had a great year last year."

Simon made the third round at three of the four Grand Slams last year but had never made it the fourth round of the majors until this year in Melbourne.

The good news for France is it is guaranteed at least one quarterfinalist this year, but the bad news is it's certain to lose one player after Simon and Monfils play each other in the next round.

"At the moment we've just played against players we know we can defeat," Simon said. "It was hard but we just did our job. The next ones will be the tough ones.

"I think every day maybe we can all lose, on the same day, but for the moment, we are still here."

Also Saturday, No. 14 Fernando Verdasco of Spain beat No. 22 Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-0, 6-0.

Serena onto Aussie Open 4th round

RelatedEarlier action:Mistakes costly for AnaNestor bounced in doublesCrowd trouble hits Aussie THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams didn't have to deal with any unexpected distractions Saturday, advancing to the fourth round at the Australian Open.

Williams, who won the title here in 2003, 2005 and 2007, started play on Rod Laver Arena on day six with a 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 41-ranked Peng Shuai of China.

The second-seeded Williams won the last six games of the first set without much trouble, but was broken twice early in the second.

She rallied to level at 3-3, then took a tumble when Peng wrong-footed her with a forehand crosscourt winner that set up break point.

The fall seemed to wake up Williams, though, and she shouted "Come on!" after whacking an ace two points later and holding serve.

"It was definitely a lot better than my second round. But I'm still trying to work on some things and hoping they'll come together," she said. "I'm feeling a little rusty, for whatever reason."

The nine-time major winner's victory was routine compared with the previous day at the first major of the season.

A half-naked streaker ran onto the court during Williams' doubles victory with sister Venus.

Williams said she could see the lighter side of the situation, among other things.

"Well, first I saw him jump over and then I noticed he didn't have underwear on. I thought, 'OK, I must be seeing things.'

"He ran out on the court ... he was pretty close to me and V (Venus). I was like, 'I hope he doesn't come, he's too close.

"Then I thought, 'This is crazy. Doesn't really happen too much.' Then I just thought, my eyes, my innocent eyes!"

What happened later was no laughing matter.

Then ethnic violence flared after Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Bosnian-born American Amer Delic, leaving a woman injured, three men charged with riotous behaviour, 30 people ejected by police and broken chairs scattered over the lawn area at Melbourne Park.

Police charged two people Friday and a third on Saturday, saying they were reviewing video of the chair-throwing clash to determine if any more charges were warranted.

There was no further trouble Saturday afternoon, on a mild, cloudless day.

Serena Williams next faces No. 13 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who ousted 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-2.

The 19-year-old Azarenka, won her first career title at Brisbane earlier this month and said she was growing in confidence with her winning streak.

Carla Suarez Navarro, who had an upset win over reigning Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the second round, beat fellow Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1, 6-4.

The 19-year-old Suarez Navarro, ranked 46th, will next play No. 21 Anabel Medina Garrigues -- who ousted 12th-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-1 -- in an all-Spanish fourth-round match.

The Bondarenko sisters of Ukraine were ousted within hours of each other, missing out on a fourth-round meeting.

Kateryna lost 6-2, 6-2 to No. 22 Zheng Jie of China and older sister Alona went down 7-6 (7), 6-4 to No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, who won despite making 68 unforced errors.

Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, was broken when serving for the match and needed two more match points in the next game to seal it.

Three Frenchman advanced Saturday. Among them was fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the runner-up here last year, who beat Irsraeli Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1. It was his best run at a major since his last trip to Melbourne Park, although he did miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon with injuries.

Gael Monfils, a French Open semifinalist last year, had a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 17 Nicolas Almagro of Spain and will meet No. 6 Gilles Simon in the next round. Simon beat No. 19 Mario Ancic of Croatia, 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-2.

No. 24 Richard Gasquet was against 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile later Saturday in one of the three men's night matches. Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 4 Andy Murray were also in action.

