A pack of hard-hitting young Americans burst onto the worldwide tennis scene a decade ago. They swept through Grand Slam tournaments, knocking off international veterans and bolstering the notion that they would dominate the game for some time.

While Pete Sampras seems as strong as ever, this month claiming his fifth Wimbledon title, Michael Chang, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier have faded. Those three will compete in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, which begins today at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, in hopes of building some momentum on the hard-court path to the U.S. Open.

The biggest local name in the tournament is Rockville's Paul Goldstein. A four-time All-Met at Sidwell Friends School in the District who went on to win four NCAA team championships playing for Stanford University, Goldstein makes his professional debut today in the second match on Stadium Court.

Chang, the two-time defending Legg Mason champion who plays his first match Tuesday, said he is battling back from various injuries and intends to once again use Legg Mason as a springboard to a successful summer.

"Legg Mason has always been a good start for me over the summer," said Chang, who is ranked 15th and without a tournament title in 1998. "I'd like to be able to get things going and hopefully finish off a great year at the Open."

Considered among the hardest working, best-conditioned tennis players on tour, Chang was less than pleased to discover a change in the Legg Mason schedule that has matches starting later in the afternoon, at 4 p.m. The change was made to avoid some of the brutal heat in the middle of the day.

"Well, I'm kind of bummed about that," Chang said, referring to the new start times, which were 11 a.m. in years past. "It might help some of the other players a bit more. If you're not as physically fit as you need to be, then you'd be able to get by."

Conditioning never has been an issue with Chang, famous for outlasting opponents in marathon matches, most memorably Ivan Lendl to win the 1989 French Open. Last year in the Legg Mason final, Chang wore down Petr Korda, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Agassi, the 1995 Legg Mason champion who is ranked 19th, also is trying to return from an injury. He hurt his shoulder during the French Open.

"I'm just coming off a clay-court season when I didn't do real well, and I had the injury." said Agassi, who like Chang and Courier opens play Tuesday. "Now, it's the hard-court season, and I've had consistent work on my game, and I feel in great shape, very focused and eager. I think it's going to be a great summer."

For Courier, it couldn't get much worse. He's ranked 48th, the lowest he has been since he joined the ATP Tour in 1988. His biggest victory this year was against Chang in the final at Orlando. But in years past, he has not fared well at the Legg Mason, losing in the second round in 1988 and 1996. He is seeded seventh this year.

He retired from his singles match yesterday in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Indianapolis with what he said was a "tired arm." He said he could have played if the match had any meaning (the United States eliminated Belgium on Saturday).

"Hopefully, I'll be ready to go and fresh," he said, looking ahead to the Legg Mason. "I'm a little tired from playing tennis. My body is a little bit beat up. With a good day and a half rest, hopefully I can come back. I'll go in and roll the dice."

The hottest players heading into the Legg Mason this year are a flock of college stars from Stanford. Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and Goldstein recently led the Cardinal to its fourth consecutive NCAA team title. As a sophomore, Bob Bryan earned the NCAA triple crown by winning singles, doubles (with twin brother Mike) and the team championship. Both he and his brother have turned pro. Goldstein lost to Bob Bryan in the NCAA singles championship.

The Bryan brothers arrive at the Legg Mason on a roll. They won the doubles events in Waco, Tex., and Tulsa, both "futures" events. Last night they won a "challenger" event in Aptos, Calif., to improve to 14-0 as a professional pair.

The Bryans, 20, do not regret their decision to leave college and pursue their pro dreams. "It was a tough decision because I loved going to Stanford," Bob Bryan said. "There was a lot to leave, but it was always our dream to play on the pro tour and we felt it was time to go."

Goldstein graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology and left college tennis as the only player ever to be a member of four NCAA championship teams.

"This week is great because I'm in the main draw in my home town," Goldstein said. "It's a unique opportunity to make an ATP debut in my home town."

Special correspondent Brian Hendrickson contributed to this report from Indianapolis.