Baghdatis twists the A-Rod

Sanam Singh (Seeded No 3)
The 17-year-old is the next best bet after Karan Rastogi and heartening results last year on the seniors circuit argue well about his future. The Chandigarh-based lad came of age winning the ITF Futures at New Delhi as a wild-card, which made him the youngest Indian Futures’ winner. Currently No 5 in the world, Sanam’s only hitch is that so far his wins and ranking in the junior circuit have been against Asian players. At the Open he’s will now have to prove his worth among the best in the world. Rd-1: v Rasmus Moller (Denmark; 73). Both have never met.
Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (Seeded No 6)
The south-paw from Chennai has clay as his favourite surface, not the hard courts Down Under. Statistics reveal that he’s not managed to win more than three rounds at a stretch, and assuming that his run goes on expected lines, Round 3 would mean running into top-seed Dutch Thiemo de Bakker who has won his first seventeen matches of the 2006 season. Rd-1: v Steven Goh (Australia; 286). Both have never met
Sanaa Bhambri
Despite being the No 1 seed in the qualifiers, the Delhi-based youngster is a lucky loser in the main draw, after losing her final qualifying round to No 10 seed Eugenia Vertesheva (Russia) on Saturday. The left-handed world No 59 has had an impressive junior record in 2005-06 with three ITF titles. Success, however, has been in India only. Having played most of her tennis on women’s circuit this year, the experience would surely come in handy. Rd-1: v Lauren Albanese (USA; 34). Both have never met
Sandhya Nagaraj
Sandhya began 2005 with a win at Kolkata. Since then, her success has been on clay, though a semifinal appearance in Thailand does suggest that she can do well on other surfaces. With a 50 per cent success rate on hardcourts, Sandhya’s record against the Europeans is modest. Having beaten top-600 players in Estrella Cabeza (538), Laura Vallverdu (568) during the year on the women’s circuit, she will need to draw that inspiration to progress more than Rd 1. Rd-1: v Chelsey Gullickson (USA; 76)

Oz Open Overview
Battle of the beauties:
Fourth seed Maria Sharapova overcame heat and humidity to beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-4.

Rebound ace:
Marcos Baghdatis fired 16 aces en route to his four-set upset win over Andy Roddick.

Hero of the Day:
High on confidence after tossing out 8th seed Gaston Gaudio in the previous round, Fabrice Santoro today despatched Spanish 11th seed David Ferrer in straight-sets at the Vodafone Arena. The 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 triumph earned the 33-year-old Frenchman his maiden Grand Slam singles quarter-final berth.

Petrova’s Purple Patch:
Sixth seed Nadia Petrova became the first Russian to reach the quarter-finals on Day Seven, as she accounted for young compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-1 in 62 minutes. The 23-year-old Petrova continued her purple patch of form at the Grand Slams, having made the semis at Roland Garros and the quarters at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year.

4 in row for Nalbandian:
Argentine 4th seed David Nalbandian reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the fourth consecutive year, posting a 6-3, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 win over 16 th seed Tommy Robredo on the Vodafone Arena on Day Seven.

Pick of the Day:
Both are out to make a statement at the Australian Open. Will it be Samantha Stosur – the lone native – or comeback queen Martina Hingis, who will have the last laugh?

Quote of the day
“I don’t think there’s really any pressure on me now, it’s just exciting.”
— Samantha Stosur, the lone Australian left, after reaching her first Grand Slam round of 16.