Day of Winners Past and Present

The U.S. Open cleans up real nice. The spacious grounds at the U.S. Tennis Center were opened to the eager tennis public on the first day of the U.S. Open on Monday, and it was hours before the newly planted marigolds were trampled and the helpful signs pointing to the new facilities were torn down as souvenirs.

The hulking Arthur Ashe Stadium was finally open for business, with its two tiers of luxury boxes and vertigo-inducing seating plan. Even the weather was fresh and new--dark clouds made a tentative appearance but sunny skies prevailed.

For all of the $245 million in improvements made to this sprawling and often inhospitable facility, the wisest decision made by officials of the U.S. Tennis Assn. was to honor Ashe by naming the new stadium after him. In a moving ceremony that officially opened the court, tennis officials also chose to do what the sport seldom does--pay homage to its rich history.

All 47 living former U.S. Open champions were invited to the ceremony and a surprising number showed, perhaps out of respect for Ashe, who won here in 1968. The elderly--Don Budge, Art Larsen, Pauline Betz Addie--and the infirm--Steffi Graf--stood on the darkened court alongside Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Roy Emerson, Maria Bueno, Stefan Edberg, Chris Evert, Ivan Lendl, Gabriela Sabatini, Ken Rosewall, Martina Navratilova . . . 37 in all.

Monica Seles, a two-time winner who had just completed her night match, took part in the ceremony and unashamedly videotaped the proceedings.

“It was great to see all the past champions,” Seles said. “A lot of them I had not met before. It was a very special night. You maybe have 10 moments like this in your tennis career.

“To be playing on the Arthur Ashe court was special. In 1991, when I was going though a lot of stuff, he took the time to come to one of my practices and talk to me. That meant a lot to me.”

Evert, who won here six times, was humbled by the assembled champions.

“I felt like a hack among all those great champions,” she said.

Like most of the former champions, Evert spoke about Ashe with reverence.

“What I respect about Arthur was, with him, it wasn’t just about tennis,” she said. “It wasn’t about winning tournaments, grabbing the money, buying a $2-million home. It was about education, it was about helping people. I can’t think of another player of his stature who had that approach.”

Conspicuous by their absence were Andre Agassi and three-time champion Jimmy Connors. Guillermo Vilas flew in from Buenos Aires, but Agassi--who was at the Champions Dinner on Monday night and doesn’t play his first match until tonight--failed to show at the ceremony. Connors was playing in a tournament.

The day’s proceeding were less glittery than the evening’s. The U.S. Open may have been prettified, but some aspects of this Grand Slam tournament are immutable: It’s still New York and everyone is going to find something to complain about.

Jim Courier complained of something called “dead arm,” and fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic said he didn’t know where he was . . . and he wasn’t kidding.

Ivanisevic’s upset loss to No. 91 Dinu Pescariu of Romania, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), was one in a series for the Croatian.

Ivanisevic entered the tournament as a prohibitive favorite and left, as he has at other Grand Slam events this year, a disappointment. He was bounced out in the first round at the French Open, the second round at Wimbledon and now, the first round here.

“At this moment I am ranked No. 4 but I’m playing like I’m ranked No. 50 or 100,” he said, in his usual state of disbelief about what had transpired on the court. “Everything is not . . . I’m not there. I don’t know where I am.”

Ivanisevic committed 75 unforced errors.

Courier--unseeded for the fist time in seven years--was hapless in losing to Todd Martin, who hasn’t played in a Grand Slam tournament in a year. Martin, nearly recovered from surgery, defeated Courier, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

Martin was delighted to be back on a court after a six-month rehabilitation from surgery to remove a bone spur from his right elbow.

The players praised the cavernous new stadium, even as distant spectators are apt not to. On the court, the swirling wind has been tamed, the wafting smells of fried food have been blown elsewhere.

However, the clanking of the nearby elevated subway comes in loud and clear, as does the din from La Guardia. Suspiciously, planes taking off from the notorious Runway 13 were present Monday in a way they seldom have been in the past. The fly-overs could have been a byproduct of politics.

It was former mayor and tennis fan David Dinkins who brokered the deal with the USTA that rerouted planes from directly over the Tennis Center. Part of that agreement calls for the USTA to collect a fine of $325,000 if planes buzz the stadium and disrupt play, except for safety reasons.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was highly irritated that Dinkins chose to sign the agreement on his last day in office, and over Giuliani’s objections. The deal was an issue during the mayoral campaign and won Giuliani votes in Queens, where residents had complained for years about the airport noise but got no hearing with city officials.

After Giuliani won the election, Dinkins ignored the incoming mayor’s appeals to abandon the contract. Whether it was coincidence or not, the air traffic was roaring during Monday’s matches.

Giuliani and the USTA are still at an impasse regarding the fines aspect of the agreement. Neither party has been available to negotiate. Giuliani was especially miffed when his office tried to arrange an appointment with USTA President Harry Marmion last week, only to be told Marmion was too busy.

“I’m kind of busy too,” Giuliani fumed.

Tennis Notes

Two other seeded players lost Monday. Joannette Kruger of South Africa defeated 14th-seeded Barbara Paulus of Austria, 6-1, 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, and Lisa Raymond of Wayne, Pa., defeated 15th-seeded Ruxandra Dragomir of Romania, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Other seeded players prevailed. Second-seeded Monica Seles had no trouble defeating Kristie Boogert of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-2, and top-seeded Pete Sampras dispatched Todd Larkham of Australia, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

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Featured Matches

MEN’S SINGLES

* Patrik Fredriksson vs. Michael Chang (2).

* Steve Campbell vs. Andre Agassi.

WOMEN’S SINGLES

* Martina Hingis (1) vs. Tami Jones.

* Lori McNeil vs. Lindsay Davenport (6).