Sharapova, Davenport, Serena On Tap for Friday Play at Australian Open

(1) Lindsay Davenport (USA) vs. (25) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) - First Meeting

It will be a battle between youth and experience, as 29-year-old American veteran Lindsay Davenport takes on 18-year-old Russian Maria Kirilenko in one of only two matches between seeded players. Davenport, the current world No.1, is playing the Australian Open for the 13th time, her 53-11 career record at the event including a title run in 2000, a runner-up finish in 2005 and three other semifinals. Only once has she lost prior to the fourth round, that coming in her 1993 debut. Kirilenko, currently ranked a career-high No.25 in the world, is by contrast playing in just her second Australian Open, reaching the second round in her 2005 debut. The Russian teenager recently asserted herself as one of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's brightest young talents, capturing the Tier II title in Beijing in October for her very first Tour singles title. Look for Davenport to take control of the points with her serve and flat, penetrating groundstrokes, while Kirilenko will try to move the ball around and use her footspeed to run down as many balls as possible.

(4) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. Jelena Kostanic (CRO) - Sharapova leads 1-0

Russian sensation Maria Sharapova continues her quest for a second Grand Slam title on Friday as she takes on tenacious Croat Jelena Kostanic for a berth in the round of 16. Sharapova made her major breakthrough in 2004, winning the Wimbledon title, and has reached Grand Slam semifinals three times since but has fallen short each time. Despite struggling in recent months with what has now been found to be a rib injury, Sharapova seems to be in top form in Melbourne, notching relatively easy straight set victories in her two opening rounds. She will face a tough opponent in Kostanic, a powerful left-handed baseliner who is coming off a semifinal finish at the warm-up event in Hobart. The 24-year-old was ranked as high as No.32 just a few years back, and has career victories over current Top 10 players Elena Dementieva and Patty Schnyder. These two have met once previously at Philadelphia in 2004, splitting sets before Kostanic was forced to retire with a right adductor strain at the beginning of the third set.

(6) Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs. Maria Elena Camerin (ITA) - First Meeting

Quietly advancing through the draw is Russia's second-highest-ranked player, Nadia Petrova, the No.6 seed this fortnight. Petrova has made further inroads into the Top 10 over the last year, her most notable results being capturing her career-first Tour singles title at the Tier II event in Linz in October and notching stunning straight set victories over the likes of Amelie Mauresmo (at Berlin) and Maria Sharapova (at the season-ending Tour Championships). The 23-year-old will be put to the test against feisty Italian player Maria Elena Camerin, who is coming off a nail-biting second round win over another Russian, Ekaterina Bychkova, saving a total of six match points en route to a three set victory and her very first third round appearance at a Grand Slam event.

(8) Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) vs. Virginie Razzano (FRA) - Henin-Hardenne leads 2-0

Former world No.1 Justine Henin-Hardenne will try to stretch her impressive winning streak on Australian soil to 17 as she takes on talented Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano. Henin-Hardenne has won 16 consecutive matches in Australia, including 2004 titles at Sydney and here as well as the Sydney title just last week. The Belgian has also enjoyed convincing straight set victories in her two opening rounds at the 2006 Australian Open. She will next face the unseeded Razzano, who has taken out three Top 10 players in the past, including a stunning upset of Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round of Wimbledon in 2004. She has proven extremely tough already at this event, surviving two match points during a first round win over former Top 5 player Jelena Dokic. This pair has played twice before, with Henin-Hardenne winning in straights at Gold Coast and Roland Garros in 2001.

(13) Serena Williams (USA) vs. (17) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) - Williams leads 3-0

Also aiming to extend a win streak to 17 is another former No.1, Serena Williams, who will be taking on former Top 5 player Daniela Hantuchova in the feature night match. Williams has won 16 consecutive matches in Melbourne, capturing the Australian Open title in her last two visits to the year's first major, in 2003 and 2005. The seven-time Grand Slam champion looked shaky in a three set first round victory this week over Na Li of China, but turned up the heat in an easy second round win over speedy Frenchwoman Camille Pin. She will next face No.17 seed Hantuchova, a former quarterfinalist here who has been working her way back to the form that took her to the world No.5 ranking just a few years ago. These two have slugged it out from the baseline on three occasions in the past, with the more agile Williams dropping no more than four games in a set across three straight set victories.

(14) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs. Mara Santangelo (ITA) - First Meeting

Hoping to move through to take on Lindsay Davenport in the round of 16 is former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who faces an in-form Mara Santangelo of Italy. Kuznetsova has recently begun to find the range on her big serves and groundstrokes that took her to the US Open title in 2004 and subsequently a Top 5 ranking. The 20-year-old Russian reached her first Tour singles semifinal in over six months just last week at the warm-up event in Sydney, afterwards moving up to No.11, just one spot away from the Top 10 ranking she lost after disappointingly falling in the first round of her US Open title defense last September. She will face aggressive Italian Santangelo, who contrastingly reached her career-first Tour singles semifinal at the warm-up event in Hobart last week. These two will be playing for the first time. (WTA)