25 Jan 2011

Quarter-final action starts today in Melbourne

10:13 am on 25 January 2011

Roger Federer is certain not to let sentiment get in the way when he meets his friend and compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka on the first day of quarter-final action at the Australian tennis Open.

The 16-times grand slam winner suffered a few lapses in the first week of the year's first grand slam, notably in a five-set thriller against Gilles Simon, but the prospect of a place in the last four for an eighth consecutive year is sure to sharpen his appetite for the contest on Rod Laver Arena.

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone's ability to recover from Sunday's grand slam record four hour, 44 minute thriller against Svetlana Kuznetsova will be key to her last eight encounter with top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

Meanwhile Wozniacki has played just five and a half hours in total over her four matches in reaching her first quarter-final at Melbourne Park and will be keen to avenge her defeat to the dogged Italian at the same stage of the French Open last year.

In today's first quarter-final China's Li Na gets a chance to repeat last year's run to the last four against Germany's Andrea Petkovic, while tonight men's third seed Novak Djokovic is against sixth seed Thomas Berdych.