TENNIS MEN AT INDIAN WELLS : Agassi’s Rhythm Thrown Off by Courier

So what happened to rock ‘n’ roll tennis?

Its chief spokesman, Andre Agassi, whose musical tastes actually run more to Barry Manilow, nevertheless got drummed out of the Newsweek Champions Cup Thursday by Jim Courier.

For Agassi, it probably isn’t going to be a total loss.

Why, in just a couple of weeks, he is expecting to take delivery of a new two-seat, special-order sports car, worth a mere $400,000, which he can add to his impressive collection of automobiles that now numbers seven, depending on whether he includes brother Phil’s Ford Bronco.

The new car, a Vector, harnesses 700 horsepower, perfect for the rock ‘n’ roll tennis star, and goes from zero to 60 in less than four seconds.

Come to think of it, that’s only slightly shorter than Agassi lasted.

“That was a bit of a downer,” Agassi said.

Right, dude. After dusting off Goran Prpic in straight sets Wednesday, Agassi fell victim in the round of 16 to Courier’s ultra-sensible game of changing pace, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Previously, the speed with which Courier hit the ball never varied. Courier’s shots always traveled about as fast as Agassi’s new car. But urged on by sometimes-coach Jose Higueras, Courier mixed speeds against Agassi, withstood getting run over in the first set and scored his biggest victory in . . . who knows when?

“Last year, I didn’t have one win that stands out, that means anything to me,” Courier said.

At the same time, there isn’t much positive that stands out in Agassi’s year so far. After three tournaments, his record is 4-3 and his mood is, well, something less cheery than his lime-green tights.

“I just didn’t put it together and that’s from a lack of tournament play,” Agassi said. “I’ve predicted by the French Open, I should be OK, and anything before then is just icing on the cake.”

Stefan Edberg, fed a diet of rich serves by Darren Cahill in the early going, needed three sets to reach the quarterfinals with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory. The top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Edberg wasn’t all that pleased with his play.

There was only one way to look at it, Edberg said: “There are going to be days like this.”

Michael Chang labored through a three-set duel with Wayne Ferreria and won, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, holding up under a third set filled with five service breaks. Chang meets Edberg in the quarterfinals.

Also advancing to the quarterfinals was third-seeded Guy Forget, who handled Derrick Rostagno easily, 6-3, 6-1, and moved into a matchup with Scott Davis, who defeated Jim Grabb, 6-4, 6-4.

Michael Stich and Richey Reneberg will meet in the quarterfinals, Stich after beating Fabrice Santoro, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Reneberg after defeating Francisco Clavet, 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.

Seventh-seeded Emilio Sanchez, the highest seeded player remaining in the bottom half of the draw, defeated Andrei Cherkasov, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), and will play Courier in the quarterfinals.

Courier succeeded against Agassi by surviving five break points in the ninth game of the second set. Serving at 4-3, Courier went to deuce six times before holding.

Then, serving for the match at 5-4, Courier finished with a flourish, ending it with an ace.

“I wanted to close the deal and I did,” Courier said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Agassi had won his past four matches against Courier, whose only victory in the series was in the 1989 French Open. Last year in this tournament, Courier reached the semifinals and built on his result to make it to the round of 16 at the French Open, where he once again ran into Agassi and lost in four sets.

“This match might be the one to get me over the hump,” Courier said. “It may take a while, it may be just a blemish. I don’t know.”

Tennis Notes

Jimmy Connors, who is working out at Grand Champions but is not playing in the Newsweek Champions Cup, said that he will accept a wild-card entry into next week’s Lipton International Players Championship in Key Biscayne, Fla.