Mal's Picks
	Washington Former ATP Tour pro MaliVai Washington is providing ESPN.com with analysis during the Australian Open.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- One of the biggest stories of the third round is last year's runner-up Marat Safin having to withdraw due to a wrist injury.

It's always disappointing when you do so well at an event and then the following year you can't duplicate that. Unfortunately for him, he's out, but fortunately for Rainer Schuettler, he advances.

Safin's withdrawal takes out possibly the best player in the top half of the draw with the exception of Lleyton Hewitt. It's a huge opportunity for James Blake, and a great opportunity for Roger Federer to get to the semifinals.

Lleyton Hewitt (1), Australia, vs. Younes El Aynaoui (18), Morocco
Younes El Ayanoui once again has come to Australia and is putting together some very good tennis. He was in the quarterfinals in 2000 and has thus far in the tournament lived up to his seeding. He's going to be a heavy underdog against Hewitt, who beat Radek Stepanek in the night match to advance, but Younes is a very dangerous player. If he does beat Hewitt it will be a big upset but no one in the locker room is going to look at that win and say it's a huge surprise because everyone knows how talented El Ayanoui is. But Hewitt is the No. 1 player in the world for good reason because he takes the court against everyone and figures out a way to beat everyone. Hewitt's my pick to win in four.
Pick: Hewitt

Andy Roddick (9), United States, vs. Mikhail Youzhny (25), Russia
After showing some first round struggles, Roddick rolled through his next two matches, which can be pretty dangerous for anyone in his way. When his serve is on and he's confident he has the ability to blow through guys. He's going to have a tougher match with Youzhny, but he's still going to come out on top. There's nothing more dangerous than a player with a huge serve on a roll.
Pick: Roddick

Rainer Schuettler (31), German, vs. James Blake (23), United States
James Blake is playing as well right now as he ever has in his career. He's only getting better and better with each match. Blake said even though he's playing his best tennis he can't afford to take Schuettler lightly because Schuettler is "such a smart player."

When you get to the round of 16, being successful in the quarters and moving on to the semis has a lot to depend on how one holds their nerve. Neither has been to the quarterfinals of a major, so the nerves will be there. The player who handles the situation, the occasion and the opportunity the best is the player who will win.
Pick: Blake

David Nalbandian (10), Argentina, vs. Roger Federer (6), Switzerland
Roger Federer is looking as sharp as anyone in this tournament. There's no reason to believe that he's not going to reach the quarterfinals. Nalbandian is a very good player -- he showed that last year when he reached the finals of Wimbledon. But this matchup is between one player who has every shot in the game and one player who is very one-dimensional. Federer in four sets.
Pick: Federer