Pete Sampras and Jim Courier, who owned the Australian Open for the past three years, played as if they had something to prove.
Sampras, the defending champion and top seed, and Courier, who won the Grand Slam tournament in 1992 and 1993, steamrolled through straight-set victories and into the third round.Boris Becker's loss to Patrick McEnroe in his first-round match Tuesday appeared to send a warning out to other top seeds: Don't take anyone for granted.
Sampras and Courier took heed, Sampras beating Slovakian qualifier Jan Kroslak 6-2, 6-0, 6-1 in 76 minutes, and Courier taking just four minutes longer to beat Italy's Cristiano Caratti.
Others also learned from the Becker upset, plus losses Tuesday by fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic and women's fifth seed Gabriela Sabatini.
No. 5 Michael Chang and No. 7 Michael Stich advanced today, as did women's No. 2 Conchita Martinez, No. 3 Jana Novotna, No. 6 Lindsay Davenport and No. 7 Kimiko Date.
Fourth seed Mary Pierce of France beat South African Elna Reinach 6-1, 6-2 and Chang beat Morocco's Karim Alami 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in night matches. Earlier, Switzerland's Martina Hingis, the 14-year-old playing her first Grand Slam tournament, lost in the second round to Kyoko Nagatsuka, 6-3, 6-4.