Hingis-Mauresmo III in Paris?

One of the most contentious rivalries in women’s tennis will probably resume next week at the French Open in Paris--Martina Hingis against Amelie Mauresmo.

Hingis, the world’s No. 1 female player, was seeded first Friday for the clay-court major that begins Monday.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov was seeded first among the men and will face Michael Chang in the first round at Roland Garros in a match between former French Open champions.

The probable second-round match between Hingis and Mauresmo would be a repeat of their bitter Australian Open final. Before that match, Hingis described the 19-year-old Frenchwoman, who is gay, as “half a man.”

Hingis and Mauresmo have played once since, with Mauresmo defeating Hingis at an indoor tournament in Paris.

To set up a rematch of the Australian Open final, Hingis needs to beat Amanda Hopmans of the Netherlands in the first round, and Mauresmo must win her opener against Tara Snyder.

Venus Williams, seeded fifth, plays France’s Alexandra Fusai in the first round and her younger sister Serena plays Laurence Courtois of Belgium. The sisters would not meet until the semifinals.

No. 2 Lindsay Davenport plays Jane Chi in the first round.

Pete Sampras, who has never won the tournament, opens against Juan Antonio Marin of Costa Rica.

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Patrick Rafter breezed past Sampras, 6-3, 7-5, to lead Australia into the final of the World Team Cup with a 2-1 victory over the United States at Dusseldorf, Germany. Mark Philippoussis gave Australia a 1-0 lead when he struggled to beat doubles specialist Richey Reneberg, 6-4, 6-7 (7-3), 7-5.

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Kafelnikov received a jolt in his French Open preparations, losing, 7-5, 6-3, to Argentina’s Mariano Zabaleta in the semifinals of the Raiffeisen Grand Prix at St. Poelten, Austria. Zabaleta will play Marcelo Rios of Chile, who defeated Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco, 6-1, 6-3. . . . Davenport defeated fellow American Amy Frazier, 6-0, 6-2, in the semifinals of the Madrid Open. Davenport will play Paola Suarez of Argentina, who defeated third-seeded Chanda Rubin, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1. . . . Jennifer Capriati advanced to her first final in two years with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Denise Chladkova in the Strasbourg Open in France. Capriati will play Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, who defeated Mary Joe Fernandez, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

Pro Football

The family of Leon Hess has hired Goldman, Sachs & Co. to manage the sale of the New York Jets. Team President Steve Gutman will remain in charge of business operations and assist the estate and Goldman Sachs in the process. Coach Bill Parcells will continue to have complete authority over the football operations, the Jets said. Hess died May 7.

The Philadelphia Eagles signed running back Duce Staley to a six-year, $16.3-million contract extension, a month after picking quarterback Donovan McNabb instead of Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft. Staley rushed for 1,065 yards last season.

Hockey

The New York Rangers have all but wrapped up a new contract with all-star defenseman Brian Leetch, the team said. The New York Daily News reported that Leetch, who would have been an unrestricted free agent, had agreed to a four-year contract worth $35 million.

The Nashville Predators extended the contracts of Coach Barry Trotz and his assistants, Paul Gardner and Brent Peterson.. . . . The NHL’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to a group headed by Detroit Piston owner Bill Davidson.

Motor Racing

Bobby Labonte won the pole for the 15th running of The Winston at Concord, N.C., by setting a qualifying record of 146.830 mph.

Stacy Compton, who finished out of the top four last week for the first time this season in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, bounced back by winning the pole for today’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Odessa, Mo.

Gary Scelzi, seeking his third consecutive NHRA top-fuel championship, had a track-record elapsed time of 4.550 seconds, going 321.73 mph at the Mopar Parts Nationals at Englishtown, N.J.

Miscellany

The Salt Lake Organizing Committee filed its 1997-98 tax return, the first to acknowledge that the committee provided scholarships, most of which can be traced to the relatives of International Olympic Committee members.

A soccer playoff game at Royal Antwerp in Belgium was postponed because of stadium damage after 11 policemen and seven spectators were injured during clashes with vandals.