U.S. Handsome, Sabatini Stunning : Men: Agassi rallies to knock out Becker with strong returns of serve. Sampras finishes off McEnroe and can become youngest winner today.

The U.S. Open hasn’t been won by an American in six years, but today on the green cement court of the National Tennis Center, the country’s premier tennis tournament will be claimed by either a 20-year-old from Las Vegas or a 19-year-old from Rancho Palos Verdes.

Andre Agassi, the wizard of lobs, playing a glitzy, neon game that could light up the Strip in his hometown, meets youthful contemporary, Pete Sampras, the cool kid from the South Bay with the loopy smile and an arrow-straight serve.

Who is the favorite?

“Who knows?” said Boris Becker.

Does Sampras?

“If he can pass me for three straight sets, then it’s his tournament.” Sampras said.

Does Agassi know?

“If he can come up with 25 aces, (he is) going to be dangerous,” Agassi said.

On Super Saturday at the Open, Agassi dethroned defending champion Becker with surprising ease, 6-7 (12-10), 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, in the first semifinal.

Then Sampras followed it up with an almost-routine, 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over the sentimental favorite, 31-year-old John McEnroe.

If Sampras beats Agassi, he would be the youngest U.S. men’s champion, at 19 years 28 days, replacing Oliver S. Campbell, who won the title 100 years ago at 19 years 6 months 9 days.

Sampras, who had 24 aces in his quarterfinal decision over Ivan Lendl, rocketed 15 more past McEnroe and the victim seemed genuinely impressed.

“He’s cool as a cucumber,” said McEnroe, who was dead as a doornail, unable to put his racket on Sampras’ serves often enough.

The fastest of the serves Sampras hit were measured in the 120-mile-an-hour range, but Sampras said speed is not necessarily of the essence.

“Just as long as they go in,” he said.

Meanwhile, McEnroe found returning Sampras’ serves a losing proposition.

“He really seems to be into his thing,” McEnroe said. “He couldn’t play much better.”

Actually, the same could be said of Agassi. A shotmaking blur whose glitzy image has earned him the nickname ‘Andre the Client,” Agassi could have sent Becker home in straight sets.

In the only set he lost, Agassi held five set points on Becker, but didn’t cash in any of them. If he had, Becker’s yearlong reign as Open champion would have ended about an hour sooner than it did.

“The way he plays tennis, he is a world-class tennis player, that is the way I see it,” Becker said.

Agassi reached his second Grand Slam final--he lost to Andres Gomez in the French Open in June--by merely doing what he does best: return serve and hit winners.

Becker is regarded as wielding one of the best serves in the game, but during one period spanning the last two games of the second set and all of the third set, he lost his serve six consecutive times.

Said Becker: “Yes, that wasn’t too good.”

Agassi unloaded a forehand winner down the line to break Becker at love to take the second set, then kept him from winning a single game on his serve in the third set.

At the same time, Becker seemed rattled by a series of line calls that went against him. Once when chair umpire Bruno Rebeuh overruled a call to give a point to Agassi, Becker flopped on his back, arms outstretched, one leg on top of the other.

“When they call the balls out and they are in and you have a chance to get back into the match, it’s too tough,” Becker said. “They were really bad.”

Agassi continued to be very good. He swept through the third set, which ended when a careless backhand by Becker drifted long, then took a 5-3 lead in the fourth with a ninth and final service break.

After 3 hours 4 minutes, Becker’s service return was out and Agassi was in. He quickly dropped to one knee and put his hand on his face before running to the net to shake hands.

“I’m not going to over-spiritualize it like everybody tries to do,” Agassi said. “I was just being thankful.”

Becker had six aces, four double faults, made only 56% of his first serves, committed 53 unforced errors and still thought he played well. In fact, Becker said his performance was superior to his four-set victory over Ivan Lendl in last year’s final.

“I’ll take that as a pretty big compliment,” said Agassi, counting his 34 winners.

McEnroe couldn’t have been any more gracious when he spoke of Sampras, even if the disappointment of coming so close to the final only to fail must have stung.

“He was just hitting the ball with so much pace, I couldn’t pick it up,” McEnroe said. “He played very, very well.”

Sampras, playing in his first Grand Slam semifinal, silenced the pro-McEnroe crowd by taking the first two sets in a breeze. He faltered briefly in the third set, but scored a key break for 4-2 in the fourth.

On his fourth break point chance in the game, Sampras blasted a backhand first serve return in the corner, then won his own service game for 5-2, angling a backhand volley winner to win the game at love.

Sampras served for the match at 5-3, aced McEnroe twice and walked off the court with his biggest victory.

“I think this is the best I’ve played all week,” Sampras said. “I’m kind of sorry about McEnroe, though. He’s had a great tennis career, and I’m sure he wanted to retire with a U.S. Open win.”

Instead, Sampras has the chance to launch his increasingly promising career to new heights. Already he is certain to jump into the top 10 for the first time.

“I never thought that I’d be in the position I am right now so soon,” Sampras said. “This is the whole tournament. Nothing gets bigger than this.”

McEnroe said a final with fresh faces such as Agassi and Sampras is good for tennis. Both played the best of anyone, so both deserved to be in the final, McEnroe said.

As for his own prospects, McEnroe said he hasn’t yet given up. “Hope springs eternal.”