TENNIS ROUNDUP : Seles Wins Easily Over Baudone

Top-seeded Monica Seles ended a string of upsets by Italian women Tuesday by hammering out a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Natalia Baudone in the second round of the Italian Open in Rome.

Making her first appearance after a first-round bye, Seles ran off nine consecutive games in what seemed no more than a workout.

But Baudone, ranked 134th, began scoring with powerful forehands down the lines, bringing cheers from nearly 10,000 at center court at the Foro Italico.

Baudone twice broke Seles’ serve and trailing, 5-4, found herself nearly back in the match. But Seles turned up the heat and broke Baudone at love to win the match.

Italian upsets included Flora Perfetti beating 15th-seeded Barbara Rittner of Germany, 6-2, 6-2; and Raffaella Reggi-Concato ousting eighth-seeded Mary Pierce, an American who plays out of France, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-0.

Boris Becker, still looking for his first clay-court title, won his second-round match at the German Open in Hamburg by defeating Thierry Champion of France, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

Andre Agassi won his first-round match, beating Martin Jaite of Argentina, 6-2, 6-3.