Day five in Melbourne and the unseeded Anastasija Sevastova is the first to make the last 16. The Latvian beats Russian Vesna Manasieva, dropping just four games. Her next opponent? It's only the world number one
Of course, that top seed and world number one is Caroline Wozniacki, playing her first Grand Slam as the women's best player. The 20-year-old is facing Dominika Cibulkova who beat the Dane in Sydney last week
It's time for the men to wield their weapons and first up is Novak Djokovic who is playing his Serbian Davis Cup team-mate Viktor Troicki in the third round
Meanwhile, Francesca Schiavone opens up on Margaret Court Arena against Romanian Monica Niculescu with the French Open champion taking the first set with a 6-0 bagel and then surviving a tough tie-break to triumph
Disaster strikes for Viktor Troicki who has to throw in the towel with a dodgy stomach after losing the first set 6-2 in 39 minutes. It's tough to take for the two Serbians on the Hisense Arena
More mistakes and poor serving from both players as Wozniacki edges the first set against Cibulkova 6-4. Can the number one hold on against the erratic but lively Slovakian? Just. The Dane takes the second set 6-3
Djokovic, who makes a fifth consecutive appearance in the last 16 at Melbourne Park, says: "I know it's the third round of a Grand Slam and Troicki wanted to give 100%. And he was not able."
Schiavone muscles her way back from 5-2 down in the second set to force a tie-break and then dominates the Niculescu serve to wrap up a 6-0 7-6 (7-2) win and seal a meeting with Justine Henin or Svetlana Kuznetsova
Attempting to deal with the searing heat and a right elbow injury, 2004 champion Henin drops the first set in the face of some magnificent shot making from two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova
Kuznetsova takes control of the second set, too, but squanders two chances to serve out the match as Henin scrambles to remain in the competition and forces a tie-break
Meanwhile, Djokovic celebrates his earlier victory by practicing his footwork in the company of Dancing with the Stars celebrity Kim Johnson
Back to the action and Kuznetsova finally holds her nerve in a topsy-turvy tie-break to send Henin crashing out of the competition with a richly-deserved 6-4 7-6 (10-8) triumph
Germany's Julia Goerges takes the first set against former world number one Maria Sharapova but the Russian hits back to secure her passage to the fourth round in Melbourne
Australian fans must wait until Saturday to see women's fifth Samantha Stosur continue her tournament. She and teenager Bernard Tomic are the last two Aussies left in the singles draw
In the late session, Stanislas Wawrinka eases to a surprisingly straightforward victory over the 12th seed, Gael Monfils (pictured right) while Fernando Verdasco also wins in straight sets, over Kei Nishikori
Roger Federer and Xavier Malisse came through the youth ranks at the same time in the 1990s but today there is a huge gulf in class between the pair and Federer books his place in round four with a straight sets win
In the final singles match of the day on Rod Laver, there's an anti-climax for tennis fans when Venus Williams is force to retire after two points of the second game against Germany's Andrea Petkovic, citing a groin injury
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