Becker to Play in Champions Cup, Giving Field Nine of the Top 10

Australian Open champion Boris Becker has accepted a wild card into the field of the Newsweek Champions Cup, which begins Monday at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort at Indian Wells, Calif.

Becker, ranked No. 4, joins a field that features nine of the top 10 players in the world, led by Pete Sampras, Thomas Muster and Andre Agassi.

On Wednesday, the draw was held for the women’s tournament, the State Farm Evert Cup, which begins Friday. In the first round, Jennifer Capriati will play Rita Grande of Italy, probably on Saturday.

The top-seeded players received first-round byes. In the second round, top-seeded Steffi Graf will play the winner of a match between Ludmila Richterova of the Czech Republic and Kristina Triska of the United States. Second-seeded Conchita Martinez will play the winner of a match between Florencia Labat of Argentina and Rachel McQuillan of Australia. Third-seeded Anke Huber will play the winner of a match between Nicole Bradtke of Australia and Barbara Schett of Austria.

First- and second-round matches will be played Friday through Sunday.