Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Tim Smyczek of the U.S. during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne. Photo / AP
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after defeating Tim Smyczek of the U.S. during their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne. Photo / AP
Rafa Nadal returns to the scene of his near meltdown, 'Genie' Bouchard continues to weave her magic, Roger Federer looks to add to his remarkable record and the Australian young guns are on show.
Don't miss: Rafa Nadal vs Dudi Sela The Spanish great was pushed to the limit - mentallyand physically - on Wednesday night and has requested the final match on Rod Laver Arena tonight. The world No3 dodged a bullet against American Tim Smyczek and should be too strong for Sela (world No 106), who is aiming to become the first Israeli man to reach the fourth round since 1992. Head to head: First meeting.
Worth a watch: Eugenie Bouchard vs Caroline Garcia Aside from the Australians, world No7 Bouchard is probably the most popular female at the Open. `Genie' had a spectacular season last year, reaching the final at Wimbledon and the last four in two other slams, where she was beaten by the eventual winner on both occasions. Garcia (world No 36) has never gone beyond the third round of a major but did beat the Canadian in their only previous encounter. Head to Head: Garcia 1-0
Also worth a watch:Andy Murray vs Joao Sousa Murray has slipped under the radar so far at this tournament, lacking the hype of previous years. But he remains a threat in this half of the draw and a win today will put him into the fourth round for the seventh consecutive year. Sousa (world No 55) is bidding to become the first Portuguese player to go into the second week at a grand slam. It's unlikely though, as Murray hasn't lost to a player outside the top 50 since 2012. Head to Head: Murray 3-0
Don't forget: Roger Federer vs Andreas Seppi A battle of the thirty-somethings. Despite losing the first set on Wednesday, Federer remains on track to continue a remarkable streak in Melbourne; he has reached at least the last four for 11 consecutive years. Seppi (world No 46) is an experienced professional but needs to overcome a huge weight of history; Federer hasn't lost to an Italian since 2007. Head to Head: Federer leads 10-0
Aussie Bonanza: The sunburnt country is going nuts over the success of locals in the tournament and will raise the roof if 19-year-old wonder kid Nick Giorgio gets through to the fourth round. He has a good chance too, against Tunisian world No75 Malek Jaziri. Bernard Tomic and Sam Groth also meet in a local derby.
Best of the rest: #Tomas Berdych vs Viktor Troicki. The powerful Czech against the resurgent Serbian. Head to head: Berdych 5-1 #Simona Halep vs Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The third seed versus the American world no 258, who has entered the tournament via a protected ranking. Head to head: 1-1 #Grigor Dimitrov vs Marcos Baghdatis. The 29-year-old Cypriot remains incredibly popular, almost a decade after his run to the final, and should test the young Bulgarian star. Head to head: Dimitrov 5-1
Kiwis in action Artem Sitak and German partner Benjamin Becker are in second round doubles action today, scheduled for the third match of the day on court eight.
Stat of the day: Federer has a perfect record of 11 wins or more over just four players; David Ferrer (16-0), Mikhail Youzhny (15-0) Jarkko Nieminen (14-0) and Feliciano Lopez (11-0). A victory today over Seppi would extend that select group to five.
