TENNIS / U.S. OPEN : Agassi Learns a Lot in a Year

Andre Agassi, Wimbledon champion, played his first-round match at the U.S. Open, won it in a breeze, then thought about how much his whirlwind life has changed after winning the world’s greatest tennis tournament.

“Put it this way,” Agassi said. “Before Wimbledon, from a business standpoint, I had a lot more than I could do. And after Wimbledon, it’s a joke.”

But the punch line remains the same. Usually, it’s a big forehand slugged crosscourt in the direction of the next borough.

And off the court these days, the lookout for Andre the Client has never been rosier. There were no post-Wimbledon blues in evidence Tuesday when Agassi made his 1992 U.S. Open debut with a 1-hour 43-minute, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 dismantling of Mikael Pernfors.

While it fell somewhat short of classic Agassi--he had more unforced errors than winners--he actually won 24 points at the net and didn’t want to diminish his performance in the least.

“I think my play out there in windy conditions against a guy like Pernfors, who can make you play so many balls, I think that really shows me and hopefully others that I am here to play and I feel as great as I have ever felt going into a Grand Slam tournament.”

Agassi, who will play Francisco Roig during the second round, lost his opening match to Aaron Krickstein a year ago. He was seeded eighth, just as he is this year.

Said Agassi of last year’s experience: “It was weird to really see me get beat early.”

Until losing to Krickstein, Agassi said reaching the later stages of Grand Slam events was something he took for granted.

“You know, I saw my third Grand Slam final in a row. I was coming in here after the last three Grand Slams, getting to the finals and they were expecting a lot from me and I got basically what I deserved, which is not being ready.”

Four-time champion John McEnroe began his 16th U.S. Open with a 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 victory over 6-foot-7 Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands.

Boris Becker was definitely prepared. He fashioned a workmanlike (eight aces, six double-faults) first-round victory over Kevin Curren and at the same time seemed to grasp the concept of geography pretty well.

“Tennis was never my whole life and it is never going to be my whole life, but at the moment I am in New York because of the tennis tournament,” he said.

Also at the moment, he is in the second round as a result of his 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Curren, 34, who in 1985 was Becker’s first victim in a Wimbledon final.

Since then, Becker has won four other Grand Slam titles, won more than $10 million, experienced the No. 1 ranking and aged seven years.

But is he happy?

“Right now, I don’t have anything to prove anymore, you know, to me and you,” Becker said. “I am having fun going out, I am having fun training and I am 24 years old, so I have another couple of good years ahead of me where I believe I can win a couple of more Grand Slams.”

Pete Sampras, who prepared for the Open by winning three consecutive tournaments, scored a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 victory over 22-year-old qualifier David DiLucia, ranked No. 422, an old foe of Sampras from the juniors.

Sampras served 10 aces, won 28 points on 38 approaches to the net and plans on playing a lot better than he did last year, when he lost to Jim Courier in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

After that match, Sampras said he was sort of glad to lose to shed the burden of being the defending champion. That wasn’t the right thing to say, Sampras acknowledged.

“Bad quotes,” Sampras said. “The truth of the matter is, I was very upset. . . . I was thinking to myself, ‘God, I could have won it again.’ I could have looked at the overall picture, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”

Maybe winning it again would help. He can move a step closer if he wins his second round match against Martin Damm.

U.S. Open Notes

Wild card Brian Dunn, 18, the national boys’ 18 champion from Bradenton, Fla., had an auspicious U.S. Open debut Tuesday. The 6-foot-6 teen-ager, ranked No. 635, opened with three consecutive aces and a service winner and went on to defeat 24-year-old German Markus Zoecke, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. . . . Catarina Lindqvist, who announced her plans to retire after the U.S. Open, ended her career with a first-round, straight-set loss to Helena Sukova. Lindqvist, 29, made the semifinals at the 1987 Australian Open and 1989 Wimbledon and was ranked No. 10 briefly in 1985. . . . Jim Courier is 0-5 against second-round opponent Andrei Chesnokov. . . . Boris Becker has reached the semifinals of at least one Grand Slam event every year since turning pro in 1984 when he was 16. This year, Becker lost in the third round at Australia, didn’t play the French Open because of a hamstring injury and lost to Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.