A Marquee Matchup for City of Lights : Tennis: Agassi and Chang earn fourth-round victories and will meet in the quarterfinals of the French Open.

This just in from the French Open: Andre Agassi versus Michael Chang.

It’s the quarterfinals. It’s flash versus dash. It’s the last two Americans in the men’s singles field. It’s not Boris or Stefan or Ivan or McEnroe, but it’s certain to be the most interesting match yet at a Grand Slam missing its normal array of stars.

Quicker than you can say voila, Agassi made French toast of Jim Courier, 6-7 (10-8), 6-1, 6-4, 6-0, and rolled through the fourth round on a rainy Sunday.

Said Agassi: “I felt strong, I felt confident.”

Later Agassi had another clothes encounter with Philippe Chatrier, president of the French Tennis Federation. Chatrier wants the French Open to ban colorful tennis clothes such as the ones Agassi wears in favor of the traditional whites like those worn at Wimbledon. Agassi called the federation members “bozos” when Chatrier’s plan was announced Friday.

Agassi pointed out that unlike Wimbledon, there are several advertisements around the sides of the courts here.

“I guess when it comes to Chatrier’s benefit, tradition goes out the window,” Agassi said.

Out, too, went Javier Sanchez Vicario of Spain, eliminated in the fourth round by Chang, whose 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory propelled the defending champion into a showdown with Agassi, his contemporary in age and nationality, if not style.

“That just makes it all the more fun,” Chang said.

Agassi had a ball against Courier, who simply got trampled. Agassi, who proved he has something in his bag besides clothes, outslugged Courier at his own game.

His plan was to stay with the quick-starting Courier at the beginning, then wait for his chance. He found it in early in the second set when he broke Courier in the second game, then saved four break points to jump ahead, 3-0.

“I knew I was in good shape,” Agassi said. “After the first set was over, then I kicked it into gear.”

At last year’s French Open, Courier beat Agassi in four sets and hoped for a rematch that might propel him in the tournament he has been gearing himself for all year.

Courier saved three set points in the first-set tiebreaker, the last when Agassi fell down to leave Courier with an open court for a backhand. Another backhand winner sent down the line provided Courier with a set point, which he cashed in when Agassi sent a backhand into the net.

Courier turned toward the stands and said to Coach Sergio Cruz, “That’s one set.”

That’s the only one he got. Agassi, who beat Courier at the Lipton International Players Championship in April, said their French Open meeting of a year ago was of no consequence.

“Last year was a long time ago,” he said.

Chang continued searching for last year’s magic, a quest that has led him to Agassi. Against Sanchez Vicario, Chang led, 5-2, and was serving for the second set, but failed to hold serve.

Chang was patient, though, and eliminated the last Sanchez Vicario from the tournament. Emilio and Arantxa were eliminated in the first and second rounds.

“I’m just happy to get this one over with,” Chang said. “That was one of the toughest straight-set matches I’ve ever had in my life.”

Dispatching Agassi is likely to be even more difficult for Chang, who lost their only previous encounter, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2, in the fourth round of the 1988 U. S. Open.

“Then, I was just happy to be in the fourth round,” Chang said. “Now, the situation has changed a little bit. I’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be at the top.”

Chang, who failed to win a match in three clay court tournaments prior to the French Open, said he seems to play harder here.

“You fight extra hard and you don’t go out to somebody you shouldn’t go out to,” he said. “Now, the pressure has been taken a little bit off. I can go out and play without the mind frame ‘You have to win, you have to win.’ ”

Andres Gomez of Ecuador reached the quarterfinals without having to win. Gomez, fourth-seeded, advanced when Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden withdrew because of a knee injury.

Two other fourth-round matches were held over because of rain: Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union against Henri Leconte of France; and Guillermo Perez-Roldan of Argentina versus Jonas Svensson of Sweden.

Courier said he lost contact with Agassi when he let down in the second set, missing the four break points. Chang cannot afford many errors if he wants to avoid a similar fate.

“If Andre can play as close to the baseline and not make mistakes, I see him winning fairly comfortably,” Courier said. “But if Andre gets impatient, it’ll be a long match.

“I just can’t be disappointed to lose the way he played,” Courier said. “I was just hoping he couldn’t keep it up. Time after time, he was just greasing the baseline.”

In Agassi’s opinion, he may be tough to beat no matter what.

“I’m a bit more explosive than him,” Agassi said. “I have more capability to hit winners than him. I’m beaten him every time we’ve played, so I’ll go in confident.”