Indian Wells, CA (TSN) – Martina Hingis, the top-ranked player in the world, and Monica Seles, a former world number-one, each recorded straight-set victories Saturday to advance to the third round of the $1.3 million Evert Cup.
Hingis, the top seed and defending champion, defeated American Alexandra Stevenson 6-3, 6-4, while Seles, who won here in 1992, upended Russian Elena Likhovtseva 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.
Eighth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat also moved on to the third round with a 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 win over Miho Saeki.
Three seeded players fell in Saturday’s action, including number-nine Anna Kournikova. Italy’s Silvia Farina ousted the Russian teenager in a tough match, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 7-5, while Barbara Rittner sent 11th-seeded Dominique Van Roost packing with a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. Also, Lisa Raymond upset number-15 Natasha Zvereva in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
12th-seeded Sandrine Testud avoided the upset bug by easily dispatching Maria Alejandro Venta 6-1, 6-1. Mary Joe Fernandez, who won here in 1993 and ’95, earned a second-round encounter with number-four Jana Novotna by defeating Elena Tatarkova 6-4, 6-3, while Julie Halard-Decugis downed Fang Li 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
First prize for this event is $800,000.