NEW YORK (AP) – It’s getting a bit lonely out there for Andre Agassi.

One by one, the generation of American stars who grew up playing junior tennis against each other in the 1980s and collected Grand Slam singles titles together for more than a decade is calling it quits.

Michael Chang lost his final match as a pro Tuesday at the U.S. Open in a far more muted farewell than Pete Sampras’ retirement announcement the night before. Jim Courier, the first of the ol’ gang to stop, called Chang’s match from the TV booth.

And Agassi? He isn’t done yet, not by a long shot.

Still calibrating points perfectly, lacing lines with hit-it-as-soon-as-possible groundstrokes, the 33-year-old Agassi began his run as the oldest top-seeded player in the Open era by beating Alex Corretja 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.

“It’s a weird feeling. You just sort of expect to leave the dance with the ones you came with. When they decide that it’s time for them, it’s a sad feeling,” Agassi said.

“I’m certainly proud to still be doing this, this long and at this level.”

While Sampras waited a year after his last match – beating Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final – to tell the world he was finished, Chang has been on a farewell tour since the beginning of the season and made clear the Open would be it for him.

And unlike the half-hour tribute to Sampras replete with a choir and speeches, there was no big celebration of Chang’s career Tuesday, although the U.S. Tennis Association has talked with him about doing something next week.

Only a few thousand fans were on hand for the start of his match against No. 15-seeded Fernando Gonzalez, but, as always, Chang gave it his all.

“On court, it would be nice to be able to be remembered as a person that gave his best – win, lose or draw,” said Chang, whose career highlight was winning the 1989 French Open at age 17. “It’s going to be tough leaving tennis.”

He had his chances against Gonzalez, and produced a few top-notch shots, but in the end succumbed to the Chilean’s all-out power game 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.

Winners included Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler, No. 11 Paradorn Srichaphan, two-time major champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov and 2002 French Open champion Albert Costa.

Two low-seeded men lost: No. 29 Feliciano Lopez and No. 32 Vince Spadea.

Among the women, three-time major winner Jennifer Capriati needed just 35 minutes to reach the second round, overpowering Cristina Torrens Valero 6-0, 6-1.

French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne started off with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Aniko Kapros, a qualifier who upset her in the first round at Roland Garros last year. Others advancing included No. 7 Anastasia Myskina and 2000 semifinalist Elena Dementieva, while No. 10 Magdalena Maleeva, No. 16 Elena Bovina, No. 21 Anna Pistolesi, and No. 31 Alexandra Stevenson lost.

The top man during the summer hard-court season, No. 4 Andy Roddick, faced four-time Wimbledon semifinalist in the last match on center court.

Chang used to be among highly seeded players, reaching No. 2 in the rankings. He would have made it to No. 1 had he beaten Sampras in the 1996 U.S. Open final.

But now, at 31, he’s a step slower, and can’t get to the shots he used to. He won just two of 12 matches this year.

Still, Chang showed plenty of fire Tuesday. He rocked back on his heels and pumped his arms repeatedly after a backhand passing winner down the line in the first game of the second set against Gonzalez. He whipped his racket behind his back on the run to win one exchange, and yelled, “Yes!” when a second straight double-fault by Gonzalez landed wide to hand Chang the third set.

TV analyst John McEnroe called Chang “the ultimate hustler – dug as deep as anyone you’ll see on a tennis court,” but he also noted that Chang is “the opposite now of Sampras. Sampras went out winning, winning his last match in the final of the U.S. Open. Chang has been a shell of himself the last few years.”

Regardless, Agassi is outlasting other members of his age group – and outplaying most of the younger set, too. He’s 40-7 in 2003 with four titles, including his eighth major in January at the Australian Open, tying for sixth most in history.

Never before had a man his age risen to No. 1 in the ATP Tour computer rankings.

“For me, I have to answer that question a lot: “Is this still what I want to be doing?’ I ask it every day, one way or another,” Agassi said. “I have a strong sense of obligation to this game for everything it’s given to me.”

He watched the ceremony honoring Sampras on television Monday night, and walked out on court at Arthur Ashe Stadium right after Chang departed.

Against Corretja, twice a French Open finalist, Agassi crafted a 36-16 edge in winners. Agassi faced just three break points, saving each – one with a running forehand winner, and two when the Spaniard shanked shots on a windy afternoon.

Corretja was ranked No. 2 in 1999, but now is 102nd, and he couldn’t do much to slow Agassi.

Neither, it seems, can Father Time.

AP-ES-08-26-03 2019EDT