Filed under: Tennis, Australian Open
Andy Murray has escaped what could have been a hazardous draw for next week's Australian Open after avoiding a potential quarter-final meeting with Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer in Melbourne.The World No. 5 will meet little-known Slovakian Karol Beck, the World No. 104, in the first round of the opening Grand Slam event of 2011, while his second-round opponent, should he progress, would be either Illya Marchenko or Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo.
In truth, the Scot could barely have wished for a better draw after he was allotted in the same quarter as fourth seed Robin Soderling, who leapfrogged him in the rankings last week following his success at the Brisbane International.
The British No. 1 does find himself in the same half of the draw as Nadal, however, meaning he would have to end the top seed's bid for a Grand Slam sweep to reach the final, where a potential repeat of last year's ultimately-failed duel against Federer could await.
As World No. 1, Nadal could have expected a less tricky path to the final than he has been handed. He meets Brazilian World No. 96 Marcos Daniel in the first round but could meet 32nd-ranked compatriot Feliciano Lopez or America's John Isner in round three, with last year's semi-finalist Marin Cilic of Croatia possibly waiting in the last 16.
Federer, meanwhile, will be happier with the cards he has been dealt after drawing Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in the first round, while 12th-ranked Gael Monfils of France may await in the last 16.
As for the women, the draw has also been kind to top Brit Elena Baltacha after she was paired with a qualifier in her opening match, although she could face Justine Henin in round two. Anne Keothavong, Heather Watson and Katie O'Brien are still involved in qualifying.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/01/14/australian-open-draw-kind-to-andy-murray/
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