Melbourne - The slanging match between Casey Dellacqua and former Lleyton Hewitt coach Roger Rashed has intensified with the player insisting she is not overweight and out of shape as charged.

Rasheed, now the coach of Gael Monfils and a commentator at the Australian Open for the Seven network, said the Australian was not maximizing her fitness.

While Dellacqua certainly cannot be classified as svelte like contemporaries Alize Cornet or Dominika Cibulkova, the Perth player went ballistic when confronted with Rasheed's assessment that she was unfit.

Melbourne - Venus Williams might have been driven to distraction at the Australian Open, but the tribulations were nothing compared to the American's trials experienced on Melbourne roads.

Williams has been trying her luck with left-lane driving and gaining some experience in a city where tram lines make for difficult conditions, as they say on court.

"I drive everywhere," said the 28-year-old with seven Grand Slam titles. "I drive to Fitzroy. I've driven to St Kilda. I've driven downtown.

Melbourne - Third seed Dinara Safina stayed on course for a shot next week at the number one WTA ranking, gaining a Friday win for the Safin family hours before her brother Marat was to face Roger Federer.

Safina, the losing finalist at the French Open, reached the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time in her career, posting a 6-2 6-2 win over Kaia Kanepi.

Safina is one of three women chasing Jelena Jankovic in the rankings with a title next Sunday enough to assure the 22-year-old of the breakthrough top spot.

Melbourne - The Australian Open diet of choice for Marcos Baghdatis certainly breaks a few training rules with the Cypriot currently unable to resist lashings of Greek food.

Team Baghdatis has visited a Greek deli on Melbourne's elite shopping-and-eating Chapel Street at least three times, according to the gossip press.

Local media reported the 2006 finalist and his coach have treated themselves to dishes including spit-roasted lamb and the melted cheese delight of saganaki - hardly the food of champions.

Melbourne  - Hard economic times have not come down too hard on Serena Williams with the second seed making a lightning raid on a Chapel Street boutique.

But the world number two might have tipped her hand that even she might be feeling the heat as she bought a pair of items from a rack filled with merchandise marked down to half-price.

Melbourne, Australia  - Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian fans have threatened to ignite a Balkan boilover during early rounds at the Australian Open.

After a mini-riot on opening day in 2007, when 150 people were ejected from Melbourne Park and a police capsicum spray attack in the stands in 2008, this year's trouble was tame.

Tensions spilled over later at the beer tent with a few punches being thrown and several participants frog-marched out of the grounds by police officers.