| SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA (TICKER) -- Switzerland's Martina
Hingis and American Lindsay Davenport resume their battle for the No. 1
ranking in women's tennis when the inaugural $535,000 State Farm Tennis
Championships begins today.
Currently at the top spot, Hingis has seen her lead over the second-ranked
Davenport decrease in the WTA Tour rankings since the end of last season,
thanks to four straight losses to the American.
In their most recent meeting, Davenport defeated Hingis, 6-1, 7-5, in
the Australian Open final for her second Grand Slam title.
Hingis rebounded one week later by winning the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
She could have lost the No. 1 ranking that week, but Davenport decided
not to play in Tokyo due to a hamstring injury. Only 494 points separate
Hingis and Davenport in the latest WTA rankings.
Mary Pierce of France is the third seed, followed by countrywoman Julie
Halard-Decugis, who withdrew from last week's IGA Superthrift Tennis Classic
in Oklahoma City with an abdominal strain. The top four seeds received
first-round byes.
Rounding out the eight seeds are Conchita Martinez of Spain, Russian
teenager Anna Kournikova, Sandrine Testud of France and Barbara Schett
of Austria.
Former world No. 1 Monica Seles of the United States, who is unseeded,
enters this tournament with some momentum after winning the title in Oklahoma
City in her season debut. Sidelined for almost six months with a broken
foot, Seles did not drop a set in winning her first title since last April.
An all-American matchup highlights opening-round action as the rejuvenated
Jennifer Capriati battles 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson
tonight.
After personal problems forced Capriati out of tennis in the mid 1990s,
Capriati rededicated herself last season to the sport she took by storm
in the early part of the decade and won two tournaments.
Capriati continued her resurgence at the Australian Open by advancing
to her first Grand Slam semifinal in more than eight years before falling
to Davenport. She is ranked at No. 14, her highest ranking in almost six
years.
Four other Americans take the court for their first-round matches. Lisa
Raymond meets Ai Sugiyama of Japan; Chanda Rubin faces Cara Black of Zimbabwe;
Amy Frazier takes on Anke Huber of Germany; and Meghann Shaughnessy encounters
Mirjana Lucic of Croatia.
First prize at this hardcourt event is $87,000.
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