Australian Open 2012 TV Schedule: Top Matches That Must Be on Your Radar

There were a couple of surprising developments at the Australian Open in the early rounds, but we're getting to the point where things are going to start getting very interesting.

In this case, "interesting" things would be in the realm of unforeseen upsets and high-profile matchups between top seeds. It's already apparent that major stars in both the men's and women's brackets are on a collision course, and it's apparent that a couple stars here and there are ripe for an upset.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves by entertaining hypotheticals. There are too many matchups that are set in stone and right here in front of all of us.

These are the matchups we should be focused on. Especially the ones listed below.

Day 6 Matches (Complete Breakdown)

Men's Matches

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Nicolas Mahut -- 3rd Match at Rod Laver Arena

As expected, Novak Djokovic has been dominant so far in the Australian Open. He hasn't dropped a set yet, and he generally looks very much like the player who won this event last year and then proceeded to have one of the greatest years in tennis history.

However, Nicolas Mahut is an opponent who should not be underestimated. He has a tendency to draw out his matches. Even if he loses, he rarely makes it easy on his opponents. He could give Djoker a run for his money, which, if nothing else, would make this an entertaining match.

Milos Raonic (23) vs. Lleyton Hewitt -- 5th Match at Rod Laver Arena

Milos Raonic is a young man liked by many to be the next big star in the men's ranks. He still has room to grow, but he already has a blistering serve that makes him a very difficult player to break.

But Lleyton Hewitt has been around long enough to know what to do with a tough serve when he sees one. It helps that he just faced Andy Roddick, who has a pretty nasty serve in his own right. Perhaps the savvy veteran can pull off an upset over the young Canadian in this match.

Andy Murray (4) vs. Michael Llodra -- 4th Match at Hisense Arena

Andy Murray's run through the Australian Open got off to a tough start, as he dropped his opening set against Ryan Harrison. Murray hasn't dropped a set since, and has generally lived up to his billing as one of the top players in the world.

Michael Llodra hasn't had it quite so easy. It's taken him nine sets to get to this point, and seemingly all of them have been hotly contested. If you want to look on the bright side, at least he's managed to win his two matches, signaling that he has enough grit and determination to surprise people. He's going to need both to beat Murray.

Women's Matches

Maria Kirilenko (27) vs. Petra Kvitova (2) -- 1st Match at Rod Laver Arena

Petra Kvitova was looking pretty good up until her second set against Carla Suarez Navarro in the second round. She dropped that set, and then had to fight tooth and nail to put Navarro away in the third set. 

Still, Kvitova should be able to handle Maria Kirilenko. She's looked sharp for the most part, and she will give Kvitova a challenge, but Kvitova has a way of bearing down when she needs to.

Angelique Kerber (30) vs. Maria Sharapova (4) -- 2nd Match at Rod Laver Arena

One of the big questions in the women's bracket right now is whether or not anybody can slow down Maria Sharapova. She hasn't dropped a set yet, and has only dropped two games overall. Her return game looks rock-solid, and she converted a much higher percentage of first serves in her second-round match. She seems to be getting stronger.

Angelique Kerber has been solid, winning both of her matches in straight sets, but she's hardly been amazing. She's going to have to be at her best to even stand a chance against Sharapova, and she certainly needs to limit her mistakes. Giving Sharapova easy points is not a good idea given the way she's playing.

Greta Arn vs. Serena Williams (12) -- 4th Match at Rod Laver Arena

Serena Williams has looked very strong in the early goings of the Open. Not perfect, mind you, but very strong. She's had to let a couple games go and her serve wasn't as effective in the second round, but the only reason these qualify as complaints is because we're talking about Serena Williams.

As for Greta Arn, she's coming off a marathon match against Dominika Cibulkova that featured an 88-minute third set. Arn just kept battling and battling until she came away with it, scoring one of the more notable upsets in the women's bracket thus far. She'll be looking to make it two in a row against Williams.

Fourth Round

Men's Matches

Feliciano Lopes (18) vs. Rafael Nadal (2)

We keep waiting for Rafael Nadal's heavily wrapped right knee to give him problems, but he's been just fine in the early stages of the tournament. He hasn't dropped a set yet, and seems to be feeling no ill effects at all from his wounded knee. As long as he can keep gutting it out, he's a threat to win the whole thing.

Feliciano Lopes might just be Nadal's match, however. All three of Lopes' matches have been of the longer variety, especially his third-round tilt against John Isner. They went back and forth forever, but Lopes made a huge statement by winning the fifth and final set in convincing fashion. Assuming he has any energy left, he's going to give Nadal a challenge.

Bernard Tomic vs. Roger Federer (3)

Roger Federer has had a strange start to his run through the Open. He scored an easy straight sets victory in the first round, advanced to the third via a walkover, and then won in straight sets again. Federer's third-round win was hardly easy, though, as Ivo Karlovic gave him quite a challenge in the first two sets. It's a wonder Federer was able to pull it off.

Bernard Tomic might just be the man to beat Federer at Melbourne. He's young, he's energetic, and he has the right kind of swagger to view an upset as a legit possibility. He has also refused to go quietly in each of his three matches, two of which went the distance. He's going to need a lot of confidence to beat Federer, and he's certainly gained some having made it this far.

Women's Matches

Jelena Jankovic (13) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (1)

Caroline Wozniacki had to put up with a tough fight from Anna Tatishvili in the second round, but she's been her typical dominant self for the most part. She has yet to drop a set, and her balky wrist doesn't seem to be an issue.

Jelena Jankovic has looked just as good as Wozniacki, if not better. She also hasn't dropped a set, and she made it look easy against Christina McHale in the third round. We've seen Wozniacki make early exits from Grand Slams before, and you better believe that Jankovic could be the one to do the honors this year.

Kim Clijsters (11) vs. Li Na (5)

This is a matchup that we've seen before at the Australian Open, and it was a good one. In the final of last year's tournament Kim Clijsters beat Li Na 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to earn her first Australian Open title.

Clijsters got out of the gate a little slowly in the first round, but has gotten stronger and stronger as she's gone along. It won't be easy for her to get back to the final this year, but she looks good enough to get there.

Li, on the other hand, looks very strong. She hasn't dropped a set yet, and was well on her way to a convincing victory in the third round before Anabel Medina Garrigues had to withdraw. Li will therefore have a little extra energy against Clijsters, and she could very well get her revenge for last year's defeat.