A new season, and with the power hitters coming into their own, it begs the question as to how long three-time Australian Open winner Martina Hingis can keep up with the onslaught.

Depending on who you talk to, the chances of an upset among the women in the first Grand Slam of the season starting in Melbourne today appear slim with Hingis and Lindsay Davenport the hot favourites.

Others, of course, think differently after French muscle-woman Amelie Mauresmo beat Hingis, Davenport and world number five Mary Pierce into submission in Sydney last week.

Her triumph, based around a laser-like backhand and searing serve, made it patently clear she is ready to challenge for the big four this season.

Unknown a year ago, Mauresmo has floored the tennis world with her athleticism. The bouncy Rebound Ace surface used at Melbourne Park seems to suit her game.

She unexpectedly made the final last year and showed over the past week she now has the mental toughness to mix it with the top two.

"There are a lot of tough players to beat in a Grand Slam," said Mauresmo. "I am one of them."

Williams is also in that mould. The 17-year-old has made an astonishing advance in the past 12 months, winning 17 out of 20 matches against top 10 players, including three against Hingis - most notably the US Open final.

The awesome American is sitting at a career-high world number four and apart from sister Venus, who's out of the tournament with tendonitis of the left wrist, no other player came close to matching her in strength, confidence and skill last year.

But by opting to miss warm-ups in Hong Kong, the Gold Coast and Sydney, she may lack match practice.

Davenport, beaten in the semi's by Mauresmo last year, said every player was different but warned Williams may find it hard to adapt.

"If it's really windy, if it's really, really hot some of those factors can wear on you if you are not used to them, whereas if you have been down here (in Australia) a little longer you are a bit more prepared," she said.

With Steffi Graf retired, serve-and-volley specialist Jana Novotna bowing out and Monica Seles, a four-time Open champion, injured, the field appears wide open.

With the winner taking home Aus $717,000, there's much to play for.

While Hingis ended the season with the prized number one ranking, Wimbledon champion Davenport, another big-hitter, has a more legitimate claim to the title of world's best player, according to many in the game.

She trounced Hingis in the final of the season-ending Chase Championships in New York and won all three meetings with the Swiss player last year in straight sets.

Hingis, who only won one Grand Slam in 1999, admits it is shaping up to be a tough tournament, but also pointed to the top three as her main threats.

"Serena and Amelie are playing well and she (Mauresmo) seems to be very confident," said Hingis. "Lindsay, Anna (Kournikova), although I think they face each other pretty soon."

Others to watch include Natalie Tauziat, Amanda Coetzer and veteran Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

Meanwhile, resurgent Andre Agassi has already joined a select group in attaining tennis immortality - the Australian Open offers him the chance for more glory.

His great rival Pete Sampras may have been a constant force in dominating tennis in the 1990s with 12 grand slam titles and six number one finishes, but Agassi has his claims to greatness too.

The charismatic American's fortunes may have gyrated between humdrum and supreme, but heading into the year's opening grand slam tournament Agassi's star is firmly on the ascent.

Agassi is only one of five players to have captured all four grand slam crowns - Sampras hasn't achieved that - and should he reach the Australian Open final on January 30th he will become the first player since Rod Laver to string together four consecutive slam finals.

The Las Vegan deprived Sampras of seven straight number one year-end finishes in 1999 and approaching 30 he remains a box-office draw and an adversary for Sampras.

Yet should they meet in the Australian Open it will be, for most, one match too early in the semi-finals, with Sampras seeded three and being drawn in Agassi's top half of the men's singles draw.

So a Agassi-Sampras decider is out, but both will have their work cut out negotiating the minefield of a top-heavy half of the draw, populated by Australian Mark Philippoussis, big-serving former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, last year's finalist Thomas Enqvist and journeyman Todd Martin.

In contrast, defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov's opposite half of the draw looks devoid of genuine title contenders, except for German fourth seed Nicolas Kiefer, last year's semi-finalist Tommy Haas and unseeded Australian Lleyton Hewitt, fuelled by a 10-match unconquered lead-up run. Faster court conditions aligned with a lighter speedier ball is tilting the advantage toward big servers this year, particularly if Melbourne Park bakes under high temperatures.