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 quarter-final 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.
Murray could have a showdown with top-ranked Australian youngster Bernard Tomic in the fourth round.
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.
Wawrinka, who upset Djokovic in last year’s French Open final for his second major win, opens against Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov, while Nadal meets Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco.
In the women’s draw, world number one and top seed Serena Williams faces a potential quarter-final with long time rival Maria Sharapova.
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.
She could also meet former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round before a possible showdown with Sharapova, who has failed to beat Williams since 2004.
The American, who also won Wimbledon and the French Open in a glittering 2015 season, has been troubled by a knee injury since the US Open in September, but said at the draw that she was in good shape for the year’s opening major.
“Everything is really well and I am feeling really good,” Williams said. “I’ve been training every day for so long and I’m ready.”
Williams is expected to play on Monday while the women’s bottom half of the draw will start on Tuesday.
Romanian second seed Simona Halep, who faces a qualifier first up, is drawn to meet Serena’s elder sister and eighth seed Venus Williams in the quarters.
Poland’s fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who faces American Christina McHale first, has a potential last-eight clash with Czech sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, who won the Brisbane International last weekend, 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 quarters.
The men’s singles draw for the Australian Open made in Melbourne on Friday:
Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Hyeon Chung (KOR)
Quentin Halys (FRA) v Ivan Dodig (CRO)
Filip Krajinovic (SRB) v Denis Kudla (USA)
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) v Andreas Seppi (ITA x28)
Ivo Karlovic (CRO x22) v Federico Delbonis (ARG)
Jiri Vesely (CZE) v Qualifier
Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) v Inigo Cervantes (ESP)
Vasek Pospisil (CAN) v Gilles Simon (FRA x14)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x9) v Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)
Omar Jasika (AUS) v Illya Marchenko (UKR)
Pablo Andujar (ESP) v Qualifier
Noah Rubin (USA) v Benoit Paire (FRA x17)
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP x26) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) v Qualifier
Austin Krajicek (USA) v Qualifier
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) v Kei Nishikori (JPN x7)
Roger Federer (SUI x3) v Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) v Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR)
Qualifier v Qualifier
Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x27)
Dominic Thiem (AUT x19) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
Julien Benneteau (FRA) v Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
Kyle Edmund (GBR) v Damir Dzumhur (BIH)
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) v David Goffin (BEL x15)
Marin Cilic (CRO x12) v Thiemo de Bakker (NED)
Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) v Borna Coric (CRO)
Dusan Lajovic (SRB) v Sam Querrey (USA)
Martin Klizan (SVK) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x24)
Nick Kyrgios (AUS x29) v Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) v Pablo Cuevas (URU)
Robin Haase (NED) v Qualifier
Yuki Bhambri (IND) v Tomas Berdych (CZE x6)
Rafael Nadal (ESP x5) v Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Benjamin Becker (GER) v Dudi Sela (ISR)
Qualifier v Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS)
Ernests Gulbis (LAT) v Jeremy Chardy (FRA x30)
Gael Monfils (FRA x23) v Qualifier
Marco Cecchinato (ITA) v Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
Qualifier v Qualifier
Rajeev Ram (USA) v Kevin Anderson (RSA x11)
Milos Raonic (CAN x13) v Lucas Pouille (FRA)
Malek Jaziri (TUN) v Tommy Robredo (ESP)
Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) v Qualifier
Daniel Munoz de la Nava (ESP) v Viktor Troicki (SRB x21)
Jack Sock (USA x25) v Qualifier
Taro Daniel (JPN) v Lukas Rosol (CZE)
Qualifier v Qualifier
Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) v Stan Wawrinka (SUI x4)
David Ferrer (ESP x8) v Qualifier
James Duckworth (AUS) v Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) v Jordan Thompson (AUS)
Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Steve Johnson (USA x31)
Feliciano Lopez (ESP x18) v Qualifier
Steve Darcis (BEL) v Guido Pella (ARG)
