THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Tennis got what it wanted, what it needed.
They called Sunday's U.S. Open men's final the ``dream match,'' because anything other than Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi would have been another nightmare for the fragile popularity of tennis in America.
As it turned out, the back and forth slugging between Sampras and Agassi, as good as it was at times, couldn't live up to the hype. Sampras' serve, and a swirling wind, saw to that.
Even so, their four-set final capped off a final weekend at Flushing Meadows that was better than tennis deserved. The last two days of the tournament produced the most excitement the game has seen since Agassi lopped off his ponytail.
The world's two best players did what they could to keep all of America from tuning into the Dallas Cowboys' game. Still, most of tennis' gratitude this week must go to Monica Seles. While Sampras won his seventh Grand Slam title, and Steffi Graf her 18th, this was Seles' tournament from first giggle to last.
The most enduring image of this Open will be of Seles running and smiling, hitting and laughing, reaching and grunting.
Seles-Graf and Sampras-Agassi on back-to-back days is as good as tennis gets, so if it does not start making a stronger connection with the public soon, there may be no hope for the game.
Speaking of making a popular connection, what an inspiration Monica's prominent paunch must be to aerobic class dropouts.
Seles is taller and heavier than when she left the game 2 1/2 years ago after being stabbed by a demented Graf groupie. There is, in other words, more of her for tennis to love.
Seles' presence overshadowed everything at the Open. A year ago, Agassi was asked to save tennis. He did what he could, right down to his wardrobe. He dresses for work as if he sleeps beneath a highway overpass.
In appearance alone, the men's final provided the contrast necessary for an interesting rivalry. Sampras plays mostly in white; Agassi in clothes that don't fit.
Sampras' third U.S. Open crown ties him with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe for Grand Slam titles. At 24, this makes Sampras, not Agassi, the premier American player.
If Sampras' record and silky strokes are not enough to excite fans, nobody would be surprised. Class is not as easy to merchandise as funky clothes.
By smothering Agassi for the first two sets, Sampras also provided television viewers with an unexpected service: He sedated Brooke Shields.
Last year, everything connected with Agassi, from earrings to show biz ornaments, was embraced by a sport desperate for attention.
Seles' return, though, seems bigger than Agassi's resurgence. By sticking around until the final, she brought genuine joy to a business that usually buries its humanity beneath computer points, endorsements and breaks of serve.
After losing, Seles' form never wavered. She laughed from the sheer exhilaration of playing tennis again. In contrast, the tortured Graf smiled mostly out of relief.
Tennis feared Seles would not come back. The game waited a full year for Sampras and Agassi to meet in the U.S. Open final.
Better late than never. by CNB