A NEW OPEN ERA; STARS COME TO ASHE STADIUM.

Byline: Steve Wilstein / Associated Press 

The true inauguration of Arthur Ashe Stadium won't come when the first ball is struck Monday morning at the U.S. Open or even when past champions solemnly pay homage to Ashe in the formal dedication that night.

Rather, it will be that moment in the tournament, perhaps on some sultry afternoon or balmy evening, when the full-throated roars of the largest crowd in tennis vibrate through the new steel and brick arena and shake two players standing on the sage green court.

One of those players may be Pete Sampras, the four-time champion who has a knack for dramatics at this tournament that belies his laid-back, off-court demeanor. Or perhaps one of them will be Martina Hingis, the 16-year-old with the sweet smile and killer strokes who, like Sampras, is going for her third Grand Slam title of the year.

Or, just as likely, the roars will be for some low-ranked underdog socking it to a high seed with brilliant and unexpected shots.

At that moment - and it happens every year at some point in the U.S. Open - the 22,547-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, with its rim rising against the Manhattan skyline across the river, will become as loud and wild and crazy as New York gets. Just as it was intended.

The U.S. Open is the raucous, sometimes obnoxious cousin of Wimbledon and the French and Australian Opens. Jets rattle the seats, fans walk around whenever they want, no matter the score, and sandwiches cost more than an ounce or two of silver.

What the U.S. Open has lacked in classiness since it moved from Forest Hills two decades ago, it has made up for in noise and chaos and a uniquely New York energy. Now, with the opening of Arthur Ashe Stadium as the centerpiece of a $254 million, privately funded renovation, the USTA is hoping to achieve some of the aesthetic appeal that has so long been missing.

The new place is bigger yet more intimate because of the slope of the seats, and the acoustics of all that steel will make the roars all the more deafening.

``I kind of miss the old stadium - that's where I made my mark in '90 - but the new stadium is going to be a pleasure to play in,'' Sampras said after testing the court.

Sampras likes the spacious new inlaid wooden lockers, the large players lounge, the easy access to the court. Fans will appreciate the wider walkways between outside courts, the more comfortable seats, the extra toilets, the new landscaping, and the lovely lane that links the tennis center with the majestic Unisphere and fountains of the 1964 World's Fair.

The architectural design of the new stadium - a jumble of retro '20s and postmodern '90s - will be an acquired taste for some. Depending on one's point of view, it's either spectacular or spectacularly ugly. But compared to the creaky relic it is replacing, it's a major improvement. Louis Armstrong Stadium, which was twisted into a tennis venue from a World's Fair concert site, will be trimmed down next year and remain a feature court.

Of course, the fans will be paying more for all this change. Prices for high-end tickets are up about 20 percent, with the top single-session seat now $613. Most other ticket prices are up 5-7 percent. Still, the USTA expects attendance to increase about 10 percent above last year's 506,012.

Whether any of the changes will have an effect on the quality of the tennis remains to be seen. There will be no Boris Becker, no Steffi Graf and, based on recent history, probably not much of Andre Agassi.

Becker had planned on making this his last major tournament, but pulled out because of the death of his longtime friend and manager. Graf, who won last year, is still recovering from knee surgery. Agassi hasn't played a major tournament since the U.S. Open last year, when he lost to Michael Chang in straight sets in the semifinals.

Chang didn't give Sampras much competition in a straight-sets loss in the final, but as the No. 2 seed again remains a threat.

So, too, is the women's No. 2, Monica Seles, who has played tournaments for five straight weeks in an effort to regain her fitness and timing and salvage a disappointing year.

For all of that, the tournament still looks like it belongs to Sampras and Hingis, each of whom won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. A decade apart in age, they are ruling their respective worlds in tennis with different styles.

Sampras is the ultimate serve-and-volleyer, perhaps the best in history, but he has a colorless personality that needs someone like Agassi to play off.

``Andre and I had all the ingredients to have something maybe like a Borg-McEnroe with different personalities,'' Sampras said, acknowledging how much he and tennis miss that rivalry. ``Really, Andre and I, what we had a couple of years ago was something pretty special.''

Two years ago at the Open, Sampras beat Agassi at his own baseline game in an incredible 22-shot rally that secured the first set and, effectively, the match. Agassi hasn't been the same since.

ON TV

Today: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Channel 2, exhibition.

Monday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m., USA; 9:30 p.m.-10:07 p.m., highlights, Channel 2.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

PHOTO (1--2) Four-time champion Pete Sampras, left, and 16-year-old phenom Martina Hingis, above, are favored to win this year's U.S. Open in New York. Each has won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. A decade apart in age, they rule their respective worlds in tennis with different styles. Sampras is a classic serve-and-volleyer. Hingis is a baseliner who can also attack at the net.

Daily News File Photo

(3) Chico Vallejos reads blueprints while working on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Opening celebrations were scheduled for Saturday.

Associated Press

(4) CHANG