AUSTRALIAN Open officials have stuck almost rigidly to world rankings in naming their seedings, avoiding a repeat of the controversy that engulfed last year's US Open.

American Pete Sampras and Germany's Steffi Graf were named number one seeds in the men's and women's singles for the year's first Grand Slam, starting at Melbourne Park on Monday.

Unlike at the US Open and Wimbledon, where officials also consider a player's record on grass, the Australian Open has a tradition of relying on ATP Tour and WTA Tour rankings in deciding seedings.

Defending champion Boris Becker was seeded sixth, true to his ranking, behind Thomas Muster, who has never won the tournament and has not reached the last eight since 1994.

Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was named women's second seed following the withdrawal of American Monica Seles because of a broken finger.

Muster, the world number five, accused US Open officials of manipulating the draw and seedings when they departed from the usual format last year.

The strong reaction from Muster and other players prompted officials to take the unprecedented step of scrapping the original men's draw and starting again from scratch.

The world number eight, Andre Agassi of the US, withdrew from the Australian tournament last month, opting to remain in America and train.