World number one Caroline Wozniacki could face French Open champion Li Na in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open following Friday's draw for the season-opening grand slam. The Danish top seed, whose world ranking is under threat from Petra Kvitova, also has defending champion Kim Clijsters, third seed Victoria Azarenka and the dangerous Agnieszka Radwanska in her top half of the women's singles draw.
Wozniacki is hunting a maiden grand slam title in Melbourne and opens her campaign against Australian Anastasia Rodionova. Clijsters beat Li in last year's Australian Open final before the Chinese star went on to take the French Open at Roland Garros, in the process making history as the first Asian grand slam winner.
"For me playing Li Na in the final last year was one of the fun finals and one of the best finals that I've played so far in a grand slam," Clijsters said at the draw. Li plays Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan in her opening match. Wimbledon champion Kvitova, beaten by Li in Thursday's semi-finals of the Sydney International, will face tough opponents as she targets Open glory.
Thirteen-time grand slam champion Serena Williams, US Open champion Samantha Stosur and three-time major winner Maria Sharapova all share the Czech left-hander's bottom half of the draw. Kvitova will open against Russian Vera Dushevina, while five-time Australian Open champion Williams, seeded 12 this year, takes on Austrian Tamira Paszek first up.
Stosur, drawn to face Kvitova in the quarter-finals and bidding to become the first Australian woman to win her national Open since 1978, begins against Romania's Sorana Cirstea. Russia's Sharapova, who won in Melbourne four years ago, plays Argentina's Gisela Dulko in the first round.
Australian Open men's singles draw Draw made Friday for the men's singles in the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Monday (x denotes seed):
Men's singles Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Paolo Lorenzi (ITA); Santiago Giraldo (COL) v Qualifier; Tatsuma Ito (JPN) v Potito Starace (ITA); Nicolas Mahut (FRA) v Radek Stepanek (CZE x29); Milos Raonic (CAN x23) v Filippo Volandri (ITA); Lukas Rosol (CZE) v Philipp Petzschner (GER)
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe (GER) v Lleyton Hewitt (AUS); Robin Haase (NED) v Andy Roddick (USA x15); Janko Tipsarevic (SRB x9) v Dmitry Tursunov (RUS); Qualifier v James Duckworth (AUS); Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) v Qualifier; Andreas Seppi (ITA) v Richard Gasquet (FRA x17); Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG x27) v Michael Russell (USA); Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) v Pablo Andujar (ESP); Matthias Bachinger (GER) v Ryan Sweeting (USA)
Rui Machado (POR) v David Ferrer (ESP x5); Andy Murray (GBR x4) v Ryan Harrison (USA); Xavier Malisse (BEL) v Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA); Michael Llodra (FRA) v Ernests Gulbis (LAT); Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) v Alex Bogomolov Jr. (RUS x32); Viktor Troicki (SRB x19) v Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP); Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) v Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ); Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) v Dudi Sela (ISR); Marinko Matosevic (AUS) v Gael Monfils (FRA x14); Gilles Simon (FRA x12) v Qualifier; Julien Benneteau (FRA) v Karol Beck (SVK); Joao Souza (BRA) v Matthew Ebden (AUS); Stephane Robert (FRA) v Kei Nishikori (JPN x24); Marcel Granollers (ESP x26) v Jesse Levine (USA); Frederico Gil (POR) v Ivan Dodig (CRO); Qualifier v Ricardo Mello (BRA); Denis Istomin (UZB) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x6); Mardy Fish (USA x8) v Gilles Muller (LUX); Alejandro Falla (COL) v Fabio Fognini (ITA); Albert Montanes (ESP) v Pere Riba (ESP); Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) v Juan Monaco (ARG x25); Florian Mayer (GER x20) v Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE); Qualifier v Steve Darcis (BEL); Qualifier v Blaz Kavcic (SLO)
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) v Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x11); Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x13) v Greg Jones (AUS); Tobias Kamke (GER) v Victor Hanescu (ROM); Kenny De Schepper (FRA) v Sam Querrey (USA); Bernard Tomic (AUS) v Fernando Verdasco (ESP x22); Jurgen Melzer (AUT x31) v Ivo Karlovic (CRO); Carlos Berlocq (ARG) v Qualifier; Eric Prodon (FRA) v Andreas Beck (GER); Qualifier v Roger Federer (SUI x3); Tomas Berdych (CZE x7) v Albert Ramos (ESP); Olivier Rochus (BEL) v Qualifier; Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) v Qualifier
Qualifier v Kevin Anderson (RSA x30) Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x21) v Benoit Paire (FRA); Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) v Benjamin Becker (GER); Jeremy Chardy (FRA) v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL); Lukasz Kubot (POL) v Nicolas Almagro (ESP x10); John Isner (USA x16) v Benjamin Mitchell (AUS); Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) v David Nalbandian (ARG); Flavio Cipolla (ITA) v Nikolay Davydenko (RUS); Leonardo Mayer (ARG) v Feliciano Lopez (ESP x18); Ivan Ljubicic (CRO x28) v Qualifier; Qualifier v Donald Young (USA); Tommy Haas (GER) v Qualifier; Qualifier v Rafael Nadal (ESP x2).
