Pierce Conquers Seles

Previously, Mary Pierce never had won a set against Monica Seles. This time, she took two straight and ousted the No. 1 seed from the Italian Open.

In a fiercely contested match that was delayed for hours by rain, Pierce downed Seles 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (8-6) to reach the quarterfinals of the women’s clay court tournament in Rome.

Seles wasted three set points in the first set and five in the second.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez, top-ranked Spanish rivals who are without a tournament victory for months, reached the quarterfinals with straight-set wins.

Look for Martina Hingis to make her return at the French Open.

The 16-year-old Swiss star, the world’s top-ranked player, has withdrawn from three tournaments since injuring a knee when she fell off a horse April 21.

Hingis said that she was optimistic about making her return at the French Open starting May 26.