Mistakes cost Ivanovic Down Under

RelatedMore Down Under:Doubles No. 1 Nestor oustedCrowd trouble tarnishes play
Aussie Open scores:Men's drawWomen's draw THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia -- Ana Ivanovic's hopes of a return trip to the Australian Open final fell apart in a barrage of mistakes Friday as Russia's Alisa Kleybanova ousted her 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 in the third round. With 19-year-old Kleybanova constantly aggressive, the fifth-ranked Ivanovic lost her serve nine times and finished with 50 unforced errors to just 23 winners. When it was over, Kleybanova dropped to both knees, pumped her fists and blew kisses at the crowd. Ivanovic appeared to be nearly in tears as she walked off court. It was also a disappointing day for Toronto's Daniel Nestor. He and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic, the top-seeded team in the men's doubles draw, were upset 7-5, 6-4 by Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Oliver Marach of Austria in the second round. Ivanovic's loss came on a day that the late match between second-ranked Roger Federer against former No. 1 Marat Safin -- which the Swiss star won in three sets -- was supposed to produce the biggest news. Instead, ethnic violence erupted between nationalist fans after Serbia's Novak Djokovic, the defending men's champion, beat Bosnian-born American Amer Delic. One of several thrown chairs hit a woman and left her briefly unconscious though not seriously injured. Police said about 30 Bosnian and Serbian youths were ejected from Melbourne Park. Two men were charged with riotous behaviour and a third was fined on the spot. This was what organizers had feared when they announced before the tournament that they were instituting a no-tolerance policy for disruptions. They wanted the focus on tennis -- such as Kleybanova's upset victory, Andy Roddick's 22 aces while winning in straight sets or top-ranked Jelena Jankovic and No. 3 Dinara Safina advancing. Instead of talking about how defending champion Djokovic reached the third round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory packed with drama and good sportsmanship -- the 21-year-old Serb and Bosnian-born Delic were mostly quizzed about the chaotic scene that followed, when their supporters clashed outside near a big-screen TV showing the match. "There's absolutely no place for that here. This is a tennis match," said Delic, who attended the University of Illinois and lives in Jacksonville, Florida. "As I'm sure you all saw at the end, Novak and I are friends. We're both competitors. In the end it was a fair match, and there was no reason for such things." Before finally asking reporters to change the subject, Djokovic lamented that players can't control their fans. Delic had earlier used his website to ask his backers, who were boisterous to the point of disruption in the qualifier's first two matches, to tone it down. Djokovic next plays 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who beat American Mardy Fish, the No. 23 seed, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that didn't end until 1:13 a.m. Baghdatis is unseeded and ranked 97th after playing in only 12 tournaments last year due to wrist and back injuries. And that wasn't even all of the day's drama -- a man was arrested after dancing across a court, naked from the waist down, as Serena and Venus Williams won a second-round doubles match. The rematch of the 2005 men's semifinal here, won by Safin en route to the championship, was dominated by Federer, who again looked sharp in his pursuit of a 14th Grand Slam title that would tie Pete Sampras' record, winning 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5). Federer never faced a breakpoint, and the mercurial Safin's growing frustration nearly boiled over when he was called for a foot-fault on his second serve. That gave him a double-fault and Federer a 4-1 lead in the third-set tiebreaker. Safin rallied to lead 5-4 before Federer ran off the last three points, the last on a backhand winner down the line. "He gave me quite a few free points in the first two sets, but after that he got tougher," Federer said. "I'm pretty lucky I got through in three." Safin has said he is unlikely to continue playing after this year. Federer clearly would miss him. "I always like to play Marat," Federer said. "We go back, we like playing each other. It doesn't matter who wins." After dropping the first set, 21-year-old Ivanovic lost her first two service games in the second, falling behind 0-3. She rallied to force a tiebreaker, where both women were pumping their fists after every point they won. Ivanovic did a three-punch combination after whacking an overhead winner on set point. The jubilation was short-lived: Ivanovic found herself facing 0-3 again in the deciding set and never caught up. Serving at 2-5, she fell behind 0-40. She saved one match point with a high, lunging volley winner before Kleybanova hit a forehand crosscourt that went untouched to end the match in two hours 43 minutes. Kleybanova, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year in her third Grand Slam, dropped to her knees in relief and disbelief. "It was one of the most exciting matches of my life," Kleybanova said. "I will never forget this night." Roddick had a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Fabrice Santoro and next plays No. 21 Tommy Robredo of Spain, who beat Taiwanese player Yen-hsun Lu. No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina extended his winning streak to seven matches, and No. 19 Marin Cilic of Croatia ousted No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain. On the women's side, Olympic silver medallist Safina beat No. 25 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. Fellow Russians Vera Zvonareva, seeded seventh, and No. 10 Nadia Petrova are also in the fourth round. Unseeded Jelena Dokic, a former Wimbledon semifinalist making her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam after a three-year absence, knocked off a seeded player for the second straight round, ousting No. 11 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

