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Serena, Sharapova on collision course

Melbourne - World No 1 and top seed Serena Williams faces a potential quarter-final with long-time rival Maria Sharapova at next week's Australian Open following Friday's draw.

Williams, who is chasing her seventh Australian crown and 22nd Grand Slam title after beating Sharapova in last year's final, will have a testing start against Italian Camila Giorgi, the highest ranked non-seeded player in the women's draw.

She could also meet former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round before a possible showdown with Sharapova, who has failed to beat Williams since 2004.

The American, who also won Wimbledon and the French Open in a glittering 2015 season, has been troubled by a knee injury since the US Open in September, but said at the draw that she was in good shape for the year's opening major.

"Everything is really well and I am feeling really good," Williams said. "I've been training every day for so long and I'm ready."

Williams is expected to play on Monday while the women's bottom half of the draw will start on Tuesday.

Romanian second seed Simona Halep, who faces a qualifier first up, is drawn to meet Serena's elder sister and eighth seed Venus Williams in the quarters.

Poland's fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who faces American Christina McHale first, has a potential last-eight clash with Czech sixth seed and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, who won the Brisbane International last weekend, could face Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round, while German seventh seed Angelique Kerber is drawn to meet Muguruza or Azarenka in the quarters.

Quarter-final projections in draw order:

Serena Williams v Maria Sharapova

Agnieszka Radwanska v Petra Kvitova

Garbine Muguruza v Angelique Kerber

Venus Williams v Simona Halep

The women's singles draw for the Australian Open made in Melbourne:

Serena Williams (USA x1) v Camila Giorgi (ITA)

Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) v Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)

Urszula Radwanska (POL) v Ana Konjuh (CRO)

Daria Kasatkina (RUS) v Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK x27)

Sara Errani (ITA x17) v Margarita Gasparyan (RUS)

Kurumi Nara (JPN) v Oceane Dodin (FRA)

Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) v Han Xinyun (CHN)

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) v Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x16)

Belinda Bencic (SUI x12) v Alison Riske (USA)

Heather Watson (GBR) v Timea Babos (HUN)

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR)

Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x23)

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x26) v Lauren Davis (USA)

Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) v Yanina Wickmayer (BEL)

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) v Evgeniya Rodina (RUS)

Nao Hibino (JPN) v Maria Sharapova (RUS x5)

Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x4) v Christina McHale (USA)

Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) v Aleksandra Krunic (SRB)

Magda Linette (POL) v Monica Puig (PUR)

Qualifier v Samantha Stosur (AUS x25)

Sloane Stephens (USA x24) v Qualifier

Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) v Anna-Lena Friedsam (GER)

Anna Tatishvili (USA) v Irina Falconi (USA)

Qualifier v Roberta Vinci (ITA x13)

Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP x10) v Qualifier

Qualifier v Qualifier

Monica Niculescu (ROU) v Teliana Pereira (BRA)

Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) v Andrea Petkovic (GER x22)

Kristina Mladenovic (FRA x28) v Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)

Qualifier v Klara Koukalova (CZE)

Daria Gavrilova (AUS) v Lucie Hradecka (CZE)

Qualifier v Petra Kvitova (CZE x6)

Angelique Kerber (GER x7) v Misaki Doi (JPN)

Storm Sanders (AUS) v Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU)

Madison Brengle (USA) v Coco Vandeweghe (USA)

Johanna Larsson (SWE) v Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU x29)

Jelena Jankovic (SRB x19) v Polona Hercog (SLO)

Laura Siegemund (GER) v Kiki Bertens (NED)

Priscilla Hon (AUS) v Annika Beck (GER)

Katerina Siniakova (CZE) v Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x11)

Victoria Azarenka (BLR x14) v Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL)

Samantha Crawford (USA) v Danka Kovinic (MNE)

Qualifier v Donna Vekic (CRO)

Victoria Duval (USA) v Elina Svitolina (UKR x18)

Caroline Garcia (FRA x32) v Barbora Strycova (CZE)

Mona Barthel (GER) v Vania King (USA)

Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) v Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO)

Anett Kontaveit (EST) v Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3)

Venus Williams (USA x8) v Johanna Konta (GBR)

Carina Witthoeft (GER) v Zheng Saisai (CHN)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v Denisa Allertova (CZE)

Petra Cetkovska (CZE) v Sabine Lisicki (GER x30)

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x21) v Maddison Inglis (AUS)

Tatjana Maria (GER) v Olga Govortsova (BLR)

Andreea Mitu (ROU) v Julia Goerges (GER)

Kimberly Birrell (AUS) v Karolina Pliskova (CZE x9)

Madison Keys (USA x15) v Zarina Diyas (KAZ)

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) v Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)

Qualifier v Jarmila Wolfe (AUS)

Tammi Patterson (AUS) v Ana Ivanovic (SRB x20)

Lesia Tsurenko (UKR x31) v Varvara Lepchenko (USA)

Lara Arruabarrena (ESP) v Qualifier

Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) v Alize Cornet (FRA)

Qualifier v Simona Halep (ROU x2)

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