Jimmy Arias turned back the clock yesterday, reminding his young opponent and the fans at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic of his remarkable past success on the Stadium Court at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington. Arias, nearly 34, advanced to the main draw by defeating 23-year-old Eric Taino, 6-4, 6-4.

"I'm so tired it's hard to say how I feel," Arias said shortly after his victory. "I thought he'd be nervous. He's young and hasn't qualified that many times."

To put the age difference between the opponents in perspective, Arias started playing here in 1980, when Taino was 5, the surface was clay and the facility was called Rock Creek Tennis Stadium. Yesterday, Arias capitalized on his years of experience, taking the first four games of the match.

Taino said he was a bit star-struck playing Arias on Stadium Court in front of nearly 1,000 fans, most of whom were cheering for Arias. But Taino, a three-time all-American at UCLA, settled down in the second set, when he changed his strategy, hitting with less pace and forcing Arias to run.

"I was just nervous," Taino said. ". . . I couldn't get the ball in, so I just started to push it. I'm 23, and I don't know how old he is, but I figured I had to be fitter than him, or I'm in big trouble."

Down 4-3 in the second set, Taino missed two chances to break Arias, hitting one shot, a half-volley, into the net. Arias gave away the next game, then served out the match. As he sat in the players' lounge with a stiff neck and aching legs, Arias said he wasn't overly optimistic about his conditioning.

"I don't think I'll be able to hold up," Arias said. ". . . I don't know how my body's going to react. I'd love to have a day off."

Fortunately for Arias, he doesn't play until Tuesday, when he meets Wade McGuire in the first round. McGuire, 28, breezed through the qualifying rounds, defeating Wesley Whitehouse yesterday, 6-4, 6-2. McGuire recently qualified for Wimbledon, but the Richmond native lost in the first round. "I had goals to get into the top 100 and the top 50," McGuire said, reflecting on the days before he turned pro in 1993, after twice reaching the NCAA finals while playing at Georgia. "Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. But the mentality is, any week can be your week to break through."

David Caldwell, also a Richmond native, qualified for the main draw by beating Mark Merklein, 6-3, 6-4.