AGASSI: `GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT' : EMOTIONAL AMERICAN TEARS BRUGUERA APART TO SEIZE GOLD.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

With no sweat and a couple of tears, Andre Agassi became a gold medalist Saturday.

The second-generation Olympian overwhelmed Sergi Bruguera of Spain 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, then succumbed to the emotion of the victory on the medal stand.

``Hearing the anthem was the greatest accomplishment I've had in this game,'' Agassi said.

He shared a post-victory embrace with his father, Mike, an Olympic boxer for Iran in 1948 and 1952. The elder Agassi rarely attends matches because they make him nervous, but he surprised his son by flying in from Las Vegas for the final.

``After the match I gave him a chance to get closer to a gold than he ever got,'' Agassi said with a grin.

While six top-10 players skipped the Olympics, Agassi said from the beginning of the year the Games were his top priority. He passed up the opening ceremony, the athletes village and events in other sports to concentrate on tennis.

With the gold in hand, he ranked it ahead of his three Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon in 1992.

``I'll keep this over all of them,'' he said. ``To win a Grand Slam in the sport of tennis is the greatest accomplishment inside the sport. To win an Olympic gold medal is the greatest thing you can accomplish in any sport.''

Americans Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez won their second consecutive gold medal in doubles, beating Helena Sukova and Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. The Fernandezes, who are not related, also won the gold at Barcelona.

Their victory gave the United States three of the four golds in tennis. Lindsay Davenport won the gold in women's singles Friday.

Mary Joe Fernandez, 24, earned her third Olympic medal after barely making the team. Because of her ranking, she had to be left off the roster when it was announced in May. But the International Olympic Committee, noting that she was a defending champion in doubles, allowed the Americans to add her as a fifth member of the squad.

Agassi made his victory look easy, hitting the ball deep and hard and seeming to anticipate every shot by the Spaniard. Bruguera, a two-time French Open champion, said he'd never seen Agassi play better.

``When he's on, he's the best player in the world,'' Bruguera said. ``He played too good for me today.''

Overpowered, Bruguera committed 60 unforced errors - almost one per minute in the 77-minute match. Agassi dominated from the start, winning 14 consecutive points at one stretch.

The crowd of 11,000 loved it. Fans urged on the American with shouts of ``Agassi rules,'' ``Viva Las Vegas!'' and ``We love you, man!''

Agassi accepted the medal, which matched his earrings. Then the national anthem played, and two tears rolled down his left cheek.

``This is as good as I can play,'' Agassi said. ``It's the standard I've gotten my opponents used to, and I haven't lived up to it for a while.''

Agassi became the first American to win the gold in men's singles since Vincent Richards in 1924.

In the match for the bronze in men's singles, Leander Paes claimed India's first Olympic medal in any sport since 1980, beating Brazilian Fernando Meligeni 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: (color) America's Andre Agassi said his gold-medal p erformance is the highlight of his career.

Associated Press