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Djokovic drawn to face Federer in semis

Melbourne - Five-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic could face record Grand Slam winner Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the season's opening Grand Slam following Friday's draw in Melbourne.

The 10-time Grand Slam champion from Serbia is projected to face Japan's seventh seed Kei Nishikori in the quarters, while Switzerland's 17-time major winner Federer is set to meet Czech Tomas Berdych in the second quarter-final of the top half of the men's draw.

Top seed Djokovic, who wore down Andy Murray to win last year's final at Melbourne Park, won three Grand Slam titles among 11 tournament victories in a stellar 2015 season, and a win-loss record of 82-6.

He will play South Korean Hyeon Chung in the opening round.

Federer, who lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year, will play Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili to get his campaign underway.

Explosive young Australian Nick Kyrgios, seeded 29, could face Berdych in the third round.

British second seed Murray, who has lost in four Australian Open finals, is drawn to meet Spanish terrier David Ferrer in the quarter-finals in the bottom half of the men's draw.

The Scot will take on Germany's Alexander Zverev in the opening round, while eighth seed Ferrer could face Lleyton Hewitt in the second round in the Australian great's 20th consecutive and farewell home Grand Slam before his retirement.

Murray could have a showdown with top-ranked Australian youngster Bernard Tomic in the fourth round.

Rafael Nadal faces a potential rematch of his losing 2014 final against Swiss fourth seed Stan Wawrinka in the other quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw.

Wawrinka is projected to face big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic in the fourth round, while Nadal, who won the Australian title only once in 2009, could take on South African Kevin Anderson in the last 16.

Wawrinka, who upset Djokovic in last year's French Open final for his second major win, opens against Russia's Dmitry Tursunov, while Nadal meets Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco.

Quarter-final projections:

Novak Djokovic v Kei Nishikori

Roger Federer v Tomas Berdych

Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka

David Ferrer v Andy Murray

The men's singles draw for the Australian Open made in Melbourne on Friday:

Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) v Hyeon Chung (KOR)

Quentin Halys (FRA) v Ivan Dodig (CRO)

Filip Krajinovic (SRB) v Denis Kudla (USA)

Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) v Andreas Seppi (ITA x28)

Ivo Karlovic (CRO x22) v Federico Delbonis (ARG)

Jiri Vesely (CZE) v Qualifier

Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) v Inigo Cervantes (ESP)

Vasek Pospisil (CAN) v Gilles Simon (FRA x14)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x9) v Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)

Omar Jasika (AUS) v Illya Marchenko (UKR)

Pablo Andujar (ESP) v Qualifier

Noah Rubin (USA) v Benoit Paire (FRA x17)

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP x26) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)

Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) v Qualifier

Austin Krajicek (USA) v Qualifier

Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) v Kei Nishikori (JPN x7)

Roger Federer (SUI x3) v Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO)

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) v Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x27)

Dominic Thiem (AUT x19) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)

Julien Benneteau (FRA) v Nicolas Almagro (ESP)

Kyle Edmund (GBR) v Damir Dzumhur (BIH)

Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) v David Goffin (BEL x15)

Marin Cilic (CRO x12) v Thiemo de Bakker (NED)

Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) v Borna Coric (CRO)

Dusan Lajovic (SRB) v Sam Querrey (USA)

Martin Klizan (SVK) v Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP x24)

Nick Kyrgios (AUS x29) v Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) v Pablo Cuevas (URU)

Robin Haase (NED) v Qualifier

Yuki Bhambri (IND) v Tomas Berdych (CZE x6)

Rafael Nadal (ESP x5) v Fernando Verdasco (ESP)

Benjamin Becker (GER) v Dudi Sela (ISR)

Qualifier v Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS)

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) v Jeremy Chardy (FRA x30)

Gael Monfils (FRA x23) v Qualifier

Marco Cecchinato (ITA) v Nicolas Mahut (FRA)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Rajeev Ram (USA) v Kevin Anderson (RSA x11)

Milos Raonic (CAN x13) v Lucas Pouille (FRA)

Malek Jaziri (TUN) v Tommy Robredo (ESP)

Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) v Qualifier

Daniel Munoz de la Nava (ESP) v Viktor Troicki (SRB x21)

Jack Sock (USA x25) v Qualifier

Taro Daniel (JPN) v Lukas Rosol (CZE)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) v Stan Wawrinka (SUI x4)

David Ferrer (ESP x8) v Qualifier

James Duckworth (AUS) v Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) v Jordan Thompson (AUS)

Aljaz Bedene (GBR) v Steve Johnson (USA x31)

Feliciano Lopez (ESP x18) v Qualifier

Steve Darcis (BEL) v Guido Pella (ARG)

Matthew Ebden (AUS) v Marcel Granollers (ESP)

Jerzy Janowicz (POL) v John Isner (USA x10)

Bernard Tomic (AUS x16) v Denis Istomin (UZB)

Simone Bolelli (ITA) v Brian Baker (USA)

John Millman (AUS) v Diego Schwartzman (ARG)

Gilles Muller (LUX) v Fabio Fognini (ITA x20)

Joao Sousa (POR x32) v Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ)

Santiago Giraldo (COL) v Donald Young (USA)

Adrian Mannarino (FRA) v Sam Groth (AUS)

Alexander Zverev (GER) v Andy Murray (GBR x2)

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