Both players were amazed by the number of casualties among the top players at Melbourne Park.
Third seed Andre Agassi withdrew with a wrist injury. Then top seed Lleyton Hewitt, second-ranked Gustavo Kuerten and fifth seed Sebastien Grosjean, a Davis Cup-winner for France in Melbourne just six weeks ago, all tumbled out in the first round.
The fourth seed, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Australian champion in 1999, was beaten in the second round.
Henman, who has yet to drop a set in his wins over Australia's Todd Larkham and Voltchkov, said: "If I had said on Sunday night that this was going to happen, a lot of people would have been looking at me very strangely.
"Some of the upsets and happenings off the court have been amazing and, as a seeded player, you are just trying to hang in there. If opportunities do arise, you take advantage of them."
The last confrontation between Rusedski and Henman was only two weeks ago, on a similar Rebound Ace surface in Adelaide, when Henman triumphed in straight sets. It was his third successive victory over his big-serving rival.
Rusedski said: "Playing the ball is going to be the key rather than playing Tim and that's what I didn't do in Adelaide. Now we are getting on much better - we don't have the spats we used to have - but I don't think there is any less of an edge.
"'Nevertheless, there will be a lot of pride at stake. He wants to beat me and I want to beat him."
Henman said: "There's always something extra at stake when two players from the same country meet in a Grand Slam.
"I know Greg's game and he knows mine but I think he got over a big mental hurdle in beating Goran Ivanisevic for the first time in Auckland last week.
"The Davis Cup trip to Ecuador last September played a big part in the much improved mutual respect between the two of us.
"Instead of having a rivalry, we now have a relationship.
"He's definitely playing better than he has done for a long time but it remains to be seen whether he is fit enough to go five sets."
LIVE coverage of Tim and Greg's Melbourne Showdown on This Is London from 9.30am!
