Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer on collision course

Melbourne: Five-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic could face record Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the season’s opening Grand Slam following Friday’s draw in Melbourne.

The 10-time Grand Slam champion from Serbia is projected to face Japan’s seventh seed Kei Nishikori in the quarters, while Switzerland’s 17-time major winner Federer is set to meet Czech Tomas Berdych in the second quarterfinal of the top half of the men’s draw.

Top seed Djokovic, who wore down Andy Murray to win last year’s final at Melbourne Park, won three Grand Slam titles among 11 tournament victories in a stellar 2015 season, and a win-loss record of 82-6.

He will play South Korean Hyeon Chung in the opening round. Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year, will play Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili to get his campaign underway.

Explosive young Australian Nick Kyrgios, seeded 29, could face Berdych in the third round.

British second seed Murray, who has lost in four Australian Open finals, is drawn to meet Spanish terrier David Ferrer in the quarter-finals in the bottom half of the men’s draw.

The Scot will take on Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the opening round, while eighth seed Ferrer could face Lleyton Hewitt in the second round in the Australian great’s 20th consecutive and farewell home Grand Slam before his retirement.

Rafael Nadal faces a potential rematch of his losing 2014 final against Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka in the other quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw.

Wawrinka is projected to face big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the fourth round, while Nadal, who won the Australian title only once in 2009, could take on South African Kevin Anderson in the last 16.

Yuki gets tough draw
Yuki Bhambri found himself pitted against world number six Tomas Berdych in the opening round of the men’s singles event.

Yuki, who will appear in the main draw of a singles event at the Grand Slam for the first time, could not have asked for a tougher draw.

Meanwhile, Saketh Myneni inched closer to the men’s singles draw by reaching the third round of the Qualifiers.

In the second round, Myneni faced stiff resistance from Italian Lorenzo Giustino before prevailing 6-1 7-6(7) in one hour and 25 minutes.

Myneni needs one more win to qualify for the main draw and next faces 22nd seed Mirza Basic, world No. 137, from Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Serena Williams likely to face Maria Sharapova in quarters

World number one and top seed Serena Williams faces a potential quarterfinal with great rival Maria Sharapova at next week’s Australian Open following Friday’s draw.

Williams, who is chasing her seventh Australian crown and 22nd Grand Slam title after beating Sharapova in last year’s final, will have a testing start against Italian Camila Giorgi, the highest ranked non-seeded player in the women’s draw.

The American, who also won Wimbledon and the French Open in a glittering 2015 season, has been troubled by a knee injury but said at the draw that she was in good shape for the year’s opening major.

Romanian second seed Simona Halep, who faces a qualifier first up, is drawn to meet Serena’s elder sister Venus Williams in the quarters in the bottom half of the draw.

Poland’s fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has a potential last-eight clash with Czech sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Two-time former winner Victoria Azarenka could face Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round, while German seventh seed Angelique Kerber is drawn to meet Muguruza or Azarenka in the third quarterfinal.