Tennis: Becker leaves coach: Seles is top seed for French Open

BORIS BECKER'S troubled year continued when he parted company with his Austrian coach, Gunther Bresnik, one week before the start of the French Open, a tournament he has never won.

Ion Tiriac, Becker's manager, said in a statement that Becker and Bresnik ended their partnership on Sunday by 'mutual agreement'. Bresnik, the Austrian Davis Cup team coach, became Becker's fifth coach during the US Open in September. Although the German won five tournaments last year, including the ATP Tour World Championship in Frankfurt, this year has been marred by injury and illness and his clay court season so far has been disastrous: he has failed to progress past the third round in five tournaments.

Monica Seles was made top seed to defend her title at the French Open championships, which start in Paris on Monday, despite last month's stabbing in Hamburg. The organisers of the event said the Yugoslav world No 1 had not withdrawn her entry and would be installed as top seed.

FRENCH OPEN SEEDINGS (Paris, 24 May to 6 June) Men: 1 P Sampras (US); 2 J Courier (US); 3 S Edberg (Swe); 4 B Becker (Ger); 5 G Ivanisevic (Croa); 6 P Korda (Cz Rep); 7 I Lendl (US); 8 A Agassi (US); 9 M Chang (US); 10 M Stich (Ger); 11 S Bruguera (Sp); 12 A Medvedev (Ukr); 13 R Krajicek (Neth); 14 K Novacek (Cz Rep); 15 W Ferreira (SA); 16 T Muster (Aut). Women: 1 M Seles (Yug); 2 S Graf (Ger); 3 A Sanchez Vicario (Sp); 4 G Sabatini (Arg); 5 C Martinez (Sp); 6 M-J Fernandez (US); 7 J Capriati (US); 8 J Novotna (Cz Rep); 9 A Huber (Ger); 10 M Maleeva (Bul); 11 M Maleeva-Fragniere (Swit); 12 A Coetzer (SA); 13 M Pierce (Fr); 14 N Tauziat (Fr); 15 K Maleeva (Bul); 16 S Hack (Ger).

Gabriela Sabatini, the world No 5 from Argentina, has entered the inaugural women's Volkswagen Cup in Eastbourne, from 14 to 19 June.