| TOKYO (TICKER) -- Martina Hingis will attempt to rebound
from her Australian Open defeat at the Pan Pacific Open but will not have
a chance at revenge against Lindsay Davenport when the $1.08 million hardcourt
event begins Tuesday (tonight in the United States).
Hingis, the defending champion and top seed here, had her three-year
winning streak in singles and doubles at the Australian Open come to end
in the finals, losing to Davenport and the team of Lisa Raymond and Rennae
Stubbs, respectively.
A winner here in 1997 and runner-up two years ago to Davenport, Hingis
is 8-2 this season. She lost in the semifinals of the Sydney International
to start the year.
The 19-year-old from Switzerland received a first-round bye along with
the three other top seeds.
Davenport, who captured her third Grand Slam title on Saturday, withdrew
from this event with a left hamstring strain. She could have possibly taken
over the No. 1 ranking from Hingis with a strong showing here.
Mary Pierce of France fell in the fourth round at the Australian Open
to Ai Sugiyama of Japan. The second-seeded Pierce opened the season with
a quarterfinal finish at the Sydney International.
Nathalie Tauziat of France is seeded third, followed by last year's
finalist Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, Anna Kournikova of Russia, Sandrine
Testud of France, American Chanda Rubin and Sugiyama.
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