Sampras, dressed all in white, but no country-club gentleman, starred on a sun-drenched Monday afternoon on the stadium court.

Monica Seles, wearing a black dress to mourn this spring's death of her father, outslugged Florencia Labat of Argentina 7-6 (7-0), 6-2.

And Andre Agassi, merely making another in a series of fashion statements, beat France's Sebastien Grosjean in the last match of opening day, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

The afternoon crowd didn't see the best Sampras, the one who took Wimbledon for the fifth time and is trying to add a fifth US title and record-tying 12th Grand Slam singles crown.

It didn't have to be. Goellner, a 27-year-old German, last won a match more than two months ago. His game consists primarily of a first serve that reaches 115 mph if he's on, and against Sampras much more isneeded.

Sampras had eleven aces and dropped just 15 points on his serve, clocking one first-set ace at 131 mph. He didn't allow Goellner, ranked 109th in the world, a break point, and toyed with him from both baseline and net in winning in just 84 minutes.

``You just try to get through the early rounds,'' said Sampras, eliminated in the fourth round a year ago. ``It's nice to get that monkey off your back and get into the tournament. I tried to stay focused and I think I did.''

Six more wins over the next two weeks and Sampras joins Roy Emerson as the only players to win an even dozen Grand Slam singles tournaments, the milestone the tradition-minded Californian treasures above all others.

``What more can you do in the game? Win the French Open, maybe, or all four Slams in one year,'' Sampras said. The French Open, on clay, is the only Grand Slam tournament sampras has not won.

``I'm thinking of entering the ladies' tournament next year,'' he said. Maybe I can get lucky and win that.''

Adding asecond Grand Slam title for the year also would do plenty to clinch the No 1 ranking for the season, the sixth straight year that would end with Sampras on top, breaking the record he shares with Jimmy Connors.

``All those records are important to me,'' Sampras said. ``I'm not focused on this tournament any more than any US Open, but I hope to get some things done over the next two weeks.''

No fighting words there, nothing for defending champion Patrick Rafter, No 2 Marcelo Rios or any other challenger to hang on the refrigerator for inspiration.

Sampras is no trash-talker. But he has an edge, and the crowd that half-filled the 20,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium saw it a couple times against Goellner.

Meek Pete looked positively McEnroesque as he stared down a line judge he felt missed an ace. He smirked at the umpire, and tried to get the fans who remained in the third set back into the match, waving his arms like a cheerleader.

He even took a light shot at Emerson, the storied Aussie who won a largeshare of his slams while Rod Laver was on the sidelines in the dispute between amateur tennis and the emerging professionals.

``I am not trying to take anything away from Emerson and what he did, but the competition is probably tougher today than it was 30 years ago,'' he said. ``Laver could have had 15 or 20.''

That's not dissing anyone or stepping out of character, Sampras said. Just responding to the surroundings.

``This is the most hectic of the Grand Slams,'' he said. ``You walk out at Wimbledon and you feel the history. You walk out here and you feel the electricity.''

The player Sampras beat at Wimbledon, 14th-seeded Goran Ivanisevic, had 23 aces in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Australia's Mark Woodforde.

Agassi, who is seeded eighth and could meet Sampras in the quarterfinals, kept Grosjean pinned to the baseline with forehands and slicing backhands. After wasting a string of break points in the third set, the 1994 Open champ finally broke for a 5-4 lead and served out the match atlove.

``I like to be here,'' Agassi said of a tournament where he has played consistently well and a court he called super-fast.''

You have to prioritise tournaments, but this is certainly at the top of my list. This is a city where I've had some fantastic results.''

Defending women's champion Martina Hingis beat Aleksandra Olsza of Poland 6-2, 6-0. The Swiss teen-ager, who won the Australian Open in January has struggled recently and hopes the open will end that.

``I'm definitely not as confident as I was last year,'' Hingis said. ``This is the last Grand Slam of the year and you put all your energy into this tournament.''

Seles, a two-time open champion and a quarterfinalist a year ago, traded groundstrokes and errors with labat before blitzing through the tiebreak, then dominated the second set.

With her grunting subdued from her heyday and at times mixing with the squeals of a child in the stands Seles did not allow a point on her serve in the second set until she held triple match point.Labat tied it 40-all before Seles wrapped up the victory with a service winner and a lob that labat netted.