Murray's path to final

Murray, a career-high ninth in the ATP rankings after last week's victory in Doha, has been handed a tough opener against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Tsonga, ranked 38 in the world, brought an end to Tim Henman's career at the 2007 US Open and could give Murray early problems.

But Murray beat the Frenchman in straight sets in their only previous meeting, in Metz last year.

The powerful 22-year-old Tsonga has yet to win an ATP event, but among his eight second-tier triumphs is last year's Surbiton title, where he beat Ivo Karlovic in the final.

If Murray negotiates Tsonga then Juan Pablo Brzezicki could await, assuming the Argentinean overcomes a qualifier in the opening round.

Coming into Melbourne at a career-high 97 in the world, Brzezicki won his maiden title last year at the Challenger event in Salinas, Ecuador.

A likely third-round opponent for Murray is Juan Ignacio Chela . However, the 18th seeded Argentinean, ranked 20 in the world, has won only one title on the ATP Tour since 2004, in Acapulco, Mexico last year.

Murray can also take confidence from having beaten him in straight sets in the third round of last year's Australian Open.

Otherwise, Murray's opponents could be Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, currently ranked 87 despite achieving a career-high 57 last year, and number 84 Alejandro Falla - though the left-handed Colombian has never reached the second round in Melbourne.

One of two seeded players could be next; Russia's Igor Andreev (31) and France's Richard Gasquet (8), who is ranked one place above the Scot. Spain's unseeded Feliciano Lopez, ranked at 36, could also lie in wait.

Andreev went out in the first round in Melbourne last year, while the exciting Gasquet reached the fourth round, eventually losing to Tommy Robredo. Gasquet also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he lost to Roger Federer.

The Frenchman is considered a potential star and a showdown with Murray could be one of the highlights of the event.

If Murray reaches the last eight, there is a good chance he will face one of four seeds. Seeded highest is Russian Nikolay Davydenko (4), with his compatriot Mikhail Youzhny (14), Ivo Karlovic (20) of Croatia and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka (26) also in the same quarter of the draw.

Murray has played Davydenko five times, always on hard courts. Davydenko won the first two, Murray the last three, including the Doha semi-finals this year and last. The score in 2008 was 6-4 6-3.

The Briton also met Wawrinka in Doha last week, and beat him 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the final.

Murray's one meeting with Karlovic was the memorable 6-7 6-4 7-6 victory in the final of San Jose in 2007. The Scot has played Youzhny only once, on carpet in St. Petersburg last year, and won with a deciding tie-break.

Other potential opponents include Italy's Andreas Seppi, Frenchmen Julien Benneteau, Marc Gicquel, Nicolas Mahut and Michael Llodra, and Argentina's Jose Acasuso .

In the semis, Murray is most likely to meet Rafael Nadal - firm-favourite Federer is in the other half of the draw - a bonus for the Scot as Nadal's preference for slower clay is well-known.

The new surface in Oz is said to be even quicker than before, which could cause further problems for Spain's world number two.

Murray led Nadal in their fourth-round meeting in Melbourne last year before going down 6-7 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-1.

They also met in the Madrid Masters, Nadal again emerging triumphant despite an early Murray onslaught on the hardcourt surface.

Other seeds in the bottom half of the draw include American Andy Roddick (6) - who should suit the new blue courts - and Spaniards Tommy Robredo (11) and Carlos Moya (16).

The remaining seeds are French duo Paul-Henri Mathieu (23) and Gilles Simon (28), Finn Jarkko Nieminen (24) and German Philipp Kohlschreiber (29).

If Murray makes his first Grand Slam final, then he is most likely to meet defending champion Federer, though Serbia's Novak Djokovic could have something to say about that.

Federer has never lost a Grand Slam final outside the French Open and would be overwhelming favourite to add a fourth Australian title to those he won in 2007, 2005 and 2004.

A word of warning to the Fed Express: Murray won their last encounter, at the 2006 Cincinnati Masters, in straight sets.

But Federer never forgets his rare defeats, and would be hell bent on revenge if he finds Murray opposive him at Melbourne Park.