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Davis Cup, Agassi Mutually Beneficial

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Andre Agassi has become the U.S. Davis Cup stalwart, and soon only John McEnroe will have won more singles matches for this country.

Interesting, isn’t it, that those two turn out to be the patriots? But then again, U.S. history had its roots in rebellion.

At a time when Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson can’t persuade Pete Sampras, the world’s No. 1 player, to play Davis Cup--and seems to have grown weary of asking-- Agassi has learned that at this stage of his career, Davis Cup serves him, not only the other way around.

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Sampras is no longer likely to join the Davis Cup team this year--especially surprising because Sampras has been so close to the Gulliksons for so long and Tom’s twin, the late Tim Gullikson, had a large impact on Sampras’ game and life. But to be fair to Sampras, it’s harder for a player trying to remain No. 1--as Agassi and Davis Cup teammate Jim Courier once were--to find a place in his schedule.

But for No. 19 Agassi, who is trying to build back the momentum that stalled at the French Open and Wimbledon, the Davis Cup fits.

“This time, at the beginning of the summer, it’s a great opportunity to get stronger, to get matches in, to get confidence in your game and take advantage of it,” said Agassi, whose next Davis Cup victory will tie him with Arthur Ashe at 27. McEnroe had 41.

“When you’re out there, it’s all on the line,” Agassi said. “It’s a situation that demands you give everything you have. It brings out your best in some respects. . . . Sometimes it’s easier to play for your country than for yourself. Other tournaments, you know you’re going to be playing the next week. When that moment of doubt comes, that can be a nice little refuge. In Davis Cup, this is it, if you lose, it can be all over.”

Now Gullikson--who made a futile trip to Orlando, Fla., to lobby Sampras before the quarterfinal against Belgium--indicates the Americans will make a go of it in the semifinals against Italy--and maybe even in the final--with the same foursome that played the first two rounds.

Whether Gullikson is speaking out of loyalty, frustration--or merely the expectation Sampras wouldn’t agree to join the team anyway--the door is closing.

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“You want to go with what’s working and who’s committed,” Gullikson said. “I mean, last year, Pete played in the semis, after all the other guys worked hard to get us to the semis. The more I think about it, the less fair it is.”

LET’S PLAY THREE

The extraordinary stretch of three consecutive tournaments in Southern California has arrived again, with the men at UCLA next week and the women at La Costa the following week before they move to Manhattan Beach.

With Sampras scheduled to play the L.A. event for the first time since 1993, the Mercedes-Benz Cup at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA July 27-Aug. 2 might offer a pretty fair preview of the U.S. Open.

Sampras will be joined by last year’s U.S. Open champion, Patrick Rafter, ranked fifth, and Agassi, another former U.S. Open winner.

Others include Tim Henman, the British darling of Wimbledon, three-time Wimbledon finalist Goran Ivanisevic and Thomas Enqvist.

Hard-serving Greg Rusedski, still recovering from a pre-Wimbledon ankle injury, has withdrawn.

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Los Angeles wasn’t the most obvious springboard to the U.S. Open title for Rafter last year: He lost in the second round. A poor start to the hardcourt season made him work that much harder, he said, and it paid off.

“Obviously, you have to put your money on Pete, but I’d like to have a better showing than I have the last few times,” Rafter said.

Worth noting: The Bryan twins from Camarillo, Bob and Mike, have been given a wild-card entry into the doubles draw and could try to qualify for the singles draw. Since leaving Stanford along with his brother to turn pro after they swept the NCAA championships, Bob-- the NCAA singles champion--has been tearing up the futures tour. He’ll step up to the ATP event at Washington next week.

ON TO LA COSTA AND MANHATTAN BEACH

No. 1 Martina Hingis is scheduled to play in both the La Costa and Manhattan Beach events, but the Toshiba Tennis Classic on Aug. 3-9 at the La Costa Resort and Spa will have the advantage in sheer unpredictability because of Venus Williams.

Williams will play singles at La Costa but only doubles at Manhattan Beach--with her sister, Serena, who will be in the singles draw at Manhattan Beach but not La Costa.

For poignant intrigue, La Costa has Steffi Graf, still trying to regain her form after a series of injuries. Once the No. 1-ranked player for a record 186 consecutive weeks, Graf is ranked No. 57.

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Anna Kournikova entered the La Costa event, but an aggravation last week of the thumb injury that kept her out of Wimbledon makes her schedule uncertain.

Hingis, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Iva Majoli are scheduled to play both tournaments, and French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is the most recent high-profile addition to the Acura Classic, which wraps up the tour runs through Southern California on Aug. 10-16 at Manhattan Country Club.

For the second year, a highlight of the Manhattan Beach event will be the Wednesday night, Aug. 12 fund-raising dinner for Andrea Jaeger’s Silver Lining Ranch. A few tables, the cost of which include tickets to that night’s session, remain for the event, which is a joint effort of Acura, IMG and The Times. Details: (310) 545-3200.

HALL OF FAME

Jack Kramer, who won the 1947 Wimbledon title along with numerous U.S. and professional championships and later played an instrumental role in the development of pro tennis, will be inducted into the Southern California Tennis Assn. hall of fame Saturday in conjunction with the Mercedes-Benz Cup. Joe Bixler, the longtime SCTA president and a former director of the Ojai tournament, will be inducted along with Kramer in a black-tie affair on the UCLA campus. Details: (310) 208-3838, Ext. 303.

COURIER LETS LOOSE

Jim Courier shed no tears last week when the International Tennis Federation shelved the controversial proposal to abolish the let rule, which would have meant serves that hit the net and landed in would be in play. “Yeah, boy, that’s a real shame,” Courier said sarcastically. “They say it’s to speed the game up. Well . . . why don’t we take the commercial time and we’ll speed the game up. It’s always about the money.”

AND FINALLY

Former Ram all-pro safety Johnnie Johnson will play former Wimbledon finalist Zina Garrison in a battle-of-the-sexes match April 17, 1999, at Sunny Hills Racquet Club in Fullerton. Proceeds will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Orange County.

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