Clijsters, Hingis, Pierce, Mauresmo Headline Women at Australian Open Thursday

MELBOURNE, Australia - Tennis fans around the world will be treated to another star-studded line-up on Thursday in Melbourne, as the bottom half of the women's singles draw contests the second round at the 2006 Australian Open, the season's first Grand Slam tournament.

(2) Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs. (Q) Meng Yuan (CHN) - First Meeting

Kim Clijsters, the current world No.2 and reigning US Open champion, will continue the campaign for her first Australian Open title on Thursday afternoon, as she takes on Chinese qualifier Yuan Meng. Clijsters, touted by many as the co-tournament favourite alongside top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, has played some of her best tennis in Melbourne in the past, reaching the Australian Open final in 2004 (finishing runner-up to Justine Henin-Hardenne in three sets) and the semifinals twice, in 2002 (pushing eventual champion Jennifer Capriati to three sets) and 2003 (holding a 5-1 third set lead with match points against eventual champion Serena Williams before falling). The 22-year-old will battle the 19-year-old Yuan, who by contrast is contesting her very first Grand Slam event and just her third overall Sony Ericsson WTA Tour main draw.

(3) Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) vs. Emilie Loit (FRA) - Mauresmo leads 1-0

It will be a battle between two of the Tour's craftiest players, both coincidentally Frenchwomen, as former world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo takes on former Top 30 player Emilie Loit. Mauresmo finished 2005 as one of the hottest players on the Tour, winning in Philadelphia before capturing her biggest title to date at the season-ending Tour Championships. The 26-year-old has struggled so far in 2006, however, dropping her opening round match at Sydney last week and taking nearly two hours to defeat unheralded Sun TianTian in the first round here. She will face a tough test against feisty left-hander Loit, a two-time Tour singles titlist and former world No.27. These two have played once previously, with Mauresmo emerging victorious here at the Australian Open en route to a runner-up finish, her lone career appearance in a Grand Slam singles final.

(5) Mary Pierce (FRA) vs. Iveta Benesova (CZE) - Pierce leads 2-0

Mary Pierce, the 1995 Australian Open winner, played some of the best tennis of her lengthy career in the second half of 2005 and is seemingly continuing that strong play, demolishing first round opponent Nicole Pratt 61 61 on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Frenchwoman's next opponent, Iveta Benesova, has already won six matches this year, posting a runner-up finish just last week in Hobart. Her win over Rika Fujiwara in the first round was her first career win at the Australian Open and also served as her 200th career match win. However, for the Czech to get to win No.201, she must get past the amazing, powerful play of former world No.3 Pierce, who may well be on her way to cracking that career-high ranking achieved in 1995.

(7) Patty Schnyder (SUI) vs. Shinobu Asagoe (JPN) - Asagoe leads 2-1

Hoping to quietly make her way through the Australian Open draw is No.7 seed Patty Schnyder, who faces one of her nemeses in the second round on Thursday. Schnyder had a career year in 2005, capturing two Tour singles titles and achieving a career-high ranking of No.7 towards the end of the season. The 27-year-old Swisswoman has an impressive 23-9 record in Melbourne, posting her career-best Grand Slam finish here in 2004 with a semifinal appearance. She has a poor record against tricky Japanese player Shinobu Asagoe, however, dropping their first two meetings at the 2000 US Open and 2004 Roland Garros, but won their last meeting in straight sets at the 2005 US Open.

(12) Anastasia Myskina (RUS) vs. Jamea Jackson (USA) - First Meeting

After a disappointing first half of 2005, Anastasia Myskina hopes to start this year differently. At Roland Garros last year, she suffered a shocking first-round exit as the defending champion, but afterwards, the former world No.2 regained her form and went 26-8 the rest of the year. Now, she has a chance for a better start and will face American Jamea Jackson, currently making her debut at the Australian Open. Jackson showed her grit in her first round match, topping Sofia Arvidsson 76(5) 62. She now faces a Grand Slam champion for the opportunity to advance to a first-time third round at a major and record her career-best win.

(15) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) vs. Catalina Castano (COL) - First Meeting

These players both turned pro the same year, in 1998. Both also just experienced their career-best season, Schiavone moving up the rankings towards the Top 10 and notching three runner-up finishes, while Castano finished the season for the first time in the Top 100. Castano just recorded her first Australian Open victory and currently equals her career-best Grand Slam result, a second round showing at Roland Garros in 2001. Schiavone is off to a strong start this season (reaching the final of Sydney) and hopes to continue that momentum by at least matching her best result at the Australian Open, third round finishes in 2002 and 2005.

(16) Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) vs. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) - First Meeting

One of the Tour's most promising future stars, Nicole Vaidisova, enters her seventh Grand Slam event having won 21 of her last 23 matches. This impressive run began with three consecutive tournament wins in the fall of 2005, followed by semifinal finishes at Philadelphia and last week at Sydney. The Czech teenager has been one of the most successful players in recent months. She is playing the Australian Open for the second time. In Anna Chakvetadze she faces an opponent that has the experience of shocking at a Grand Slam by serving up upsets, most notably her second round win at the 2004 US Open over a No.3-seeded Anastasia Myskina.

(WC) Martina Hingis (SUI) vs. Emma Laine (FIN) - First Meeting

A gap of experience differentiates these two second round opponents, as one is five-time Grand Slam champion and the other is making her second appearance in a Grand Slam. Former No.1 Martina Hingis makes her return to Grand Slam competition as a wild card entry into this event. Hingis is making her first appearance since 2002, the third consecutive year she had reached the final. The previous three years she won the title (1997-1999). Her first round victory over No.30 seed Vera Zvonareva was encouraging, while Emma Laine cruised to victory in her first round match, losing only two games. (WTA)