Roddick beats Safin as Federer keeps cool

Andy Roddick kept his head while Marat Safin and all around him were losing theirs to win the titanic showdown of the third round at the Australian Open yesterday.

As the Russian raged at the match referee and chair umpire, Roddick, under the watchful eye of coach Jimmy Connors, dismantled his opponent's confidence with a 7-6 2-6 6-4 7-6 win to book a last-16 tie against Mario Ancic.

Defending champions Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo safely booked their places in round four while two-time former champion Serena Williams staged a remarkable comeback to secure hers.

But the day was all about the showdown between powerhouse Roddick and 2005 champion Safin, who was unable to defend his title last year due to injury.

The quality of the tennis may not have matched the intensity of the pre-match hype, but Roddick's furious chasing, bizarre officiating and Safin's volcanic temper provided a dynamic spectacle.

Safin scowled at chair umpire Pascal Maria when the French official called a serve long only to have his decision overturned when the Russian referred the call to Hawk-eye.

But, while Safin fumed, Roddick won more of the long baseline rallies when it mattered most and quietly watched as the Russian imploded to end his nine-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.

After rain caused a four-hour delay, it was left to Williams and Federer to lift dampened spirits.

Williams looked dead and buried against fifth seed Nadia Petrova at a set and 5-4 down with the Russian serving for a place in round four.

But the American dug deep for a 1-6 7-5 6-3 victory and a match against red-hot Serb Jelena Jankovic.

She was seen mouthing 'Hi Dad, call me' to the cameras as she celebrated her win and revealed afterwards that it was a plea to her father Richard to get in touch.

Federer inflicted technical frustrations of a different sort on Mikhail Youzhny, using the Hawk-eye system he had earlier in the week derided as 'nonsense' to help him pass the Russian 25th seed in straight sets.

A string of disputed calls in the third set left Federer bereft of challenges and another decision irked him in the closing stages of a tense tiebreak, but he went to on to seal a fourth-round tie with Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 7-6.

Djokovic, the 14th seed, dropped his first set of the week when coming through in four against Thailand's Danai Udomchoke, the last Asian representative in the men's draw.

Arthurs eliminated

Home hopes suffered in heartbreaking fashion when veteran Wayne Arthurs reacted to a painkilling injection in his leg and was forced to bow out of his third-round match after three games against American Mardy Fish.

Richard Gasquet won the battle of the 20-year-old Frenchmen 6-0 4-6 7-5 6-3 against Gael Monfils and faces seventh seed Tommy Robredo after his four-set disposal of 19-year-old American Sam Querrey.

Czech 20th seed Radek Stepanek will have more time to cheer on fiancee Martina Hingis after he crashed 6-7 4-6 6-0 6-4 6-3 in a marathon three hour 51 minute epic to Spain's David Ferrer.

Mauresmo happily strolled into a last-16 place against Czech Lucie Safarova after a 6-3 6-1 win over another Czech, Eva Birnerova.

Svetlana Kuznetsova bustled her way through at the expense of Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-4.