Nestor bounced from Aussie Open

RelatedCrowd trouble tarnishes Djokovic win THE CANADIAN PRESS

Melbourne, Australia -- Canadian Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic exited the Australian Open on Friday after being upset 7-5, 6-4 by Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Oliver Marach of Austria in the second round.

Nestor, who has 55 doubles titles to his credit, won the tournament in 2002 with Mark Knowles. And he won six titles with Zimonjic last year, including Wimbledon, the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Kubot and Marach, together since 2006, did not play together at the ATP level last season, but reached the third round in Melbourne in 2007.

"The played well, hitting the ball hard and making a lot of big shots," said Nestor, seeded first in the doubles. "We probably got a bit rattled at the end of the first set.

"It's not that we were expecting them not to play well, but it might have been too much thinking about them and not enough about playing our game and staying relaxed. They ran the table from 5-5 in the first set to 0-4 in the second, we tried to dig out of a hole but we couldn't."

Nestor, 36, and Zimonjic both became first-time fathers in December.

The Toronto left-hander said the baby is waiting at home, but first he has a mixed doubles challenge with Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que.

"I have other responsibilities now, but my mixed partner has been waiting to play for a few days. I have to give it my best."

"But we would have hoped to have done better."

The match lasted 98 minutes, with Nestor and Zimonjic converting just one of five break points. Their opponents were good on three of six.

Nestor, in his 15th Australian Open, made the quarter-finals last year at Melbourne and the semifinals the year before. He went out in the first round the two years before that.

Crowd trouble tarnishes Djokovic win

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a spirited encounter with Bosnian-born American Amer Delic in the Australian Open on Friday before crowd trouble flared outside.

The 21-year-old Serb lost a set for the first time in the tournament and had to fend off two set points in the fourth before beating Delic 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Moments after Djokovic and Delic embraced at the net, smiled and waved to all parts of the crowd in Rod Laver Arena, screams, water bottles and plastic chairs were hurled back and forth between the Bosnian and Serb fans who had been watching the match live on a big TV screen next to the arena.

One Bosnian girl was hit in the head and stumbled from the area on the arms of friends as police and security staff rushed to separate the rivals. The loud, angry scuffle was over within two minutes, and police took many of the participants to another area for questioning.

"They started it. They threw the first chair and knocked our girl down and kept throwing things at her," one Bosnian man said before he was taken away a police officer. Victoria state police and organizers had no immediate comment.

There was no animosity on court.

"Of course, I have a big respect for Amer," Djokovic said, to loud cheers from the crowd. "He absolutely deserves your applause and even more.

"He has one of the biggest serves on tour. It was very difficult for me to read."

No. 127-ranked Delic got into the draw as a lucky loser from qualifying when Nicolas Kiefer withdrew with an injured ankle. He rallied to win two five-set matches to make the third round, his best run at a major.

In the tiebreaker, Djokovic challenged a call and stopped a rally, risking losing the point if he was wrong.

He wasn't, forcing a replay and winning the point when Delic double-faulted.

"I might have looked confident, but I was not. It was very lucky," said Djokovic, who beat Roger Federer in the semifinals here last year and claimed his first major. "Sometimes you need luck."

Djokovic will play the winner of Friday's later match between American Mardy Fish and 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis.

