Survival Of The Fittest

Barkann: "What moves you about him on the court?"

Streisand: "He plays like a Zen master."

Actually, Agassi's longtime steady, Wendy Stewart, was on hand at all times. Agassi and Streisand met over the phone when he called to tell her he admired Prince of Tides. Agassi, according to one of his representatives, Bob Kain, of IMG, has aspirations in the film industry. Said Kain, the friendship is "an L.A. thing."

Beset by the distracting squeals of Streisand's fans during his matches, a bout with tonsillitis shortly before arriving in New York and the lingering emotional hangover from his Wimbledon win, Agassi was not prepared to do more than fulfill his seed, and Courier made comparatively short work of him in their quarterfinal, winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. Edberg, on the other hand, was a serious presence throughout the tournament, and he clearly hungered to retain his title. What Edberg demonstrated at Flushing Meadow is that he is one of the most persistent champions around. He is private, buttoned up and a bit of an enigma. "The guy is what he is," says Pickard. "He's very private. You'll never see into him."