Sporting Digest: Tennis

THE Lawn Tennis Association yesterday confirmed that the annual women's indoor tournament in Brighton will take place this year - even though they have yet to find a new sponsor. Midland Bank, backers of the event at the Brighton Centre for the past five years, withdrew their sponsorship at the end of last year.

BORIS BECKER, the world No 4, will compete in the Nice Open next week. The German had missed five successive tournaments including this week's Open in Japan and the Lipton International two weeks ago because of flu. The entry for Nice includes world No 3 Stefan Edberg, of Sweden, No 5 Petr Korda, of the Czech Republic, and No 6 Goran Ivanisevic, of Croatia.

JAPAN OPEN (Tokyo): First round: T Woodbridge (Aus) bt S Matsuoka (Japan) 7-5 6-0; K Carlsen (Den) bt T Mercer (US) 6-4 6-1; D Vacek (Cz Rep) bt R Bergh (Swe) 6-4 6-3; J Stark (US) bt M Strelba (Cz Rep) 6-4 6-7 6-2; N Borwick (Aus) bt J Grabb (US) 6-1 6-1; J Stoltenberg (Aus) bt P Baur (Ger) 6-1 6-2; S Simian (Fr) bt A Antonitsch (Aut) 7-6 7-6; R Weiss (US) bt D Nargiso (It) 4-6 6-1 4-1 ret; A Cherkasov (Rus) bt K Braasch (Ger) 6-7 7-5

6-4; J Cunha-Silva (Por) bt S Stolle (Aus) 6-1

4-6 6-2. Second round: B Gilbert (US) bt C Pridham (Can) 5-7 6-2 6-1; C Van Rensburg (SA) bt R Fromberg (Aus) 6-7 7-6 6-4; P Sampras (US) bt J Morgan (Aus) 7-5 6-3.

GODO MEN'S TOURNAMENT (Barcelona): First round: J Altur (Sp) bt C Mezzadri (Swit) 5-7 6-3 6-4; M Gollner (Ger) bt F Santoro (Fr) 7-6 6-4; G Prpic (Croa) bt R Azar (Arg) 6-7 7-6 6-3; J Svensson (Swe) bt F Sanchez (Sp) 6-1

6-3; B Wuyts (Bel) bt L Jonsson (Swe) 6-0 3-6 6-3; G Markus (Arg) bt A Olhovskiy (Rus) 6-3 3-6 6-2; E Sanchez (Sp) bt A Mancisidor (Sp) 6-1 6-4; J Arrese (Sp) bt T Carbonell (Sp) 6-1

4-6 6-4; J Burillo (Sp) bt T Champion (Fr) 6-3 6-1; E Kafelnikov (Rus) bt V Roubicek (Cz Rep) 6-4 3-0 ret; F Clavet (Sp) bt M Filippini (Urug) 7-5 4-6 6-4; R Carretero (Sp) bt G Lopez (Sp) 6-2 6-1; A Medvedev (Ukr) bt G Perez-Roldan (Arg) 6-2 6-0; J Sanchez (Sp) bt A Berasategui (Sp) 6-4 6-3; R Gilbert (Fr) bt A Mancini (Arg) 2-0 ret; M Gustafsson (Swe) bt M Larsson (Swe) 4-6 7-6 7-5. Second round: C Costa (Sp) bt J Viloca (Sp) 6-1 6-1; R Krajicek (Neth) bt G Prpic (Croa) 6-4 6-4; T Muster (Aut) bt A Chesnokov (Rus) 7-5 4-6 7-5.

BAUSCH AND LOMB WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP (Florida): First round: S Hack (Ger) bt J Santrock (US) 6-1 7-6; C Singer (Ger) bt S Cecchini (It) 3-6 6-1 6-4; P Tarabini (Arg) bt B Schultz (Neth) 6-4 6-3; L Davenport (US) bt B Bowes (US) 6-3 6-2; S Stafford (US) bt R Fairbank-Nideffer (SA) 6-1 6-3; C Rubin (US) bt C Fauche (Swit) 6-1 6-3; J Kruger (SA) bt L Ferrando (It) 6-1 4-6 7-6; K Kshwendt (Lux) bt D Szabova (Cz Rep) 5-7 6-4 6-0; B Fulco- Villella (Arg) bt T Whitlinger (US) 6-3 6-4; F Bonsignori (It) bt N Hummel (US) 6-2 6-4; N Ercegovic (Croa) bt L Bacheva (Bul) 6-1 6-4; A Fusai (Fr) bt N Van Lottum (Fr) 6-4 6-0; F Perfetti (It) bt R Jensen (US) 7-6 7-6; J Watanabe (US) bt S Meier (Ger) 6-3 6-2; P Langrova (Cz Rep) bt C Benjamin 6-2 7-6; R Bobkova (Cz Rep) bt M Paz (Arg) 6-0 1-6 6-2; C Kuhlman (US) bt L Golarsa (It) 6-3 7-6.