After receiving a first-round bye, Hingis takes on Kveta Hrdlickova of the Czech Republic today in the second round of the indoor event. She has not dropped a set in three matches against Hrdlickova.

Since losing in the semifinals of the U.S. Open to Venus Williams, Hingis has won 10 straight matches en route to tournament victories at Filderstadt, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland. The 20-year-old from Switzerland also claimed doubles crowns at both those events, teaming with Russian Anna Kournikova.

Hingis, the world No. 1, has collected seven titles this season to lead the WTA Tour.

Second seed Nathalie Tauziat of France begins defense of her title today with a second-round encounter with Japan's Ai Sugiyama. Tauziat has reached at least the quarterfinals at five of her last six tournaments.

Sugiyama, her lost her only previous match against Tauziat in 1997, reached the final here in 1997.

Seventh seed Elena Dementieva of Russia, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the U.S. Open and captured the silver medal at the Sydney Olympics, faces Silvia Farina-Elia of Italy.

The 18-year-old Dementieva, who began tennis lessons in Moscow with Marat Safin's mother Rauza Islanova, had not won a main draw match here in three appearances before Tuesday's first-round victory over Ruxandra Dragomir of Romania.

Also, Tatiana Panova of Russia goes against Paola Suarez of Argentina.

In first-round play, eighth-seeded Barbara Schett of Austria battles Russia's Elena Likhovtseva. Schett lost to Tauziat in last year's final and reached the semifinals here in 1996. She is 3-0 lifetime against Likhovtseva, who advanced to the quarterfinals in 1994 and 1995 at the city of her birth.

On the men's side, Olympic gold medalist Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who is trying to qualify for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup, goes against countryman Denis Golovanov in the first round.

Playing at this event for the ninth straight year, Kafelnikov has won the title here the last three years and appeared in the final the past four.

The 22-year-old Golovanov will be playing in his first ATP Tour-level match today after spending the season on the Challenger circuit.

Third seed Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands, who has captured one title and appeared in another final over the last two weeks, plays David Prinosil of Germany; No. 5 Fabrice Santoro of France faces 19-year-old Russian Mikhail Youzhny; sixth-seeded Max Mirnyi of Belarus squares off against Danish qualifier, 19-year-old Kristian Pless; and Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman encounters Finland's Tuomas Ketola.

In a pair of second-round matches, fourth seed and two-time champion Marc Rosset of Switzerland meets Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden and Andrew Ilie of Australia takes on Wimbledon semifinalist Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus.

The women's champion will earn $166,000 while $137,000 goes to the men's winner.