No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina beat Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3, 7-5, remaining the only Argentine man still in the draw of the nine who started the tournament.

The 20-year-old del Potro won the Auckland title coming into Melbourne and is on a seven-match winning streak.

No. 19 Marin Cilic of Croatia had an upset 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain.

On the women's side, Olympic silver medallist Dinara Safina reached the fourth round for the first time in seven trips to the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 25 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

"There's a first time for everything. Twice I lost in the third round," the 22-year-old Russian said. "I was like this today: 'That is the third time. Should be the luckiest one."'

The third-seeded Safina broke into the top 10 last year for the first time and credits having a full-time coach and trainer for the rise.

She is yet to win a Grand Slam singles title, although she reached the French Open final last year before losing to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.

Fellow Russians Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova are also in the fourth round.

No. 7 Zvonareva beat Italy's Sara Errani 6-4, 6-1 and No. 10 Petrova advanced when Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva retired with back pain after losing the first set 6-1.

Safina planned to rest and return to Rod Laver Arena later Friday to watch older brother, Marat Safin, play second-ranked Federer.

"Well, I hope on center court with winning, I hope he can close the same way I win today," she said.

Safin, who beat Federer in the semifinals before winning the 2005 Australian title, looms as an obstacle to Federer's quest to equal Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

Security was tight across Melbourne Park for the Djokovic-Delic match. In 2007, police ejected more than 150 fans one day from the same area after hostilities escalated between ethnic groups.

Complaints about the cheering before and during points followed both Delic's previous wins over Taylor Dent and No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu.

He appealed to his fans for calm in a message on his Web site. Organizers took the precaution of putting the match on the all-ticket stadium.

Extra security staff were deployed to nearly packed stadium and kept a close eye on pockets of the most vocal fans.

There were significantly more Serbian supporters, but Delic had his share of backers, too.

The two sides, some in the colors of their national soccer teams, did swap occasional shouted taunts. But they mostly seemed to be cheering for their favorites, and the players clearly fed off their energy.

When Delic broke for a 3-2 edge that was the key to taking the second set, he turned his hand toward his forehead, then pointed to his fans.

Djokovic pumped his fist and looked toward his most vocal supporters after getting the only break of the third set, when Delic whacked back-to-back double-faults to set up breakpoint.

Otherwise, it was all business on court, punctuated by shows of good sportsmanship. Several times, Djokovic applauded with his racket after great shots by Delic and gave him the thumbs-up when the American correctly challenged a line call in the tiebreaker.

In the biggest upset so far at the season's first major, sixth-seeded Venus Williams lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday night in the second round to Carla Suarez Navarro, a 20-year-old Spaniard ranked No. 46.

Williams was broken while serving for the match and dropped the last five games.

It means there will be no Williams versus Williams showdown in the semifinals. Second-seeded Serena Williams advanced 6-3, 7-5 over Argentina's Gisela Dulko.

-- Associated Press writer Tanalee Smith contributed to this report.

