Hi everyone. With play due to start at Melbourne Park any moment now, here's today's first Crisis Center instalment. We ask that you keep these busy threads clear of off-topic chat until the day's matches are over.
Matches of the Day:
Men: Igor Andreev's match against Ernests Gulbis could be interesting - the two haven't played each other before. Meanwhile former finalist Fernando Gonzalez is 0-2 against Guillermo Canas - can he score a first win today? Elsewhere, two Croats face off: Mario Ancic and Ivo Karlovic. Their head-to-head is 1-1, but they haven't met since 2006, and never outdoors.
Naturally many of us will be watching Rafael Nadal take on Roko Karanusic for the first time, and Andy Murray's match with Marcel Granollers, but the higher-ranked players are surely the strong favourites to come through.
Women: I'd expect higher-seeded players such as Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams to progress comfortably. I'm interested in the match featuring former champion Amelie Mauresmo against Elena Baltacha of the UK, mostly because it's a while since I've seen Amelie play, and there have been some indications that her form has picked up a little this year. The two women will be playing each other for the first time.
Player of the Day:
Finally some upsets....
Men: Lu Yen-Hsun of Taipei, defeating 10th seed David Nalbandian over five sets, 6-2 in the fifth.
Women: Jelena Dokic, who defeated 17th seed Anna Chakvetadze in three sets.
As always, enjoy todays tennis.
-- Rosangel Valenti