Mauresmo, Serena return to action Friday in Melbourne

Jan 18, 2007, 19:56 GMT

Melbourne, Australia - Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo of France and two-time winner Serena Williams of the United States will play their third-round matches Friday at the Australian Open.

The second-seeded and former world No. 1 Mauresmo will battle Czech Eva Birnerova, while an unseeded Williams will face fifth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova. Williams is 5-1 lifetime against Petrova, including wins here in Melbourne in 2001 and 2005.

The two-time Grand Slam champion Mauresmo topped Belgian star Justine Henin- Hardenne in last year's Aussie Open and Wimbledon finales and was the runner- up here in Melbourne in 1999. The 81st-ranked Williams is a seven-time major titlist who prevailed at the Aussie Open in 2003 and '05.

Day-5 third-round matches will also come for third-seeded French Open runner- up Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, seventh-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, 10th-seeded Czech Nicole Vaidisova and 11th-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic. The 2004 U.S. Open Kuznetsova will tangle with her 26th-seeded fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, while the two-time Grand Slam runner-up Dementieva will take on Italian Maria Elena Camerin; Vaidisova will meet 21st-seeded Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik; and the surging Jankovic will be opposed by Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. Jankovic is already 11-1 this season, including a title in Auckland two weeks ago.

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