Venus ousted at Australian Open

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MELBOURNE, Australia -- Venus Williams was knocked out of the Australian Open on Thursday, losing 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to 46th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. Williams hardly looked like the reigning Wimbledon champion against the 20-year-old Suarez Navarro, whose previous best showing in a Grand Slam was reaching the French Open quarterfinals last year. Looking increasingly sluggish, Williams was broken while serving for the match and dropped the last five games. Suarez Navarro, overmatched at first, broke twice in the second set as Williams let a number of reachable shots fly past. She saved a match point while serving at 4-5 in the deciding set and broke Williams in the next game, aided by a double-fault from the American. Suarez Navarro squandered one match point while serving at 40-15 in the next game before Williams netted a forehand for her 37th enforced error. Williams' sister Serena struggled earlier and headed straight to the practice courts for extra work after a 6-3, 7-5 win over Argentina's Gisela Dulko. She gave her performance a "D-minus at best" as 45th-ranked Dulko matched her shot for shot. "Lots and lots and lots of room for improvement," second-seeded Serena Williams said. "But it's good that I was able to win, too, when I wasn't playing my best." Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, got top marks for his second straight match, a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Croatia's Roko Karanusic. The top-ranked Spaniard has dropped only 11 games in six sets and next faces German veteran Tommy Haas, who beat Flavio Cipolla of Italy, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. Nadal's biggest problem was finding a rhythm against the inconsistent, 92nd-ranked Karanusic, who has never made it past the second round in 11 Grand Slam appearances. Fourth-ranked Andy Murray -- a potential semifinal opponent for Nadal -- was playing in the late match. Serena Williams started fast and looked to be headed to a quick victory, stepping in to whack Dulko's second serve for a clean winner the first time she saw it. By the time Dulko hit her first winner, she already was down 3-0. But the Argentine soon was slugging it out from the baseline with the powerful Williams. She saved triple set point while serving at 2-5, but Williams finished it off the next game with a pair of aces. Dulko, who said she wasn't sure she'd be able to play after running a high fever following a doubles match Wednesday, pulled ahead 3-0 in the second set. Williams, appearing to be trying to overpower her, broke to within 3-2. Dulko refused to be intimidated, breaking again in the next game. The Argentine player served at 5-3 and held six set points in a game that went to deuce 12 times. But Williams hasn't won nine Grand Slams by caving in to pressure and finally converted breakpoint No. 7. "It was a very tough second set; she started playing unbelievable, hitting winners left and right," Williams said. "She had a couple of opportunities, but I always felt I wasn't going to lose." Olympic champion Elena Dementieva improved her 2009 winning streak to 12 matches with 6-4, 6-1 win over Iveta Benesova. The 27-year-old Dementieva reached the French Open and U.S. Open finals in 2004 but has not returned to the final of a major since. Her highlight last year was a win over fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the gold medal match at the Beijing Olympics. Amelie Mauresmo, who won here and at Wimbledon in 2006, rallied to beat Britain's Elena Baltacha. Fellow Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano ousted No. 14 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 6-1. Other women advancing included No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, No. 12 Flavia Pennetta of Italy, No. 13 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, No. 18 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, No. 21 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and No. 22 Zheng Jie of China. On the men's side, No. 9 James Blake won in straight sets for the second time, never dropping serve while beating Sebastien de Chaunac 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Four seeded Frenchmen also advanced. Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, last year's runner-up, had a tough 6-7 (4), 7-6 (8), 7-6 (7), 6-2 win over Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia. He joined No. 6 Gilles Simon, No. 12 Gael Monfils and No. 24 Richard Gasquet in the third round. Also winning were No. 14 Fernando Verdasco, No. 17 Nicolas Almagro and No. 31 Jurgen Melzer. No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, the 2007 runnerup, beat Argentina's Guillermo Canas. Dudi Sela became the first Israeli man to make the third round of a major since 1994 when he beat Romania's Victor Hanescu.

Dementieva win streak hits a dozen

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams ignored pain and frustration to reach the third round of the Australian Open with a straight-sets win over Gisela Dulko on Thursday.

The second-seeded Williams' 6-3, 7-5 win was far from routine, unlike Rafael Nadal's 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over Croatia's Roko Karanusic to progress to the third round.

Williams, hoping to extend a sequence of winning the Australian title every alternate year since 2003, had to fend off six set points in the ninth game of the second set to prevent the match going to a third. That game went to a dozen deuces before Williams broke to get back on serve.

She got treatment on her left ankle in the changeover and, grimacing with pain, held and then broke Dulko again -- this game going to deuce a half-dozen times -- to get her chance to serve it out.

After all that, the nine-time Grand Slam winner finished with ace on her first match point, advancing in one hour 50 minutes.

"It was a very tough second set, she started playing unbelievable, hitting winners left and right," Williams said. "She had a couple of opportunities but I always felt I wasn't going to lose.

"I feel I could play a lot better."

Williams converted only four of her 18 break chances against the 23-year-old Argentine. Dulko latched on to both of hers.

Nadal was more emphatic against Karanusic, fending off six break points the bearded Croat had against his serve and converting on six of the seven chances he had.

