From Either Side, Jensen Is a Handful : Tennis: Former USC players give Leconte and Forget all they can handle, but lose in doubles.

His name is Luke Jensen. To those who follow tennis closely enough to know nicknames and nuances, it is Dual Hand Luke.

Jensen is many things, most of them fun. And fun was a commodity badly needed Sunday at the Newsweek Champions Cup, where the singles title was won by robo player Jim Courier in a match that provided color and drama along the lines of a sewing contest.

Shortly after Courier had flicked away Wayne Ferreira like a speck of dust on his sleeve, collected another huge paycheck and said all the nice mandatory things to the sponsors and crowd, Jensen took the court with partner Scott Melville to play the doubles final against the veteran French connection of Henri Leconte and Guy Forget.

Suddenly, here was something to get excited about. Here was a match with a story line: a couple of unheralded former USC guys with a swagger in their step facing two of the more famous tennis players in the world, a pair that, among other things, is 10-0 for France in Davis Cup doubles.

It would be a match featuring 2 1/2 left-handers. Leconte and Forget were the two, Jensen the half.

Jensen is ambidextrous. He hits his ground strokes and volleys right-handed, but serves about 60% of the time left-handed and also hits overheads left-handed. But while his game has a split personality, his personality does not. He is a rock-solid, card-carrying free spirit, a young man who wears black tennis shoes in a sport that loves its lily whites, and lets his long hair flop behind him in a pony tail, drawn through a hat with its bill flipped up.

Jensen plays bass guitar in a rock band that calls itself “We’ve Never Heard of You, Either.” One of his heroes is Raider Ronnie Lott, and he wears Lott’s No. 42 on the back of his black shoes. He also has a fake tattoo and changes it every couple of weeks.

Suffice to say, Jensen and Melville did not beat Leconte and Forget. That would have been fairy-tale stuff.

But their 6-4, 7-5 showing was solid, and, clearly, being there at the end was no fluke for Luke. It marked his third doubles final this year--one with his brother, Murphy, one with Sandon Stolle, and now with Melville.

When it was over and they had won $24,600 each, Melville described it as “one of my top two or three paychecks so far,” and Jensen called it “a new Harley.” No surprise that he already owns one.

Leconte and Forget each won $46,700.

Jensen and Melville, despite being USC teammates, have played doubles together only twice, both times as pros. They won a tournament in Orlando in 1991. Jensen, saying that he has strong family loyalties, is committed to playing most of the rest of the year with brother Murphy.

Jensen also has a sister, Rachel, who plays on the pro tour. She plays left-handed and serves right-handed. Must be the kind of thing that’s all in the family.