Australia celebrates while Russians falter

Lleyton Hewitt won an epic battle with Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal yesterday and Alicia Molik upset former world number one Venus Williams to raise hopes of a home champion at the Australian Open.

Hewitt clawed his way back from the brink of defeat to win 7-5 3-6 1-6 7-6 6-2 while Molik rode her booming serve to a 7-5 7-6 victory over Williams.

The performance by the two Australians was in contrast to the Russian women, whose seemingly unstoppable advance came to a shuddering halt when Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva both bombed out against lower-ranked opponents.

Myskina, last season's French Open champion and WTA player of the year, fell 6-4 6-2 to Nathalie Dechy after Dementieva, a finalist in two of the last three grand slams, had been upset by Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-7 7-6 6-2.

Hewitt had been in deep trouble when Nadal strung together nine successive games to set up a 2-1 sets lead before producing one of his greatest comebacks.

"It's amazing how many matches I've been able to win throughout my career by giving a 100 per cent out there," Hewitt said.

"That never-say-die attitude, yet again, it gets me through another big match."

Nadal has been tipped as a future grand slam champion after helping Spain win last year's Davis Cup and the 18-year-old said his performance against Hewitt had shown he has what it takes.

"I am happy because he is number three in the world and I played the same as him today. If I play at this level, I can do important things this year," Nadal said.

It has been more than a quarter of a century since an Australian won either singles titles in Melbourne but the host nation is suddenly in with a chance of winning both after Molik scored the biggest win of her life.

Unbeaten in the three tournaments she has played this year, Molik fired seven aces past a bewildered Williams to set up a meeting with world number one Lindsay Davenport tomorrow - Australia Day.

The Russians seemed to have the women's tournament at their mercy after seven different players marched into the round of 16 but only two survived to the quarter-finals after the shock defeats of Myskina and Dementieva yesterday.

The remaining Russians, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova and US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, meet today for a place in the semi-finals.

Russia did at least have something to celebrate when Nikolay Davydenko beat Argentine Guillermo Canas 6-3 6-4 6-3 to join compatriot Marat Safin in the last eight of the men's draw.

Argentine David Nalbandian, eliminated compatriot Guillermo Coria 5-7 7-5 6-3 6-0 in the night match. He next faces Hewitt.

Davydenko, the 26th seed, plays world number two Andy Roddick in the quarters after the American blasted Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 7-6 6-1.

The big-hitting Roddick was never in any serious trouble against Kohlschreiber, but said it was his least convincing performance of the tournament.

"I just felt like I was fighting it a little bit more than I had in the first three rounds," Roddick said.

"The good thing is I don't feel like I had my best day and we're sitting here talking about a three-set win."