No.3 Lleyton Hewitt [Australia] vs. Rafael Nadal [Spain]

Welcome to a match that is guaranteed to keep fans glued to their seats or their TV sets.

Both Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal are spirited competitors - they quite literally bring everything they have to each and every match they play. And that is a recipe for excitement.

Nadal has certainly shown that he knows how to play big-time matches. Just take a look at his enthralling four-set upset of Andy Roddick at the Davis Cup final in Seville, Spain in early December. The win was the talk of the country the next day with Nadal's face splashed across the front pages of every paper in Spain.

Nadal comes from a famous sporting family in Spain - his uncle, Miguel Angel, is a well-known professional soccer player who competed in the 2002 World Cup. This background helps a talented teenager like Nadal to handle all the complexities that come along with being a world-class athlete.

Interestingly, Hewitt also comes from a sporting background as well. His father, Glynn, played Aussie Rules football and has been a driving force behind his very competitive son.

While Nadal is just starting to make a name in the game, Hewitt is already a champion, having won the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon titles.

But Hewitt's game dipped to some degree after that peak, and it's only been in the past six months or so that he's picking up the pace. He put in a tremendous effort at the US Open in September to earn a final berth, where he had little staying power against world No.1 Roger Federer.

Hewitt is not only desperate for another shot at Federer, but also desperate to win his home Grand Slam. It's been a long time since Mark Edmondson did Australia proud in 1976 by hoisting the Australian Open trophy.

Hewitt certainly seems to have the goods to keep the left-handed Nadal at bay. He has beaten him both times they have played - at the 2004 Australian Open and the Canadian Open. In Canada, the match went the three-set distance, while last year at Melbourne Park the first two sets of that encounter went to tie-breakers.

Hewitt will have the advantage of the home stage and that should deliver him to the quarter-finals here for the first time in his career.