ROME. May 4: Monica Seles will be standing between Spain's Conchita Martinez and a remarkable fifth consecutive victory in the Italian Open here this week, reports AFP.

Martinez will find the American to be her most dangerous opponent on the clay courts of the Foro Italico after both Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis were forced out through injury.

Graf hasn't played since February 2. when she withdrew from the Tokyo indoor tournament on the eve of the final against Hingis because of a knee injury. She is hoping to return later this month in Berlin.

Hingis, the world's youngest-ever number-one and who beat Seles in the Key Biscayne and Hilton Head finals last month, needed surgery after damaging ligaments in a fall from a horse two weeks ago.

Martinez, who lost to Seles in the Hilton Head semifinals, will be looking for revenge in a tournament she has dominated since 1993.

However, Seles is no newcomer to the Rome event. The Yugoslav-born American reached three consecutive finals here, winning in 1990 but twice losing to Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini in 1991 and 1992.

Among the other crowd pullers this week will be France's Mary Pierce, losing finalist at Amelia Island and former "enfant terrible" Jennifer Capriati of the United States.