Nadal beats Monfils 6-1 6-2 6-3
Azarenka thrashes Meusburger 6-1 6-0
Andy Murray through to fourth round
Briton beat Lopez in 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-2
* Denotes next server
Fred Astaire-like footwork from Nadal as he dances over to his forehand to whack a winner into the corner to go 30-0 up. Monfils, shoulders slumped, head bowed, seems to have given up the fight in this game and allows Nadal to skip merrily towards a love hold.
Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
"The crowd are desperate to get Monfils into this match but we've seen a couple of good shots and then three of four in a row that hit the back fence."
A booming ace hisses beyond Nadal for a crackerjack of an opening point, but it takes Monfils a tad longer to win the next point as Nadal puts up some resistance before the Spaniard crumbles, plonking a forehand into the net to end a 19-shot rally. The game progresses from 30-0 to 40-15 and, much to the whistling crowd's delight, Monfils levels the set with a crosscourt winner.
Image source, ReutersKei Nishikori is clearly reaping the benefits of working with new "galatico" coach Michael Chang. The in-form Japanese star, ranked 16th, has beaten American Donald Young 7-5 6-1 6-0 to reach the fourth round.
Too many wayward strikes from Monfils for the Frenchman to make any impression on the Nadal serve. He sprays a backhand long, and then a forehand by some distance to fall 0-30 behind. The world number one visits the net and swats a forehand winner into the corner for a 40-0 lead and, although he lets one point slip, netting a forehand, it's a comfortable hold as once again Monfils swings wild on a forehand.
Three set points Nadal. What has Monfils got? Enough to save two set points but then his footwork fails him and he tugs a backhand into the tramlines. Set over.
Behind Nadal as he prepares to serve, a lady can be seen carefully making her way down the steps towards her seat with a tray full of schooners. Such was her concentration, she probably missed an ace out wide from Nadal which sees him to a 40-0 lead and a sliced backhand into the tape from Monfils which eases the Spaniard to within a game of the first set.
There is a danger that the ball will self combust as one pulverising strike follows another. Nadal matching Monfils blow for blow and reining his rival in to 30-30. Supernaturally good tennis as the pair slug it out from the baseline, Monfils turning defence into attack and forcing the Spaniard to net for 40-30. On the next point, Nadal pounces on a Monfils drop shot, twirls to produce a backhand overhead and sees off his rival. To deuce we go. Nadal misses a makeable volley and the Frenchman concludes with panache. An ace down the 'T' wrapping things up.
Image source, Getty ImagesMonfils is throwing his best punches at Nadal and while some of the hits have rattled the Spaniard, he has taken the blows, remained on his feet and counter-punched his way to a handsome lead. A whipped forehand into the corner forces Monfils to net and, once again, the Frenchman nets a swinging serve out wide for 40-15. But the next point is breathtaking. Whoosh! A forehand crosscourt winning return whizzes past Nadal's nose but it's a solitary moment of Monfils magic in a hold to 30 for Nadal.
Image source, AFPElsewhere, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has beaten Gilles Simon in straight sets, moving into the fourth round with a 7-6 6-4 6-2 victory. He faces Roger Federer in the next round.
"It's always difficult playing a good friend," said Tsonga. "It's like a little war on court but then you have a chat afterwards as friends again."
Monfils had Nadal on the hook in that previous game, but the Spaniard wriggled free and at 30-30 there is a sense that the Frenchman could see the top seed swimming away into the open seas. A Monfils backhand drifts wide for break point and Nadal seizes his opportunity.
Image source, APWarning: This entry could be a novella. Nadal approaches the net and stoops to place an irretrievable volley across the court for 15-15. The Spaniard soaks up a venomous Monfils backhand and eventually Monfils crumbles, plonking a backhand into the tape. The top seed looks to be in control and eases to within a point of holding, but he misses a volley and - oof - the Frenchman kisses the line with a beautiful backhand for deuce which has the crowd purring. From 40-15 to deuce.
Beautiful movement from Monfils who skips around to his forehand and unleashes a fierce winner for break point. The Frenchman has Nadal on the back foot, pinning the Spaniard well beyond the baseline, but Monfils a too loose with a forehand and the Spaniard is off the hook.
Nadal regularly visiting the net but he misses another volley, presenting Monfils with a second break point. Brutal hitting from the baseline, momentum swinging this way and that, Monfils approaches the net but backpedals quickly and a 25-shot rally ends with a Monfils forehand into the tape. Deuce. Phew. From advantage back to deuce... Third break point comes ago and after some toing and froing between deuce and advantage Nadal pulls through, but it took him over 10 minutes.
Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Melbourne Park
"If you can string three, four or five incredible shots together you can get Nadal in trouble and put him under pressure. The question is can you do it for three hours. These are two of the best athletes in the sport going at it out there. It's fantastic."
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Nadal v Monfils in front of a sell-out evening session crowd. Could be brilliant.
For those interested in such things, Rafael Nadal is wearing a dark grey and blood orange T-shirt and stonking pinky-red trainers. Away from the world of tennis fashion and to the world of backhands and forehands and the such... Monfils falls 0-30 behind before working his way to a 40-30 lead. At deuce, the Frenchman swings wildly at a forehand to gift Nadal a break point and a series of ferocious blows from Nadal forces Monfils to biff a forehand wide.
The Frenchman missed four months of the 2012 season with a knee injury and dropped out of the top 100 last year, but he has worked his way back up the rankings and is seeded 25 in this tournament. Monfils is capable of surprising many and it could be a show-stopping finale to day six.
The Nadal camp are expecting a stiff test against Gael Monfils today. "Against Monfils, we always expect to suffer," said coach Toni Nadal before this match. "Who is quicker than him? Who has this power? This relaxation? This flexibility? Nobody. But do we need all that to be the best player? I don't think so."
Gael Monfils leads Rafael Nadal through the corridors in the heart of the stadium and there are whistles and hoots for both players as they emerge onto the court. A bit of a warm up before the match gets under way.
Russell Fuller
BBC tennis correspondent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
"To have won nine sets out of nine in the space of five days is a hugely encouraging sign for Andy Murray, who hasn't had such a workload since the middle of September. After a sluggish start, his serve became a very effective weapon, and after a tight first set the tie-break he played was reassuringly commanding.
"He's fortunate to be able to face a third opponent outside the top 100 in the fourth round. Only if he wins will we start to learn whether he's a genuine contender for the title with the likes of Federer and Tsonga awaiting in the quarter-finals."
Listen to Australian Open commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
Goran Ivanisevic has been impressed by Andy Murray's form so far and tells BBC Radio 5 live sports extra he won't be troubled in the fourth round by France's Stephane Robert. However, and here's the bad news for British fans, the former Wimbledon champion thinks Andy will come unstuck against Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.
Image source, Getty ImagesIvanisevic, who is now working with Marin Cilic, added: "I didn't know how stressful it would be. When you play you can get all your stresses out but it's a nice job to teach somebody something."