MELBOURNE, Australia -- Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil and
three-time champion Martina Hingis of Switzerland on Thursday were tabbed as the top
seeds at next week's Australian Open.
|  | | Last year's No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten will look to continue his winning ways when the Australian Open begins. |
Kuerten is the first player from South America to secure the top
seed at a Grand Slam event since Argentina's Guillermo Vilas was
the No. 1 seed at this event each year from 1977-81.
A two-time French Open champion, Kuerten ended 2000 as the
top-ranked men's player after a stunning victory at the Tennis
Masters Cup in Lisbon.
Russia's Marat Safin, the reigning U.S. Open champion, is seeded
second as tournament officials adhered strictly to the year-end
rankings on both the men's and women's sides.
Two-time Australian Open champ Pete Sampras is the third seed,
followed by Sweden's Magnus Norman and 1999 winner Yevgeny
Kafelnikov of Russia. Defending champion Andre Agassi is seeded
sixth, with Australia's Lleyton Hewitt, Britain's Tim Henman,
Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero and South Africa's Wayne Ferreira
rounding out the top 10.
Franco Squillari of Argentina, two-time U.S. Open champion
Patrick Rafter of Australia, Cedric Pioline of France, Dominik
Hrbaty of Slovakia and Frenchmen Arnaud Clement and Sebastien
Grosjean are the remaining men's seeds.
Hingis is the top women's seed for the third time in five trips
to Melbourne. Her bid for a fourth straight Australian Open
title was ended by Lindsay Davenport in last year's final.
Davenport is seeded second, one spot ahead of fellow American
Venus Williams, who is the reigning Wimbledon, U.S. Open and
Olympic champion. Four-time Australian Open champ Monica Seles
is the fourth seed and is followed by Spain's Conchita Martinez
and Williams' younger sister, 1999 U.S. Open winner Serena.
France's Mary Pierce, who won here in 1995, is next, followed by
a pair of Russians in Anna Kournikova and U.S. Open semifinalist
Elena Dementieva. South Africa's Amanda Coetzer is 10th with
Americans Chanda Rubin and 2000 semifinalist Jennifer Capriati
filling the next two spots.
Sandrine Testud of Frrance, Kim Clijsters of Belgium and Amy
Frazier of the United States are the other women's seeds.
The draw for the first Grand Slam of the year will be announced
Friday. The Australian Open begins Monday (Sunday night in the
United States).
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