The 22-year-old Spaniard will next play German veteran Tommy Haas, who beat Flavio Cipolla, Italy, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.

No. 6 Gilles Simon advanced, along with No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, the 2007 runner-up, beat Argentina's Guillermo Canas 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

No. 17 Nicolas Almagro, No. 24 Richard Gasquet and No. 31 Jurgen Melzer also went through. Dudi Sela was the first Israeli man to make the third round of a major since 1994 when he Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

On the women's side, Olympic champion Elena Dementieva improved her 2009 winning streak to 12 matches with 6-4, 6-1 win over Iveta Benesova.

Dementieva, who won titles at Auckland and Sydney before the season's first major, struggled with her serve early but recovered to finish the match in 72 minutes.

The 27-year-old Dementieva reached the French Open and U.S. Open finals in 2004, beaten both times by fellow Russians, and has not returned to the championship of a Grand Slam tournament since.

Her highlight last year was a win over fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the gold medal match at the Beijing Olympics. She was ousted in the semifinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2008 and has never advanced beyond the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

Amelie Mauresmo, who won here and at Wimbledon in 2006, rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Britain's Elena Baltacha. Mauresmo, a former No. 1 now seeded 20th after an injury-plagued 2008, advanced when Baltacha double-faulted on match point.

Fellow Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano removed No. 14 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 6-1.

Other women advancing included No. 12 Flavia Pennetta of Italy, No. 13 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, No. 18 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, No. 21 Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and China's Zheng Jie, seeded 22nd.

Nalbandian upset in marathon

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Yen-hsun Lu had barely walked off the court at Melbourne Park on Wednesday after one of his biggest career wins when his mobile phone started ringing.

"I picked up the phone and my friends were calling to congratulate me," Lu said. "I could tell they were all happy for me."

His friends back in Taiwan had good reason to be excited.

Lu, whose previous biggest win was a first-round upset of Britain's Andy Murray at last year's Beijing Olympics, pulled off a marathon upset of 10th-seeded David Nalbandian in the second round at the Australian Open.

Lu beat the 2002 Wimbledon finalist 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a match just short of four hours, marking the first time in 12 Grand Slams that the 25-year-old Lu has advanced past the second round.

Lu persevered through a 10-minute final game when he fought off six break points, but he had a strategy -- reverse psychology.

"Everybody knows Nalbandian is one of the best backhand players," Lu said. "So I thought he's ready for a forehand return. So I just changed my mind and went to his backhand all the time.

"I served six times to his backhand on break point and I won all the points."

Lu said he had nothing to lose.

"For me, I'm No. 61 in the world and I have no pressure," Lu said. "I just go on the court and play my game and it's not about who is better. But I think I served more consistent than him today. And in the fourth set and final set, I played more aggressive than him."

Lu, who took up tennis because of his father's love of the sport, was only able to compete internationally because of a generous sponsor in Taiwan, where tennis lags way behind the popularity of baseball, badminton and table tennis.

He practises in Germany and is coached by Rainer Schuettler's coach, Dirk Hordoff, who was court-side for part of his match Wednesday. But Lu is quick to point out that he's not shunning his native country's help.

"We are the first ones to be top 100, so they (Taiwan tennis officials) have really no experience, like how we should do in professional tennis," Lu said. "So we look for a coach with more experience. I'm not saying Taiwan coaching is bad, but they need some time to get experience."

Lu, nicknamed "Randy" by his former English teacher because it was easier to pronounce than his hyphenated first name, followed Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Chinese-American player Michael Chang when he was growing up.

Beating one of the newest big names in tennis, Murray, in straight sets in Beijing was one of his career highlights. His win over Nalbandian on Wednesday was right up there.

"I think it has different meanings for me, because Olympics is to play for my country," Lu said. "But here, it is a Grand Slam. I think for me it's the biggest of tennis events. And it's one big step to get to the third round."

On Friday, he'll face 21st-seed Tommy Robredo of Spain. Robredo and Lu have played each other just once, with the Spanish player winning in straight sets at Tokyo in 2006.

