Hingis, the top seed and defending champion, broke American wild card Alexandra Stevenson five times en route to a 6-3, 6-4 win over the California native. The third-seeded Seles, competing at this event for the first time since winning the title in 1992, struggled early before pulling away for a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 win over Russia's Elena Likhovtseva.

Eighth seed Nathalie Tauziat of France, who entered this week having lost three of her first four 1999 matches, also reached the third round with a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 victory over Japan's Miho Saeki.

Three seeds were knocked out in opening-round play. Italy's Silvia Farina outdueled ninth-seeded Russian teenager Anna Kournikova, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-5; Germany's Barbara Rittner upended No. 11 Dominique Van Roost of Belgium, 0-6, 6-4, 6-3; and American Lisa Raymond dumped 1995 finalist and 15th seed Natasha Zvereva of Belarus, 6-4, 6-4.

No. 12 Sandrine Testud of France managed to avoid the upset bug by sweeping past Venezuela's Maria Alejandra Vento, 6-1, 6-1.

Also, American Mary Joe Fernandez, who won here in 1993 and 1995, earned a second-round meeting with fourth seed Jana Novotna by dispatching Elena Tatarkova of Ukraine, 6-4, 6-3. Julie Halard-Decugis of France downed China's Fang Li, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

Hingis had her 12-match winning streak stopped last week by French teenager Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals of the Open Gaz de France in Paris. Hingis defeated Mauresmo in the Australian Open final earlier this year.

The 18-year-old Hingis has reached the final in three of four events this year. She claimed her third straight Australian Open crown in Jnauary and returned to the top of the WTA rankings by winning the Pan Pacific Open in Japan last month. Hingis also was a finalist at the Sydney International in Australia in January.

Seles has reached the semifinals in both tournaments she has played this year, losing to Hingis at the Australian Open and to Amanda Coetzer at the Pan Pacific Open. The former world No. 1 also reached the final here in 1991.

American Lindsay Davenport is the second seed and will face streaking countrywoman Serena Williams in a marquee second-round battle. Williams won her first WTA Tour title last week in Paris.

Davenport, the 1997 champion and last year's runner-up, has not played since a quarterfinal loss to Coetzer at the Pan Pacific Open and has been battling a persistent head cold. She is 12-3 with a tournament win in Sydney.

Novotna is playing this event for the first time in nine years, losing in the round of 16 in her last visit. The reigning Wimbledon champion has not played since winning the Faber Grand Prix in Hannover, Germany two weeks ago.

Two time champion Steffi Graf of Germany is the fifth seed. She made an emotional visit to Indian Wells last year when she struggled in her return from knee surgery.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 player was moved to tears many times on her way to the semifinals as the crowd supported her as never before. However, Graf was forced to retire from the semifinal battle with Davenport with a hamstring strain.

The sixth seed is Mary Pierce of France, and Coetzer, a two-time runner-up, is seeded seventh.

First prize is $800,000.