Andy and Amelie felled in seeds' cull

By Ossian Shine

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - With neither pomp nor ceremony Andy Roddick and Amelie Mauresmo were jettisoned from the Australian Open on Friday, beaten by unheralded journeymen on the bleakest of nights for the former world number ones.

Mauresmo and her fragile temperament succumbed to the tenacity of homegrown baseliner Casey Dellacqua while Roddick's brittle game plan was picked apart by little-known but gifted German Philipp Kohlschreiber.

The night shocks came hard on the heels of a day session which had proved fertile for the seeds -- Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal all winning -- and provided much needed drama at the season's opening grand slam.

Roddick's demise, a fittingly dramatic, explosive and bad-tempered 6-4 3-6 7-6 6-7 8-6 loss as moths fluttered in the early hours of the Melbourne morning, illustrated the danger the world's best face every time they step on court.

"I just said to myself, 'full power on every shot', Kohlschreiber told the crowd," sharing his route-one tactic.

Roddick had no answer to the man in the luminous green shirt with the sledgehammer backhand.

"NOT FUN"

Frustration filled him. He shouted at himself, at the umpire, at the crowd. Nothing worked and, despite a career-best 42 aces in a match, he folded just after 2.00am.

"It's not good, it's not fun... I am trying to think of a new and exciting way to say that," Roddick told reporters.

"He was swinging from the first ball. I don't know if I had two feet set the whole match."

Kohlschreiber has Jarkko Nieminen in his sights next but at least Roddick had put up a fight.

Mauresmo has much soul-searching to do after her latest disappointment.

Dellacqua has neither the court-craft nor the shot-making of Kohlschreiber, yet she captivated Melbourne Park and filled local hearts with pride by beating the fragile Frenchwoman.

"It's just an absolutely wonderful feeling," a tearful Dellacqua sobbed after her 3-6 6-4 6-4 victory. "I am shaking so much, I am so excited."

Giant-killers had been in short supply at the year's first grand slam and so it continued as day five opened with champion Serena and top seed Henin slicing through to the fourth round.