Ivanovic eases into Aussie 3rd round

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer's quest for a record 14th major suddenly got more compelling Wednesday when he set up a third-round match with Marat Safin at the Australian Open.

Second-ranked Federer was dominating in a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 second-round victory over No. 118 Evgeny Korolev in just 86 minutes.

The 27-year-old Swiss moved another step closer to equaling Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam singles titles.

With Swiss flags scattered around Rod Laver Arena, Federer gave quick notice that he was on top of his game with back-to-back aces in the first game.

Safin, who beat Federer in the semifinals en route to winning the 2005 Australian title, beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.

"I'm happy to be playing Marat, we have fought some battles," Federer said. "We had the epic in 2005."

Safin, the mercurial Russian who will turn 29 next week, saved a match point and won 9-7 in the fifth set of his semifinal against Federer four years ago.

He is one of only two men who've beaten Federer at Melbourne Park in the last five years.

The other, defending champion Novak Djokovic, remained on course for a semifinal rematch with Federer when he beat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 6-1, 6-3.

Chardy matched the third-ranked Djokovic shot for shot before wilting while trying to force a tiebreaker in the first set.

The 21-year-old Djokovic was dominating on his serve, faltering only when he was broken at love while serving for the match.

But he broke right back, finishing it off when Chardy netted a forehand on match point.

He next plays Amer Delic, who got a spot in the draw as a lucky loser from qualifying when other players withdrew and became the first American into the third round.

The Bosnian-born 26-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, rallied from two sets down to beat No. 28 Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 1-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3), 9-7. The fifth set lasted 72 minutes.

Meanwhile, it was another rough day for Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que. One day after being eliminated in the first round of the women's singles competition, Wozniak and Latvian partner Liga Dekmeijere were defeated in women's doubles action by seventh-ranked Maria Kirilenko of Russia and Flavia Pennetta of Italy, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

In women's singles action, fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic beat Italian Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-2 and No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic advanced 5-4, 7-5 over Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium.

Jankovic, the only member of the top Serbian trio yet to win a major, needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right foot in the first set and was broken three times in a tougher-than-expected, 1-hour, 46-minute match.

Ivanovic lost the last Australian Open final to Maria Sharapova, then won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and gained the No. 1 ranking.

Now seeded fifth, she is drawing inspiration from her last run here. Sharapova is not defending the title because of a shoulder injury.

"I was in this situation before French Open last year, coming into the tournament as pretty serious finalist," she said. "That experience will help me a lot to approach this Australian Open."

Dictating play and ripping winners into the corners, Ivanovic repeatedly took advantage of Brianti's weak serve. The 28-year-old Italian held serve only three times.

No. 169-ranked Brianti needed treatment for her lower back and took a medical time out after getting broken to fall behind 3-0 in the second set.

She returned to break Ivanovic's serve and held to pull back to 3-2, but lost the next three games. Ivanovic, pushing the limits with her shots, had the same number of winners as unforced errors (26).

She won 17 of her 27 net approaches, a sign she's growing in confidence moving forward.

"I improved a lot since last match. I was committing much more, coming to the net more often," she said, adding she still had plenty to improve.

"When you come against top players or high-ranked players, you automatically raise your level and your consistency. That's something that I can do."

No. 3 Dinara Safina overcame 44 unforced errors in a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-0 win over fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova and will next play No. 25 Kaie Kanepi of Estonia.

Safina, younger sister of Safin, lost to a qualifier in the first round here last year, but went on to be runner-up at the French Open, take the Olympic silver medal and reach the U.S. Open semifinals.

No. 10 Nadia Petrova had a 6-3, 6-2 win over India's Sania Mirza. No. 26 Ai Sugiyama of Japan defeated Nathalie Dechy of France 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 and next faces Jankovic.

Also advancing were No. 7 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, No. 15 Alize Cornet of France and No. 19 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

On the men's side, No. 11 David Ferrer of Spain had a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 win over 31-year-old qualifier Dominik Hrbaty, who helped Slovakia win the Hopman Cup title in Perth earlier this month.

