STOCKHOLM. Nov 10: Swedish players swept to a trio of first-round victories on Tuesday, dominating the

home Stockholm Open with straight-set runaways, reports AFP.

Top seed and two-time holder Thomas Enqvist had the day's most lop-sided scoreline, taking less than an hour to humiliate clay-bred Spaniard Fernando Vicente 6-0. 6-1.

Vicente failed to make an impression at the Kugliga Hall, the temple of the game in the capital.

The world number 50 was run over by Enqvist, seventh in the world and a qualifier into the field for the eight-man season finals In Hanover in a fortnight.

Enqvist won the title at home in 1995 and 1996 and is fresh from a Super 9 crown two weeks ago in Stuttgart.

"I'm so glad to be back home, this is my favourite tournament of the year," said the winner. "I long for this event all season.

Tm surprised that it went so easy. Usually in the first round I'm more nervous. But I had almost no unforced errors, everything went so smoothly." Big-swinging veteran Magnus Gustafsson administered a

short, sharp ter inis iesson to an Iberian teenager, hammering Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3. 6-1.

The 32-year-old Gustafsson is playing here for the 11th year and produced his best effort with the quarter-finals in 1998.

He missed a month of the spring season with back problems after becoming the oldest winner on the ATP Tour this fear when he beat Frenchman abrice Santoro.

Ferrero was a player who gave Tim Henman, seeded second here, trouble in the second set of last week's Paris Open, forcing the Briton to three long sets before going down to the loss.

Gustafsson cut through him effortlessly.

Sixth seed Magnus Norman won a countryman duel with compatrot Mikael Tillstrom 7-5. 6-4.

It was a victory for last month's Shanghai Open titleholder against the finalist in Singapore a week later on the ATP Tour's Asian swing.

Norman has won five titles in 1999 and leads the Tour along with Andre Agassi. The Swede next plays South African Wayne Fereira. a 7-6 (7/3). 6-3 victor against Ville Liukko, the first Finn to play here in the main draw in 11 years.

Third seed Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador advanced over Peter Wessels of the Netherlands 6-4.

7-6 (7/5). The South American talent reached the semis at the weekend in Paris Bercy, losing in straight sets to top seed Andre Agassi

Lapentti has qualified on eighth spot for Hanover, his first tints in the field of a season wrapup. He began the year fankid Tin the 90s and now stands eighth.

T set myself a new goal, which was Top 10." said Lapentti. handsome enough to have caught the eye of women's star Anna Kournikova. "I'm in the Top 10 now. It's been a great year."

Tommy Haas stayed in the chase for the alternate's spot at the wrapup event in Germany with a 7-5. 3-6, 6-4 victory against Francisco Clavet. another hard-luck Spaniard on the day.

The German fourth seed Is hoping to join compatriot Nicolas Kiefer in Hanover.

He drew level with Henman in the second round a day after the second seed set the winning pace with a demolition of his day one opponent. Austrian Stefan Koubek.

If both seeds keep winning. Haas and Henman could meet in a Saturday semi-final, with the winner all but certainly wrapping up the Hanover alternate's opening.