The match is scheduled today, thursday 22/01 at 10 a.m. GMT.
Roger Federer and Marat Safin earned easy victories Wednesday to reach the Australian Open's third round, where the familiarity factor will be much higher: They'll play each other.
“I'm happy to be playing Marat; we have fought some battles,” Roger Federer said after ousting error-prone Evgeny Korolev of Russia 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in just 86 minutes. “We had the epic in 2005.”
That was a semifinal thriller here that Marat Safin won in a 9-7 fifth set en route to the championship. Federer, seeking to tie Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, has won their last three meetings, including the last two at Wimbledon.
Although Federer's No. 2 ranking is 24 places higher, Safin's talent, unpredictability and famed volatility set the stage for an early marquee matchup.
Safin, a former world No. 1, beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. He will turn 29 next week and has said he is unlikely to play after this year, so he's trying to enjoy what could be his farewell tour.
“I have nothing to lose,” Safin said. “I'm going to go for it. Whatever comes, comes. He knows how to play against me; I know how to play against him.”
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