FRENCH OPEN : Agassi Ousts Chang; Capriati Breezes Again

Andre Agassi muscled defending champion Michael Chang out of the French Open today, while 14-year-old Jennifer Capriati pranced into the semifinals with another straight-set victory.

The third-seeded Agassi, with stubble bristling and hot-pink outfit brighter than ever, reached his fourth Grand Slam semifinal and his second in three years here with an overpowering 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory built on sheer power.

Capriati, now the youngest semifinalist in Grand Slam history, bopped around the baseline and beat seventh-seeded Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-2, 6-4. The Florida teen-ager has made the final four without dropping a set and meets second-seeded Monica Seles next.

Two streaks--five games in a row in the first set, the last six in the second--put Agassi in a dominating position over his fellow American. And when he is in such a spot, he gets even stronger. He finished the match by breaking Chang with a powerful backhand volley.

“I think I had an edge over him in my serve, and I was going for winners more,” Agassi said. “We both played well and I just came out on top.”

Chang, who is from Placentia, Calif., said: “Andre played too well today. He was too strong off the ground for me. He didn’t miss too many balls. He’s learning when to hit hard and when to play safe.”

Agassi next plays Jonas Svensson, ranked 25th in the world. The unseeded Swede beat Frenchman Henri Leconte, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4, to the disappointment of hometown fans who jammed center court.

Top-ranked Steffi Graf shook off a mid-match charge by Conchita Martinez and reached the women’s semifinals of the 14th consecutive Grand Slam tournament she has played. Graf opened the day of six quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory.

Seles, the second seed and hottest player in tennis, survived a scare to win her 30th consecutive match. She came back from a 1-4 deficit in the third set to beat sixth-seeded Manuela Maleeva, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5. Maleeva, who cracked herself in the head with her racket on a second-set shot, was two points from victory at 5-4, 0-30, when Seles took off to win the final three games.

Jana Novotna then beat Katerina Maleeva, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, and will meet Graf in the semifinal Thursday.

Agassi, the No. 3 seed in search of his first Grand Slam title, has never lost to Chang in tournament play and rarely looked in danger in a match lasting almost 2 3/4 hours.

Dressed once again as if he had arrived at the stadium on a skateboard, the 20-year-old from Las Vegas cruised through the first two sets with minimal effort, demonstrating the difference his improved fitness has made in his game.

But Chang, who rarely seems to strike his true form unless staring defeat in the face, responded by taking the third set, 6-4, to raise momentary hopes of yet another great escape.

It was not to be as Agassi reeled off the first three games of the fourth set. Chang then wasted three break points which would have brought him back to 3-2 and found himself serving to stay in the match at 5-2 down.

In the most gripping game of the contest, Chang saved two match points but Agassi, crossing himself before the final point, finished the match with a midcourt volley that left his opponent helpless.

“Me and Michael have played one another so many times our games are very similar. It was more a matter of who hit the ball harder,” said Agassi, who has now reached his fourth Grand Slam semifinal.