MELBOURNE - ASIAN hopes at the Australian Open have been boosted by three women from the region battling through qualifying, but several players face an early exit with daunting first round match-ups.

Thirteen Asians are in the draw, led by China's high-flying Li Na and troubled Indian star Sania Mirza.

Veteran Thai star Tamarine Tanasugarn ensured she will play in her 12th consecutive Australian Open and 43rd Grand Slam with a three-set qualifying victory over China's Zhang Shuai.

They join Li, Mirza, Japan's Ai Sugiyama, Akiko Morigami and Aiko Nakamura, Chinese pair Peng Shuai and Yan Zi, and Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan.

Asian men's tennis, though, is in dire straits with just two players good enough to take part - South Korea's Lee Hyung Taik and Taiwan's Lu Yen Hsun.

Thailand's Danai Udomchoke, the region's best performing man here last year, failed to get through qualifying.

Lee, the Asian number one, opens his campaign with a tough test against Australian hope Chris Guccione, who made the final of the Sydney International warm-up event.

Lu takes on France's Marc Gicquel.

Bouncing back

China's Li, seeded 24, comes into the tournament on a high after winning the Australian Women's Hardcourt championships, successfully bouncing back from injury that kept her out of the last 13 events of 2007.

She has Frenchwoman Severine Bremond first up.

'I am mentally stronger than ever,' said Li, who made the fourth round last year before bowing to the now drug-tainted Martina Hingis.

'I had four months off without playing, staying in bed with my rib injury; I don't know how I've been able to come back like this.

'I missed my racket so much. I missed everything on the tennis court and I am hungry for victories, and for the Olympics in August.'

How Mirza fares will be closely watched after her preparations were upset by a furore in her country over an AFP photograph that showed her bare feet resting near the national flag.

The image, taken at the Hopman Cup in Perth, outraged ultra-nationalists in India with a complaint filed in the Hyderabad High Court demanding action under the country's Prevention of Insult to the National Honour Act.

It can carry a three-year jail term.

'She is very upset, it's a major issue for her,' her manager Mahesh Bhupathi said last week, describing the controversy as 'ridiculous'.

The 31st seeded Indian starlet, who has previously ran afoul of Muslim fundamentalists for wearing short skirts and sleeveless tops on court, has a first round match-up with wildcard Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan.

Nakamura v Henin

Others face daunting first round matches with Nakamura drawn against world number one Justine Henin on centre court on Monday.

China's Yan, currently ranked at a career high 58 after zooming 112 ranking places last year with 31 victories to 15 defeats, has an equally tough task against the eighth-seeded Venus Williams.

Japanese veteran Sugiyama, in her 14th consecutive Australian Open, takes on 23rd seed Vera Zvonareva.

For the first time, Australian Open organisers are putting high-profile Asian matches on a designated showcourt.

Officials have long promoted the season's opening major as 'the Grand Slam for Asia-Pacific' and they said having a special Asian court would deepen ties with the region. -- AFP