DELAY OK FOR AGASSI; RAIN MEANS HE'LL REST UP FOR FINISH.

Byline: Charles Bricker South Florida Sun-Sentinel 

The steady drip, drip, drip over Paris that finally turned to rain two hours into the French Open semifinal couldn't have looked more welcome to Andre Agassi if he owned 10,000 acres in the middle of an Oklahoma dust bowl.

When chair umpire Jorge Diaz finally put the match in suspension until today (3 a.m. PDT), Agassi was leading 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 1-2 over the suddenly roused Dominik Hrbaty and there were ominous signs that Agassi's strained right shoulder was flaring up in the cold, dank weather gripping the Court Centrale.

Agassi was within shooting range of reaching his third final at Roland Garros, this time against Andrei Medvedev, who had earlier overcome the loss of the first nine points, some mid-match cramping and indigestion to whip Fernando Meligeni 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).

But after playing exquisite, aggressive tennis in the first two sets, midway through the third Agassi seemed to lose pop on his forehand ground strokes.

Several times Hrbaty left Agassi short balls and, rather than drive the balls for winners, Agassi topspun them into the corner, giving Hrbaty at least one more shot.

Then, Agassi's hook serve into the deuce court, which had dominated Hrbaty from the end of the first set through the second and into the third, suddenly began missing.

His snappy Charlie Brown walk disappeared by the time the fourth set had begun. He was moving more deliberately between points.

If Agassi, 29, indeed is re-injured, tired, or both, he can only profit by the treatment and rest he'll get overnight.

This is the second time the rain gods have showered Agassi at the French Open, and the first time didn't leave fond memories. In the 1991 final against Jim Courier, Agassi led 6-3, 3-1 when the match was delayed by two hours. Courier won the first of his two French Open titles 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

If this men's semifinal goes the full distance, it will be the 31st five-setter of Agassi's long career. Three times he has lost after leading two sets to none - most recently to Alberto Berasategui at the 1998 Australian Open. The previous two losses are ancient history, against Aaron Krickstein at the 1988 Lipton and Boris Becker in a 1989 Davis Cup tie against Germany.

At No. 13 the only seed in the semis, Agassi couldn't have looked more compelling than he did in the first two sets.

He was playing one of the rising stars on the ATP Tour in Hrbaty, a 20-year-old Slovakian who came to Roland Garros ranked No. 31 and knocked down No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov in straight sets, the powerful Russian Marat Safin and No. 9 Marcelo Rios.

For Medvedev, he makes his first Grand Slam final as the lowest-ranked (No. 100) player to survive until the final day of the French.

``Before the tournament I was thinking of getting just one round. Now maybe I change my goals,'' said Medvedev, cheered on by a coterie of Russian and German friends, including his girlfriend, women's pro Anke Huber. Medvedev had beaten Pete Sampras in the second round.

``I don't feel happy, for sure,'' Meligeni said. ``I start the match feeling the ball unbelievable.''

Meligeni, a Brazilian, is like a fly you can't coax out the window. Medvedev kept hammering him with hard baseline shots and the tireless runner kept tracking them down.

Medvedev finally won the match the way he beat Gustavo Kuerten, Meligeni's Davis Cup partner, two days earlier - with a drop shot.

``I never been in Brazil,'' Medvedev said with a laugh later. ``And I don't think I get a visa if I ask for one, either.''

FRENCH OPEN AT A GLANCE

A look at Friday's play:

Attendance: 16,762 at Roland Garros stadium (16,767 in 1998).

Weather: Overcast and windy with showers. Afternoon highs of 70 F.

Winners: Andrei Medvedev beat Fernando Meligeni in the men's semifinal.

Unfinished matches: Andre Agassi (13) led Dominik Hrbaty 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 1-2, when the match was stopped by rain.

Today's schedule: Andre Agassi (13) and Dominik Hrbaty will finish their semifinal match. Martina Hingis (1) faces Steffi Graf (6) in the women's final.

Quote: ``If I died on the court today, I wouldn't care, really. If my heart would stop on the court, then I would be proud that I died this way,'' said Medvedev, on why he kept going in his semifinals match against Meligeni even though he felt dizzy and had cramps.

Stat of the day: 100 - The ranking of Medvedev, the lowest-ranked player ever to reach the final in the French Open tournament.

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Box: FRENCH OPEN AT A GLANCE (See text)