Some time this evening, as the sun westers over the Southern Pacific ocean, Greg Rusedski will eat at his favourite beachside restaurant and then perhaps take a short stroll along the sand. He has rarely appeared so relaxed and confident, and is clearly relishing his position in the world's top 10, a status that puts the onus very much on his opponents during the first week of this Australian Open.

Yesterday he reached the third round when his American adversary, Jonathan Stark, retired suffering from tendinitis in his right knee. Rusedski was leading 6-4, 64, 1-0 at the time and was never in the slightest trouble against the man who took him to five sets at Wimbledon last year and beat him in Cincinnati prior to the US Open.

Stark paid Rusedski's serve a glowing tribute afterwards."I think it is the most difficult to deal with in world tennis. When Greg is serving at his best you have to guess a great deal. Maybe only Andre Agassi could cope with it."

And Agassi, in Rusedski's side of the draw, is coping very nicely. He may only be ranked 87, but yesterday he also reached the last 32 with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Spain's number 16 seed, Albert Costa. The American was perpetual motion - as fired up and competitive as anyone has seen him over the last two largely indifferent years. He's back.

Rusedski's next opponent tomorrow is Todd Woodbridge, the dark-haired half of the all-conquering Australian doubles team with Mark Woodforde. Rusedski beat Woodbridge in the first round of the Grand Slam Cup in Munich last September, and recognises that the Australian is one of the game's best returners.

But the steepling bounce of the hard courts here makes Rusedski's left-hand serve even more potent and yesterday he was swinging the ball through the humid air like a latter day Neil Harvey at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

There was exuberant support for him on Court number three, which nestles below the huge Centre Court with it retractable roof, used later in the day when the skies clouded over as rain fell. It is still somewhat incongruous to hear the Australians shout "Come on the Pom" to Rusedski but there was certainly something of the phlegmatic Britisher about all his movements yesterday.

As well as serving superbly, he volleyed like a demon and stroked some glorious backhand topspin drives down the line. Stark, a hefty server himself, quickly showed signs of becoming demoralised. No doubt the more he saw (or did not see) of Rusedski's serve, the more his knee hurt.

Yesterday both Michael Chang, the number three seed, and Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten, the number 12 and reigning French Open champion, were beaten. Providing he progresses Rusedski, the number five seed himself, cannot now meet another seeded player until the semi-finals.

Record crowds continue to pour through Melbourne Park with hundreds, unable to get into Centre Court, watching Pat Rafter on the huge open air screen. It is the Rafter factor which has pulled in the people and yesterday there was a collective holding of breath as, for the second match running, the US Open champion struggled against an American.

Jeff Tarango had forced Rafter into an extremely tough first round, and yesterday Todd Martin, missing for much of last year with injury, pushed the number two seed almost to the limit. Rafter won 2-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, but currently you would not back him with any certainty against Agassi should they reach the quarter-finals.

Early today unseeded Petr Korda became the first man to reach the fourth round when beating American Vincent Spadea in straight sets. Korda, from the Czech Republic, next meets leading Frenchman Cedric Pioline who defeated 11th seed Spaniard Alex Corretja 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.

Also in today's early matches the women's ninth seed Sandrine Testud of France beat Adriana Gersi of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-2 in the third round. Testud will now play fourth seed Iva Majoli of Croatia or Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.