Preparing for the upcoming French Open, Hingis improved to 9-1 on clay this year with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Spain's Gala Leon Garcia.

Novotna lost for the fourth time in her last five matches as Romania's Ruxandra Dragomir scored a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 upset. A four-time semifinalist, Novotna fell to 22-9 lifetime at this event and lost for the first time in five matches to Dragomir.

A winner of three of eight tournaments she has entered this year, Hingis is coming off a semifinal loss to eventual champion Venus Williams at last week's Italian Open.

"I was happy to win today's match because my opponent almost beat Venus Williams in the second round last week and I was interested in playing her," Hingis said. "I feel like this is a good start for me in this tournament and I look forward to playing in the next round."

Hingis, 18, has won five career Grand Slams but has never triumphed in Paris. She fell to Iva Majoli in the final of the 1997 French Open. Her best result in Berlin was a quarterfinal finish last year.

Also today, fourth seed and 1995 champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain outlasted American Corina Morariu, 7-6 (7-0), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6), in a three-hour marathon. Sixth seed Nathalie Tauziat of France dumped Italy's Silvia Farina, 6-2, 6-3, No. 8 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland downed American Brie Rittner, 6-4, 6-4, and defending champion Conchita Martinez of Spain, the 14th seed, took care of Czech Sandra Kleinova, 6-4, 6-0.

Also, No. 16 Barbara Schett of Austria whipped Germany's Miriam Schnitzer, 6-0, 6-3.

Eleventh-seeded Dominique Van Roost of Belgium and No. 15 Natasha Zvereva of Belarus were knocked out of the tournament. Russia's Elena Likhovtseva ousted Van Roost, 6-3, 7-5, while Julie Halard-Decugis of France crushed Zvereva, 6-2, 6-0. Zvereva competed in her second match of the day after pulling out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Germany's Andrea Glass in a match postponed by darkness on Tuesday.

Two matches involving seeded players were suspended by darkness today after rain delayed play for more than an hour. Seventh-seeded teenager Serena Williams was leading former teenage sensation and fellow American Jennifer Capriati, 7-6 (7-3), and No. 12 Amelie Mauresmo of France was tied with Germany's Julie Abe, 7-5, 4-6.

In unseeded play, Cara Black of Zimbabwe earned a third-round meeting with nine-time champion and third seed Steffi Graf on Thursday by crushing American Sandra Cacic, 6-0, 6-1, and lucky loser Pavlina Stoyanova of Bulgaria rallied past Germany's Anke Huber, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Fifth seed Mary Pierce of France, who has lost consecutive finals to Venus Williams, withdrew today with a strained left hamstring.

First prize is $150,000.