A two-time champion here, Hingis is competing in her first event since her quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Venus Williams at Wimbledon. But she made headlines last week when she announced she would not represent Switzerland at the upcoming Sydney Olympics, citing a heavy travel schedule.

The 19-year-old Hingis has won four titles this season and compiled a 45-6 record, including 22-3 on hard courts. She has reached four hardcourt finals in 2000, going 1-2 with one final getting canceled by rain.

Hingis won this event in 1997 over Monica Seles and defeated Williams, 6-4, 6-0, in last year's final.

Van Roost, a former top-10 player, is 1-3 lifetime against Hingis, including a quarterfinal loss here last year. She earned a meeting with Hingis on Monday by defeating Ai Sugiyama of Japan, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

Four seeded players will take the court for their opening-round matches.

Fifth seed Conchita Martinez of Spain, the 1995 champion and 1992 runner-up, faces Belgian teenager Kim Clijsters; sixth seed Nathalie Tauziat of France, the oldest player in the draw at 32, meets Anne Kremer of Luxembourg; seventh seed Anke Huber of Germany takes on American Amy Frazier; and eighth seed Sandrine Testud of France battles American Chanda Rubin.

Anna Kournikova of Russia, a semifinalist at last week's Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, goes against American Alexandra Stevenson tonight in an all-teenage matchup.

California native Lindsay Davenport is seeded second, Williams, the reigning Wimbledon champion, is seeded third and Seles rounds out the top four seeds. Each received a bye into the second round.

American Jennifer Capriati was dismissed by Russia's Elena Likhovtseva, 6-4, 6-0, on Monday in a first-round match.

First prize is $87,000.