Hingis leads Davenport by only 373 points in this week's WTA Tour rankings and it could have been even less had Davenport won their championship match at last week's State Farm Women's Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona. However, that clash never took place as heavy rain Sunday and Monday in the area canceled the match.

The Swiss teenager, who has lost her last four meetings with Davenport, will retain her No. 1 ranking after this event but her lead over the American for the top spot could dwindle to less than 200 points.

The top 32 players entered received opening-round byes and Hingis, the 1998 champion, will meet American Amy Frazier in the second round. Hingis will look to improve on her performance here last year, when she lost to American Chanda Rubin in the quarterfinals.

The major obstacle in Hingis' half of the draw is defending champion Serena Williams of the United States, who defeated Hingis en route to her first Grand Slam title at last year's U.S. Open.

Williams, seeded third, has fared well in her last two events after a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. She reached the final of the Open Gaz de France in Paris before claiming her first title of the season at the Faber Grand Prix in Hannover, Germany last month.

Last season, Williams upset three top-10 players en route to the title. She eliminated Davenport in the second round and upended Mary Pierce in the quarters before outdueling the now-retired Steffi Graf in a three-set final.

Williams will take on 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist and fellow American Alexandra Stevenson in the second round.

Davenport has been dominant on hard courts this season, compiling a 13-1 record, including a victory over Hingis in the Australian Open final. She also has had tremendous success in her home state, winning six events, including Indian Wells in 1997. Seeded second, Davenport will meet Irina Spirlea of Romania in the second round.

Nathalie Tauziat of France, who defeated Williams in the Paris final, is seeded fourth, followed by Pierce, Spain's Conchita Martinez, 1992 champion Monica Seles of the United States and Russian teenager Anna Kournikova, who has reached the semifinals in her last two events and is searching for her first career singles title.

Julie Halard-Decugis of France is the ninth seed, followed by Barbara Schett of Austria and 1999 semifinalist Sandrine Testud of France.

Coming off her second straight loss to Davenport last week, resurgent American Jennifer Capriati is seeded No. 12 and will face Cara Black of Zimbabwe in a second-round encounter.

Rounding out the top 16 seeds are Amelie Mauresmo of France, Anke Huber of Germany, Amanda Coetzer of South Africa and Elena Likhovtseva of Russia.

Venus Williams, Serena's older sister, remains on the sidelines with tendinitis in both wrists and has not played a match this season.

First prize for the women's champion is $330,000.