Federer, Davenport top seedings

Roger Federer [Images] and Lindsay Davenport [Images] were named on Thursday as the top seeds for the men's and women's singles at the Australian Open which starts on Monday.

Swiss world number one Federer, who won last year's title as well as the Wimbledon and US Open crowns, topped the men's list ahead of American Andy Roddick [Images] and Australia's Lleyton Hewitt [Images].

Last year's runner-up, Russia's [Images] Marat Safin [Images], was seeded number four ahead of Spanish Davis Cup hero Carlos Moya [Images] and Argentina's French Open finalist Guillermo Coria.

Four-times Australian Open champion Andre Agassi [Images] was listed at number eight. The 34-year-old American is the oldest man in a singles draw that features the world's top 20 players.

American Davenport has not won a Grand Slam title since her victory at Melbourne Park five years ago but was installed at the head of the women's seeds after finishing last year top of the world rankings.

Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, the 1999 Australian Open runner-up, is seeded number two ahead of four Russians, French Open champion Anastasia Myskina [Images], Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova [Images], US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva, runner-up at Paris and New York.

The 2003 Australian Open champion Serena Williams [Images] was seeded number seven after missing last year's tournament through injury. Her elder sister Venus was number eight in a field containing 17 of the world's top 20 women.

The three absentees are last year's champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters [Images], runner-up in 2004, and American Jennifer Capriati [Images], the champion in 2001 and 2002.

Australian Open 2005 men's and women's seeds:

Men		Women
1.	Roger Federer (SUI)	1.	Lindsay Davenport (USA)
2.	Andy Roddick (USA)	2.	Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)
3.	Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)	3.	Anastasia Myskina (RUS)
4.	Marat Safin (RUS)	4.	Maria Sharapova (RUS)
5.	Carlos Moya (ESP)	5.	Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
6.	Guillermo Coria (ARG)	6.	Elena Dementieva (RUS)
7.	Tim Henman (GBR)	7.	Serena Williams (USA)
8.	Andre Agassi (USA)	8.	Venus Williams [Images] (USA)
9.	David Nalbandian (ARG)	9.	Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
10.	Gaston Gaudio (ARG)	10.	Alicia Molik [Images] (AUS)
11.	Joachim Johansson (SWE)	11.	Nadia Petrova (RUS)
12.	Guillermo Canas (ARG)	12.	Patty Schnyder (SUI)
13.	Tommy Robredo (ESP)	13.	Karolina Sprem (CRO)
14.	Sebastien Grosjean (ESP)	14.	Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
15.	Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)	15.	Silvia Farina Elia (ITA)
16.	Tommy Haas (GER)	16.	Ai Sugiyama (JPN)
17.	Andrei Pavel (ROM)	17.	Fabiola Zuluaga (COL)
18.	Nicolas Massu (CHI)	18.	Elena Likhovtseva (RUS)
19.	Vincent Spadea (USA)	19.	Nathalie Dechy (FRA)
20.	Dominik Hrbaty (SVK)	20.	Tatiana Golovin [Images] (FRA)
21.	Nicolas Kiefer (GER)	21.	Amy Frazier (USA)
22.	Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)	22.	Magdalena Maleeva (BUL)
23.	Fernando Gonzalez (CHI)	23.	Jelena Jankovic (SCG)
24.	Feliciano Lopez (ESP)	24.	Mary Pierce (FRA)
25.	Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG)	25.	Lisa Raymond (USA)
26.	Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)	26.	Daniela Hantuchova [Images] (SVK)
27.	Paradorn Srichaphan [Images] (THA)	27.	Anna Smashnova (ISR)
28.	Mario Ancic (CRO)	28.	Shinobu Asagoe (JPN)
29.	Taylor Dent (USA)	29.	Gisela Dulko (ARG)
30.	Thomas Johansson (SWE)	30.	Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
31.	Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)	31.	Jelena Kostanic (CRO)
32.	Jurgen Melzer (AUT)	32.	Iveta Benesova (CZE)

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