Agassi Rescues U.S. In Davis Cup Semifinal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - All in all, it was a fairly busy week for Andre Agassi. He bleached his hair, got a new attitude and saved the United States Davis Cup team.

As the sound of singer Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." reverberated through Kemper Arena yesterday afternoon, Agassi did a quick spin near the net, waved to the crowd and swung a couple of roundhouse rights, having made sure the U.S.-Germany Davis Cup semifinal ended on a happy note, just like the prerecorded music.

The United States, its 2-0 lead blown, was tied with Germany, 2-2, after Michael Stich tattooed Jim Courier 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in yesterday's first match.

That meant that in the final match, Agassi could either cement his reputation as a pre-eminent choker or, well, rescue America.

All hail Andre the Hero. Agassi wiped out nemesis Carl-Uwe Steeb 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hour and 45 minutes of calculated clay-court mayhem, which not only put the United States into the Davis Cup final against France with a 3-2 decision, but also expelled a few demons from Agassi's already bursting closet.

That list included three defeats in Grand Slam finals, plus a four-set loss to Steeb in Munich, Germany, that decided the 1989 Davis Cup semifinal when Agassi seemed to give up and the United States fell 3-2.

"That match was in the back of my mind since Steeb won it," Agassi said. "That's all I was thinking about. But I've come a long way since then.

The Germans came a long way to lose without their best player, Boris Becker.

After Stich and Eric Jelen outclassed Davis Cup rookies Scott Davis and David Pate in a straight-set doubles victory Saturday and Stich's straight-set victory over Courier, the U.S. hopes to defend its Davis Cup title rested on Agassi.

Tom Gorman, the U.S. captain, said he was not worried.

"From the very first point, it was obvious that Andre was on," Gorman said. "He wanted it."

"I think this is a little bit of a monkey off his back. He's been troubled by a lot of statements that he has had trouble winning some big matches."

Gorman said his team ready to defend the Cup on any court surface the French pick to host the final. He expects a fast indoor carpet court to help French star Guy Forget.

"With the group of players we have to choose from, we are not hurting playing on any court surface," he said.

The final is expected to be Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Lyons.

SELES RIPS FERNANDEZ

-- TOKYO - Top-seeded Monica Seles, relentlessly pounding winners, defeated Mary Joe Fernandez 6-1, 6-1 in 51 minutes to win the Nichirei International Ladies Tennis Championships.

Seles matched Steffi Graf's record of winning 17 singles titles before her 18th birthday. She will be 18 in December.

"She mixed up her shots very well," said Fernandez, the No. 2 seed, who often helplessly watched Seles' shots zip past her.

Seles, the world's top-ranked woman player, needed only 51 minutes to beat Fernandez, the tournament's defending champion.

NOTES

-- Top-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain won her second straight Paris Women's Open, defeating unseeded Ines Gorrochategui of Argentina 6-0, 6-3.

Martinez, 19, needed only 50 minutes to defend her title against Gorrochategui, an 18-year-old ranked 130th in the world. -- Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker, recently sidelined by a back injury, will defend his title in the Australian Indoor Championships in Sydney Sept. 30 to Oct. 6.