Marcos Baghdatis /Getty Images

Plenty of Action and Excitement Down Under

January 26, 2006- The second week of a Grand Slam in tennis often brings marquee match-ups, heroic efforts, and some of the best tennis you can find anywhere in the world. The second week of the 2006 Australian Open appears to be no exception.

This year's Open has already seen the continued dominance of the world's best player, a wonderful Cinderella story, numerous memorable upsets, and a remarkable comeback.

The men's semifinals are set and, as expected, world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland is among the four competitors. But he is certainly feeling the pressure of being targeted by the rest of the field. After three rounds wherein he did not lose a set, Federer had to struggle his way through a fourth round five-setter against Germany's Tommy Haas and a four-set quarterfinal battle against fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia.

Despite some spirited challenges, Federer remains alive with two tough matches still to come. First up is a tough semifinal match-up against feisty German Nicholas Kiefer, the 21st seed.

A potential finals opponent comes in the rather unlikely form of Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. Baghdatis has enjoyed a Cinderella-like run through to the semis, collecting eye-opening victories over 7th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic, 17th-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek, and even a shocking win over 2nd-seeded American superstar Andy Roddick. To continue his run to the finals, Baghdatis will have to get past perhaps his most imposing challenge yet, 4th-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina, in the semis.

Even with a tremendous quality of talent remaining in the men's singles draw, one cannot help but notice some of the stars who were unable to earn a spot in the much-coveted semifinals. In addition to Roddick, hometown favorite Lleyton Hewitt, Argentinian sixth seed Guillermo Coria, and American James Blake were among those who fell by the wayside at the Aussie Open.

The best of men's tennis, including Federer, Roddick, and many more, will be out in full force for the 2006 Roger's Cup Presented by American Express August 5-13.

In the women's draw, the biggest story has been Switzerland's Martina Hingis. After several years away from tennis, the Swiss Miss turned back the clock at this year's Open and reached the quarterfinals before falling in three, tough sets to second-seeded Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

However, there is plenty left to be excited about, as three of the world's top four players find themselves in the semifinals. Clijsters will face third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France, while fourth-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova will face eighth-seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne, who stunned top-seeded American Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals.

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