Matthew Ebden (AUS) v Marcel Granollers (ESP)
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) v John Isner (USA x10)
Bernard Tomic (AUS x16) v Denis Istomin (UZB)
Simone Bolelli (ITA) v Brian Baker (USA)
John Millman (AUS) v Diego Schwartzman (ARG)
Gilles Muller (LUX) v Fabio Fognini (ITA x20)
Joao Sousa (POR x32) v Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)
Santiago Giraldo (COL) v Donald Young (USA)
Adrian Mannarino (FRA) v Sam Groth (AUS)
Alexander Zverev (GER) v Andy Murray (GBR x2)
The women’s singles draw for the Australian Open made in Melbourne on Friday:
Serena Williams (USA x1) v Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) v Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
Urszula Radwanska (POL) v Ana Konjuh (CRO)
Daria Kasatkina (RUS) v Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK x27)
Sara Errani (ITA x17) v Margarita Gasparyan (RUS)
Kurumi Nara (JPN) v Oceane Dodin (FRA)
Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) v Han Xinyun (CHN)
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) v Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x16)
Belinda Bencic (SUI x12) v Alison Riske (USA)
Heather Watson (GBR) v Timea Babos (HUN)
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x23)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x26) v Lauren Davis (USA)
Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) v Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) v Evgeniya Rodina (RUS)
Nao Hibino (JPN) v Maria Sharapova (RUS x5)
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x4) v Christina McHale (USA)
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) v Aleksandra Krunic (SRB)
Magda Linette (POL) v Monica Puig (PUR)
Qualifier v Samantha Stosur (AUS x25)
Sloane Stephens (USA x24) v Qualifier
Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) v Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER)
Anna Tatishvili (USA) v Irina Falconi (USA)
Qualifier v Roberta Vinci (ITA x13)
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x10) v Qualifier
Qualifier v Qualifier
Monica Niculescu (ROU) v Teliana Pereira (BRA)
Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) v Andrea Petkovic (GER x22)
Kristina Mladenovic (FRA x28) v Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
Qualifier v Klara Koukalova (CZE)
Daria Gavrilova (AUS) v Lucie Hradecka (CZE)
Qualifier v Petra Kvitova (CZE x6)
Angelique Kerber (GER x7) v Misaki Doi (JPN)
Storm Sanders (AUS) v Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU)
Madison Brengle (USA) v Coco Vandeweghe (USA)
Johanna Larsson (SWE) v Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU x29)
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x19) v Polona Hercog (SLO)
Laura Siegemund (GER) v Kiki Bertens (NED)
Priscilla Hon (AUS) v Annika Beck (GER)
Katerina Siniakova (CZE) v Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x11)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x14) v Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL)
Samantha Crawford (USA) v Danka Kovinic (MNE)
Qualifier v Donna Vekic (CRO)
Victoria Duval (USA) v Elina Svitolina (UKR x18)
Caroline Garcia (FRA x32) v Barbora Strycova (CZE)
Mona Barthel (GER) v Vania King (USA)
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) v Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO)
Anett Kontaveit (EST) v Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3)
Venus Williams (USA x8) v Johanna Konta (GBR)
Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Zheng Saisai (CHN)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v Denisa Allertova (CZE)
Petra Cetkovska (CZE) v Sabine Lisicki (GER x30)
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x21) v Maddison Inglis (AUS)
Tatjana Maria (GER) v Olga Govortsova (BLR)
Andreea Mitu (ROU) v Julia Goerges (GER)
Kimberly Birrell (AUS) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE x9)
Madison Keys (USA x15) v Zarina Diyas (KAZ)
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) v Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)
Qualifier v Jarmila Wolfe (AUS)
Tammi Patterson (AUS) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB x20)
Lesia Tsurenko (UKR x31) v Varvara Lepchenko (USA)
Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) v Qualifier
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) v Alize Cornet (FRA)
Qualifier v Simona Halep (ROU x2)
Women’s quarter-final projections in draw order:
Serena Williams v Maria Sharapova
Agnieszka Radwanska v Petra Kvitova
Garbine Muguruza v Angelique Kerber
Venus Williams v Simona Halep
Men’s quarter-final projections in draw order:
Novak Djokovic v Kei Nishikori
Roger Federer v Tomas Berdych
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka
David Ferrer v Andy Murray
