It only took one more game for Williams' potential quarter-final opponent, top-seeded Martina Hingis, to advance. Hingis easily beat German Meike Babel, 6-1, 6-2.

Sugiyama, ranked 19th in the World and Japan's best player, didn't hold her serve once. But she did break Williams twice in the second set.

The eighth-seeded Williams, vastly improved since she first played here last year, served big, hitting one at 118 mph in the first game of the second set.

"I think my footwork was very good," she said later. "I was in position and it was hard for her to get balls past me. If my footwork is there, it's extremely hard to beat me. That's what I was really happy with."

Like Williams, Hingis also made key use of drop shots, one of her best weapons.

Her opponent tried them as well but Hingis usually got to them.

Inother early action, the man many pick to win the title, third-seeded Marcelo Rios of Chile, had no trouble with Emilio Alvarez of Spain, winning in three quick sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the third round.

World number two, Petr Korda crashed out of the French Open, joining Andre Agassi and former double champion Sergi Bruguera as first-round casualties.

The 30-year-old Australian Open champion, and second seed was beaten 6-0, 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 at Ronald Garros by 20-year-old Argentine Mariano Zabaleta, ranked 211 places below, in fading light yesterday.

Zabaleta failed to win a single ATP tour match in 1997 but his clay court pedigree was never in doubt.

The 1996 junior World Champion, won 10 titles from 11 events played that year, including the Junior French Open.

That Ronald Garros experience proved vital when, after allowing Korda to come back from two sets down to level at 2-2, he found the extra strength to finish off the victory after three hours 29 minutes.

Eleventh seed MichaelChang advanced comfortably over Spaniard Alex Calatrava in straight sets.

The 1989 champion cruised through in straight sets, winning 7-5, 6-3, 6-2.

HOW THE SEEDS FARED

Men's singles (1st round): Mariano Zabaleta (Arg) bt 2-Petr Korda (Czech Rep) 6-0 6-2 3-6 4-6 6-3; 6-Filip Dewulf (Bel) bt Magnus Larsson (Swe) 7-6 (7-0) 7-5 7-6 (7-5); 11-Michael Chang (USA) bt Alex Calatrava (Spain) 7-5 6-3 6-2; 16-Alberto Berasategui (Spa) bt Grant Stafford (SA) 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 6-1

2nd round: 3-Marcelo Rios (Chi) bt Emilio Alvarez (Spa) 6-4 6-2 6-2; 13-Albert Costa (Spa) bt Marc-Kevin Goellner (Ger) 6-4 6-3 6-1

Women's singles (1st round): 2-Lindsay Davenport (US) bt Kimberly Po (US) 6-2 6-2; Patty Schnyder (Swi) bt 5-Amanda Coetzer (SA) 6-4 3-6 8-6 7-Conchita Martinez (Spa) bt Magalie Lamarre (Fra) 6-1 6-1; 11-Mary Pierce (Fra) bt Sabine Appelmans (Bel) 6-2 6-3; 14-Sandrine Testud (Fra) bt Samantha Reeves (US) 2-6 6-2 6-3; 15-Dominique van Roost (Bel) bt Magdalena Grzybowska (Pol) 7-5 3-66-4

2nd round: 1-Martina Hingis (Swi) bt Meike Babel (Ger) 6-1 6-2; 3-Jana Novotna (Czech Rep) bt Emilie Loit (Fra) 7-5 6-0; 8-Venus Williams (US) bt Ai Sugiyama (Japan) 6-0 6-2

OTHER RESULTS

Men's singles: Olivier Delaitre (Fra) bt Arnaud di Pasquale (Fra) 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-0; Cedric Pioline (Fra) bt Marcelo Filippini (Uru) 6-1 3-6 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4; Gerard Solves (Fra) bt Richey Reneberg (US) 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-7 (5-7) 8-6; John van Lottum (Net) bt Jan Siemerink (Net) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-2; Jeff Tarango (US) bt Paul Haarhuis (Net) 6-4 6-1 7-6 (7-4); Olivier Delaitre (Fra) bt Arnaud di Pasquale (Fra) 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-0; Julien Bowtter (Fra) bt Christian Vinck (Ger) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-5); Cedric Pioline (Fra) bt Marcelo Filippini (Uru) 6-1 3-6 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4; Marzio Martelli (Ita) bt Goran Ivanisevic (Cro) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-2); Hicham Arazi (Mor) bt Jiri Novek (Czech Rep) 6-0 6-2 7-6 (7-1); Rodolphe Gilberti (Fra) bt Albert Portas (Spa) 6-3 6-3 2-6 2-6 11-9;Jan Michael Gambill (US) bt Martin Rodrigues (Arg) 6-3 6-2 6-4; Francisco Clavet (Spa) bt Andrei Cehsnokov (Rus) 6-1 6-4 6-1; Juan Albert Viloca (Spa) bt Javier Sanchez (Spa) 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 5-7 6-4 6-3

2nd round: Fernando Meligeni (Bra) bt Vincent Spadea (US) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) 6-3; Johan van Herck (Bel) bt Jordi Mas (Spa) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-5; Wayne Ferreira (SA) bt Magnus Norman (Swe) 6-4 6-4 6-4

Women's singles: Els Callens (Bel) bt Lea Shirardi-Rubbi (Fra) 6-2 6-7 (8-10) 6-3; Paola Suarez (Arg) bt Radka Bobkova (Czech Rep) 3-6 7-6 (7-1) 9-7; Serena Williams (US) bt Jana Nejedly (Can) 6-2 1-6 6-4; Rita Grande (Ita) bt Janet Lee (Tai) 7-6 (9-7) 6-3; Liezel Horn (SA) bt Caroline Dhenin (Fra) 3-6 6-3 6-0; Magui Serna (Spa) bt Patricia Hy-Boulais (Can) 6-1 6-1; Gala Leon Garcia (Spa) bt Yayuk Basuki (Ind) 6-3 6-2; Silvia Farina (Ita) bt Shi-Ting Wang (Tai) 6-2 6-1; Mariana Diaz-Oliva (Arg) bt Fang Li (Chi) 7-6 (10-8) 6-1; Joannette Kruger (SA) bt Andrea Glass (Ger) 6-3 6-4; Elena Wanger (Ger) btNana Miyagi (Jpn) 3-6 6-0 6-1; Sung Hee Park (SA) bt Francesca Lubiani (Ita) 5-7 6-1 6-2

2nd round: Alexia Dechaume-Balleret (Fra) bt Adriana Gersi (Czech Rep) 6-2 5-7 6-1