Fernando González to defend his spot in Australian Open at dawn tomorrow

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MELBOURNE.- Hopes are centered on Fernando González (no. 7 in the world) after defeats suffered by both Paul Capdeville and Nicolás Massú at the Australian Open –a cement court tournament with a total prize of $20.6 million U.S. dollars. González will go up against South Korean player Hyung-Taik Lee (no. 47) at no earlier than 4:00 AM (time in Chile).

After a favorable beginning for Chile's top tennis player, who effortlessly took the match yesterday against Konstantinos Economidis (no. 142), González is set to play for the third time against Hyung-Taik Lee.

La Reina native González has triumphed in both previous matches between the two. The first standoff took place during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, ending with a score of 7-5 and 6-2. González' most recent match against Taik Lee was at last year's ATP Beijing tournament, with a score of 7-5, 6-7(5) and 6-4.

The third confrontation between the two players at the first Grand Slam tournament of the season is scheduled to take place during Show Court 2's last shift. If he defeats Taik Lee, González will then have to play the winner of the match between Croatian player Marin Clic (no. 57) and Austrian player Jurgen Melzer (no. 71).