Among the men's seeds advancing were No. 19 Marin Cilic or Croatia, No. 20 Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic, and No. 21 Tommy Robredo of Spain.

Nadal cruises, Canucks ousted

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Top-ranked Rafael Nadal put together a dominating performance Tuesday, routing Belgium's Christophe Rochus 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open.

Showing no sign of the knee problems that sidelined him at the end of last year, the Spaniard yielded only eight points in six games in the first set. When Rochus finally got on the board while already down a break in the second, the crowd in packed Rod Laver Arena gave him a huge ovation.

Nadal, who reached the semifinals here last year and is seeking his sixth Grand Slam title, finished with 47 winners to just seven for Rochus and blasted 10 aces. The 75th-ranked Belgian, who fell to 13-31 in Grand Slam play, managed to laugh several times, realizing there was little he could do.

Nadal broke for the seventh time to pull ahead 5-2 in the final set, then held at love with four winners to finish off the victory in 77 minutes.

Conditions were perfect for the last match of the night, a sharp contrast to the brutal sun and swirling winds that plagued players earlier.

It was a rough day for Canadians, who all exited singles play. Peter Polansky of Thornhill, Ont., built a two-set lead before falling 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to No. 18 Igor Andreev of Russia. Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., was ousted 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 by ninth-seeded American James Blake, who reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park last year to match his best effort at a Grand Slam.

On the women's side, No. 30 Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., lost to Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-4, 6-3.

American Serena Williams also had to deal with a slight head cold, but she had no problem in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over 123rd-ranked Yuan Meng of China to begin pursuit of her 10th Grand Slam. Yuan was all but ducking for cover from an onslaught of powerful serves, groundstrokes and volleys from the second-seeded American.

And get this: Williams wasn't even going all out.

"It was a little hot for me today," said Williams, aiming to keep intact her record of winning here in odd-numbered years since 2003. "But I was able to just take my time and play a lot slower, not giving 1,000 per cent.

"I think it was pretty important for me not to ... go crazy out there, try and conserve some energy. Keep in mind, I am playing doubles here, as well. I definitely want to do well in both events."

That would be doubles with sister Venus -- the reigning Wimbledon champion -- who overcame a lapse against hard-hitting Angelique Kerber of Germany to advance with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

While the Williams sisters were happy to get through without drama, Britain's Andy Murray wished he had spent more time in the sun. The 21-year-old Scot got a mixed blessing when Romanian Andrei Pavel, who was hoping to make a farewell tour of the majors before retiring, had to quit after 45 minutes when his bad back acted up.

"I would have liked to have been on court a bit longer," said the fourth-seeded Murray, who won for the first time on centre court here. "You don't want to win a match like that."

Most everybody else was eager to finish fast with the temperature topping 40C in afternoon. Murray said he could feel his feet burning on long points. Photographers at courtside draped their heads, bodies and cameras in wet towels. Spectators fanned themselves with paper and official programs.

"It was definitely extreme conditions," Serena Williams said.

A cool front came through and conditions were a pleasant 26C degrees by the time sixth-seeded Venus went on court. It turned into essentially a good hitting session for her.

"I was really happy to be able to be out there and hit a lot of balls and find a rhythm and advance," she said.

Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Germany's Kristina Barrois to extend her winning streak this year to 11 matches. Also advancing were No. 13 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 2006 champion Amelie Mauresmo of France and No. 22 Zheng Jie of China.

No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland became the highest seeded player to be ousted, falling to Ukraine's Kateryna Bondarenko.

On the men's side, No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Argentina's Juan Monaco, No. 6 Gilles Simon downed Spain's Pablo Andujar and fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, seeded 24th, ousted Diego Junqueira.

Tsonga had upset wins over Murray in the first round and Nadal in the semifinals here last year before losing the final to Novak Djokovic.

No. 13 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, runner-up here to Federer in 2007, ended local hope Lleyton Hewitt's 13th Australian Open. Hewitt, a former U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion, lost the final at his home major in 2005 to Marat Safin.