Hingis, the 1997 champion, improved her season record to 21-3 by dumping Maureen Drake of Canada, 6-1, 6-4, in just over an hour.

On the men's side, 15th seed and former No. 1 Patrick Rafter continues his comeback from shoulder surgery tonight with a second-round match against Max Mirnyi of Belarus. Rafter's fellow Australian, 14th seed Lleyton Hewitt, plays Gaston Gaudio of Argentina.

Hingis has held the No. 1 ranking since August 9, but Lindsay Davenport's extraordinary 19-1 run has pulled the second-seeded American within 191 points of the top spot. Whoever advances further at this event most likely will be No. 1 when the new rankings are released.

Davenport defeated the Swiss teenager, 6-1, 7-5, in the final of the Australian Open in January and rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Hingis in the final at last week's Tennis Masters Series event in Indian Wells, California. Hingis has lost to Davenport five straight times and has won just one set against the American in that span.

"I just hope I get another chance (at Davenport)," Hingis said. "I think I was very close last time."

Seventh seed Monica Seles of the United States also stormed into the third round with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over countrywoman Lilia Osterloh. A two-time champion here, Seles has reached consecutive quarterfinals since winning the first tournament she played this season, the IGA Superthrift Tennis Classic in February.

Fourth seed Nathalie Tauziat of France and sixth seed Conchita Martinez of Spain both needed three sets to reach the third round. Tauziat outdueled American Tara Snyder, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), and Martinez struggled past Australian teenager Jelena Dokic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Adriana Gersi of the Czech Republic posted the biggest upset on the women's side as she eliminated No. 11 Barbara Schett of Austria, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-1.

In other seeded play, No. 14 Anke Huber of Germany posted only her second win in eight matches this season as she stormed past Russian qualifier Tatiana Poutchek, 6-2, 6-2. No. 16 Dominique Van Roost of Belgium had a tougher time in her second-round match as she got past American Holly Parkinson, 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, 6-0.

Ninth seed Anna Kournikova of Russia, the 1998 runner-up, takes on American Jennifer Hopkins tonight. The 18-year-old Kournikova, a Miami resident, has reached three semifinals this season but is hoping to bounce back from a third-round setback last week in Indian Wells.

Seven other matches involving seeded women were played as No. 19 Amy Frazier of the United States disposed of Spain's Angeles Montolio, 6-3, 6-1; No. 21 Nathalie Dechy of France crushed Karina Habsudova of Slovakia, 6-1, 6-1; No. 23 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland defeated Rita Kuti Kis of Hungary, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5; and No. 26 Lisa Raymond of the United States beat Denisa Chladkova of the Czech Republic, 7-5, 6-3.

Also, No. 28 Kim Clijsters of Belgium rallied past Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5; No. 29 Anne-Gaelle Sidot of France earned a meeting with Hingis in the next round by dumping Kristina Brandi of the United States, 6-3, 6-3; and No. 31 Natasha Zvereva of Belarus stopped Irina Spirlea of Romania, 6-3, 6-4.

Rafter is recovering from a injury to his right rotator cuff that kept him out of competition for nearly six months. After briefly playing doubles in January at Sydney, the 27-year-old made a successful singles return on February 29 in Delray Beach, Florida, where he reached the quarterfinals.

However, he lost in the first round the next week in Scottsdale and was a second-round loser last week at Indian Wells, falling to eventual champion Alex Corretja of Spain in three sets.

A semifinalist at this event in 1994, Rafter fell in the third round here last year.

Hewitt, 19, is 21-2 this season and leads the ATP Tour with three titles -- two in his homeland and one in Scottsdale. He lost in the second round last week at Indian Wells.

No. 16 Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco was the highest men's seed knocked out as Byron Black of Zimbabwe posted a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 upset.

In night matches, No. 17 Greg Rusedski of Britain faces Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine, last year's French Open finalist; No. 18 Sebastien Grosjean of France, last year's runner-up, meets Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands; and No. 19 Tommy Haas of Germany squares off against 17-year-old Florida native Mardy Fish.

American Jim Courier headed the list of men's first-round winners as he held off Argentine teenager David Nalbandian, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Courier, a Florida native, has been playing this event since 1988 and won the championship in 1991.

First prize for the men's champion is $410,000, while the women's winner pockets $350,000.