Hingis, the top seed from Switzerland, needed only 43 minutes to dispose of fellow teenager and friend Mirjana Lucic of Croatia, 6-1, 6-2. She is looking to become the first female to win four consecutive titles in Melbourne since Margaret Smith captured seven straight from 1960-66.

Men's defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia had a tougher time in his first-round match. The second seed overcame left thigh and back injuries to prevail, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, over Jens Knippschild of Germany.

Rain halted play in the early part of the day session, but it resumed after a delay of nearly an hour.

Gustavo Kuerten became the second top-10 men's seed to get knocked out in the first round as Spain's Albert Portas stunned the fifth-seeded Brazilian, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4. Sixth seed and 1999 runner-up Thomas Enqvist of Sweden also was eliminated in five sets on Monday.

Fourth seed Nicolas Kiefer of Germany advanced to the second round with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Guillermo Canas of Argentina.

For the women, sixth seed Barbara Schett of Austria struggled in her first-round match before holding off American Meilen Tu, 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4. Two-time finalist Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain, the 13th seed, had an easier time with Julie Abe of Germany, 6-2, 6-2.

Two of tennis' rising stars also will be on display later today as reigning U.S. Open champion Serena Williams of the United States and red-hot Australian teenager Lleyton Hewitt take the court for opening-round matches.

Williams, seeded third, begins her bid for a second straight Grand Slam title against Amanda Grahame of Australia. Hewitt, who is unseeded, will put his 10-0 season record on the line against former collegiate standout Paul Goldstein of the United States.

Williams captured her first Grand Slam singles title last year in New York, knocking off American Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals before defeating Hingis in the final. She is trying to become the seventh player in the Open Era to win the U.S. and Australian opens in succession.

Hewitt, 18, won consecutive homeland tournaments in Adelaide and Sydney and leads the ATP Tour Champions Race 2000 points standings.

Later, seventh seed Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, a semifinalist last year, battles 1999 French Open finalist Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine.

Another 1999 semifinalist, 10th seed Tommy Haas of Germany, takes on French qualifier Cyril Saulnier; No. 12 Magnus Norman of Sweden, fresh off last week's win at the Heineken Open in New Zealand, plays American Cecil Mamiit; No. 13 Cedric Pioline of France battles hard-serving Croatian Goran Ivanisevic; and No. 15 Albert Costa of Spain goes against Belgian qualifier Christophe Rochus.

On the women's side, eighth seed Amanda Coetzer of South Africa faces Tatiana Panova of Russia; 1998 runner-up Conchita Martinez of Spain, seeded 10th, takes on Sandra Kleinova of the Czech Republic; No. 12 Sandrine Testud of France plays Petra Mandula of Hungary; and No. 16 Elena Likhovtseva of Russia faces Pavlina Nola of Bulgaria.