Hingis Headlines Women on Saturday at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia - Three former world No.1s and some of 2006's most in-form players highlight Saturday action, as the third round comes to completion at the 2006 Australian Open.

(2) Kim Clijsters (BEL) vs. Roberta Vinci (ITA) - Clijsters leads 1-0

Ranked and seeded No.2, Kim Clijsters has clearly asserted herself as one of the hottest players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in the last year, capturing nine titles, including her career-first major at the US Open and Tier I events at Indian Wells, Miami and Toronto [Canadian Open]. Despite struggling in her first two matches here with inconsistency, which is largely due to her problems with a hip injury coming in, the 22-year-old Belgian has played some of her best tennis in the past in Melbourne, reaching the final in 2004 (falling to compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne in three sets) and the semifinals both prior years, in 2002 (falling to eventual champion Jennifer Capriati in three) and 2003 (losing to eventual champion Serena Williams in three, after holding a 5-1 third-set lead with match points). She will face an in-form opponent in Roberta Vinci, one of the few serve-and-volleyers left among the world's better singles players. Vinci is no stranger to hanging with the game's elite, notching Top 10 victories in the second half of 2005 over Anastasia Myskina and Patty Schnyder, and is also coming off a second round upset of No.27 seed and recent Auckland champion Marion Bartoli. These two have played once previously, with Clijsters winning 63 64 in the third round of Wimbledon last year.

(3) Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) vs. Michaella Krajicek (NED) - First Meeting

One of the Tour's most accomplished players will face one of its most promising future stars, as talented Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo battles big-hitting Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek. Mauresmo, ranked and seeded No.3, has put together one of the truly outstanding resumes in the history of the women's game, capturing 19 career Tour singles titles and ascending to the world No.1 ranking. The 26-year-old won her biggest title to date in November at the season-ending Tour Championships, and despite being dropped in the opening round of her warm-up effort in Sydney last week, looked impressive in her second round victory here over countrywoman Emilie Loit. In Krajicek she will face one of the hottest players on the Tour at the moment, as the 17-year-old half-sister of former ATP star Richard Krajicek has blazed through the Australian swing so far, winning three matches in the Hopman Cup en route to a runner-up finish for the Netherlands before capturing her second career Tour singles title last week in Hobart. She has also notched early round victories here against Puerto Rican veteran Kristina Brandi and Indian sensation Sania Mirza, who was seeded No.32. Watch for Krajicek to dictate play with massive serves and big groundstrokes, while Mauresmo will try to mix up the play with topspins, slices, angles and strategic forays into the net.

(7) Patty Schnyder (SUI) vs. Aiko Nakamura (JPN) - Schnyder leads 2-0

For the third time in the last six months, Patty Schnyder will have to fend off the two-fisted drives of Japan's Aiko Nakamura, as the pair face off for a round of 16 berth. Schnyder, seeded No.7 this fortnight, has reached the fourth round in six of her nine prior appearances at the Australian Open, posting her best Grand Slam finish to date in 2004 by reaching the semifinals, also reaching the quarterfinals last year. Nakamura is playing in Melbourne for only the second time, reaching the second round in her debut last year. These two have squared off twice before, with Schnyder winning 46 61 63 at Cincinnati and 64 61 at Bali, both in the summer of 2005. Watch for Nakamura to try and take charge from inside the baseline with flat, two-handed groundstrokes, while Schnyder will work her way into the rallies with copious amounts of topspin, waiting for an opportunity to crank her big lefty forehand to force the action.

(12) Anastasia Myskina (RUS) vs. Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) - Myskina leads 2-0

Anastasia Myskina, trying to recapture the form that took her to the world No.2 ranking and the 2004 Roland Garros title, will play Sweden's top prospect Sofia Arvidsson in her third round match. The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam where Myskina has reached the quarterfinal round twice previously, as the 24-year-old Russian reached the final eight here in 2003 and 2004 (falling to Kim Clijsters both times). In order to reach her third quarterfinal here she will at least have to pass Arvidsson, who recently reached her career-first Tour singles final at Quebec City. Myskina is 2-0 against the Swedish star, winning in straight sets here in 2004 and at Stockholm last year.

(15) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) vs. Maria Sanchez Lorenzo (ESP) - Tied at 1-1

One of the Tour's most dangerous players at the moment, Italian sensation Francesca Schiavone, will look to break a third round curse on Saturday as she takes on two-fisted powerhouse Maria Sanchez Lorenzo of Spain. Schiavone has beefed up her game in the last year, adding a more powerful serve to her already-solid array of penetrating, topspin groundstrokes, and the results have followed, as she has reached the final at four of her last eight Tour events, including the Tier I in Moscow and the Tier II just last week in Sydney, where she held seemingly-insurmountable leads in both the second and third sets before falling to former world No.1 Justine Henin-Hardenne. She will next face a familiar opponent in Sanchez Lorenzo, who defeated her in the most recent of their two career encounters, in three sets on a similar surface at Gold Coast two years ago.

(16) Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) vs. (20) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) - Pennetta leads 1-0

Czech phenom Nicole Vaidisova and tenacious Italian Flavia Pennetta will do battle in a match between two players who have made major strides in the last 12 months. Vaidisova, the No.16 seed, made some incredible strides towards the end of the 2005 season, capturing three consecutive Tour singles titles and reaching her first Tier II semifinal at Philadelphia, and has followed through on that promise so far in 2006, reaching another Tier II semifinal last week in Sydney and cruising through her first two matches here. Pennetta, seeded No.20, captured two titles on clay earlier in 2005 and two weeks ago reached the final at Gold Coast, ousting resurgent former world No.1 Martina Hingis along the way. Both players have cut their rankings down significantly since this time last year, with Vaidisova improving 54 spots from No.70 to No.16, and Pennetta rising 17 spots from No.37 to No.20. These two played once before, with the Italian winning 64 63 at Acapulco in 2004.

(WC) Martina Hingis (SUI) vs. Iveta Benesova (CZE) - First Meeting

Back playing the brand of crisp, strategic tennis that took her to five Grand Slam singles titles in the late 1990s as well as the No.1 ranking for a number of years is Martina Hingis, who will continue her big-stage comeback on Saturday against unheralded Czech player Iveta Benesova for a berth in the fourth round. Hingis has looked phenomenal through her first two rounds, hitting a combined total of 31 winners to just 20 unforced errors, also displaying some solid serving percentages and her trademark variety of old from the baseline and net. The 25-year-old Swisswoman, a three-time Australian Open champion, will next play the in-form Benesova, who was a runner-up at the lead-in event at Hobart last week and is coming off her biggest career match victory, a straight set, second round upset of world No.5 Mary Pierce. These two will play for the first time.

Samantha Stosur (AUS) vs. Sybille Bammer (AUT) - First Meeting

Australia's top hope, Samantha Stosur, will attempt to reach her very first Grand Slam round of 16 in front of her home crowd as she takes on Austria's Sybille Bammer. Stosur has burst into prominence in the last year on the doubles circuit, winning numerous titles in the second half of 2005 with partner Lisa Raymond (including her first major title at the US Open), but in Melbourne has also been displaying some of her aggressive talents on the singles court as well, in the second round notching an impressive straight set upset over No.21 seed Ana Ivanovic. The 21-year-old from Gold Coast will next face Bammer, one of the few mothers currently playing on the Tour, who has made career strides in the last several months, reaching her first-ever Tour singles quarterfinals at Kolkata and Linz. These two have never played before. (WTA)