Australian Open women's singles draw Draw made Friday for the women's singles in the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Monday (x denotes seed):
Women's singles Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1) v Anastasia Rodionova (AUS); Ashleigh Barty (AUS) v Anna Tatishvili (GEO); Pauline Parmentier (FRA) v Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS); Alize Cornet (FRA) v Monica Niculescu (ROM x31)
Lucie Safarova (CZE x24) v Christina McHale (USA); Qualifier v Marina Erakovic (NZL); Qualifier v Petra Martic (CRO); Qualifier v Jelena Jankovic (SRB x13); Kim Clijsters (BEL x11) v Qualifier; Stephanie Foretz Gacon (FRA) v Elena Baltacha (GBR); Arantxa Rus (NED) v Lesia Tsurenko (UKR); Qualifier v Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x20); Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP x26) v Eva Birnerova (CZE); Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) v Olga Govortsova (BLR); Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) v Olivia Rogowska (AUS); Ksenia Pervak (KAZ) v Li Na (CHN x5);Victoria Azarenka (BLR x3) v Heather Watson (GBR); Casey Dellacqua (AUS) v Bojana Jovanovski (SRB); Anne Keothavong (GBR) v Mona Barthel (GER); Ayumi Morita (JPN) v Petra Cetkovska (CZE x32); Flavia Pennetta (ITA x19) v Qualifier; Alberta Brianti (ITA) v Irina Falconi (USA); Iveta Benesova (CZE) v Mathilde Johansson (FRA); Aravane Rezai (FRA) v Peng Shuai (CHN x16); Francesca Schiavone (ITA x10) v Laura Pous-Tio (ESP)
Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR) v Romina Oprandi (ITA); Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) v Eleni Daniilidou (GRE); Polona Hercog (SLO) v Julia Goerges (GER x22); Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x28) v Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ); Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) v Sania Mirza (IND); Qualifier v Simona Halep (ROM); Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x8); Vera Zvonareva (RUS x7) v Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM); Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) v Lucie Hradecka (CZE); Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) v Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA); Johanna Larsson (SWE) v Kaia Kanepi (EST x25); Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x17) v Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK); Rebecca Marino (CAN0 v Greta Arn (HUN); Iryna Bremond (FRA) v Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE); Tamira Paszek (AUT) v Serena Williams (USA x12); Sabine Lisicki (GER x14) v Qualifier; Shahar Peer (ISR) v Isabella Holland (AUS); Sloane Stephens (USA) v Silvia Soler-Espinosa (ESP); Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x18); Angelique Kerber (GER x30) v Bojana Bobusic (AUS); Stephanie Dubois (CAN) v Elena Vesnina (RUS); Mandy Minella (LUX) v Qualifier; Gisela Dulko (ARG) v Maria Sharapova (RUS x4); Samantha Stosur (AUS x6) v Sorana Cirstea (ROM); Qualifier v Urszula Radwanska (POL); Qualifier v Sara Errani (ITA); Qualifier v Nadia Petrova (RUS x29); Roberta Vinci (ITA x23) v Alexandra Cadantu (ROM); Madison Keys (USA) v Zheng Jie (CHN); Jelena Dokic (AUS) v Anna Chakvetadze (RUS); Virginie Razzano (FRA) v Marion Bartoli (FRA x9). Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x15) v Klara Zakopalova (CZE); Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) v Vania King (USA)' Kristina Barrois (GER) v Michaella Krajicek (NED); Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB x21); Maria Kirilenko (RUS x27) v Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS); Zhang Shuai (CHN) v Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN); Irina-Camelia Begu (ROM) v Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP); Vera Dushevina (RUS) v Petra Kvitova (CZE x2).
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