AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. (AP) -- For the first time in nearly two years, Martina Hingis played in a tournament without her mother watching from courtside. Unlike last time, a first-round debacle at Wimbledon, Hingis had no problems.

The world's top-ranked player got her clay-court season off to a fine start Wednesday in the Bausch & Lomb Championships, defeating Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2, 6-1.

It marked the first time Hingis' mother and coach, Melanie Molitor, hasn't been present for her match since Wimbledon in 1999, when Hingis went out weakly in a 6-2, 6-0 first-round stunner against Jelena Dokic.

That match came just weeks after Hingis' tantrum-filled loss to Steffi Graf in the French Open finals.

Speculation of a mother-daughter rift surrounded Molitor's absence at Wimbledon. Hingis played coy and said only they decided to ``have a little distance.'' This time, the 20-year-old was more forthcoming: She said scheduling made it easier for Molitor to stay in Europe this week.

``Last time, obviously it didn't come out that great,'' said Hingis, who is playing at Amelia Island for the first time. ``But being here, I think the time will go by fast, and I think I'll learn about my game, myself. I'll just try to remember what she always told me. I just talked to her yesterday, and tomorrow I'll call her.''

While the top-seeded Hingis adjusted to different surroundings, Mary Pierce joined the growing list of players who have pulled out of the first clay-court event of the year.

The fifth-seeded Pierce strained her back Monday while throwing a medicine ball during routine stretching exercises.

She joins Jennifer Capriati, Anna Kournikova and two-time defending champion Monica Seles as top players who committed to play here, but never hit a ball on Amelia's green clay.

``I don't know if I'm frustrated or sad,'' Pierce said, after sitting down gingerly behind the podium. ``There's nothing I can do about it. It happened. I tried to do the best I could. I did everything I could, but I couldn't play.''

Pierce was a fan favorite and always a threat to win here. She has made the finals three times in the last five years. She said she should be back within a week or two.

Another player who enjoys frequent success at Amelia, second-seeded Conchita Martinez, lost 6-4, 6-1 to Silvia Farina Elia. The two-time finalist has lost four matches in a row, dating to the Australian Open, and is 4-6 this season. She's trying to get back into form after recovering from an infection in her leg that sidelined her for much of February and March.

``It's going to take me a little time to get back to where I was playing,'' Martinez said. ``Obviously, I'm not playing my best tennis.''

Farinal Elia beat Martinez for the second time in two months, after six straight losses.

``The last few times I had played against her, mentally I was not ready to compete,'' said Farina Ella, ranked 32nd in the world. ``It's mental. If I can play physically at 100 percent, I know I can stay on court longer than her. I can play my game.''

Hingis, Elena Dementieva and Amanda Coetzer are the only players among the top 10 in the world remaining in the field.

The fourth-seeded Coetzer beat Tatiana Panova 7-5, 3-0 (retired). Sixth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo defeated Kristina Brandi 6-2, 6-1 and seventh-seeded Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario defeated Pavlina Nola 6-3, 6-3.

Other than Hingis, the biggest star in this tournament might be Martina Navratilova, who begins her limited 2001 doubles schedule Thursday, teaming with Sanchez-Vicario.