He was in brilliant form against Corretja, needing only 86 minutes to snap a three-match losing streak against the former top-five player.

“It’s a weird feeling,” said Agassi, the oldest men’s world number one. “You feel like 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. I’m certainly proud to still be doing this this long and at this level.

“But sometimes you just wish things would never change.”

Agassi hit 36 winners against 19 unforced errors and never lost his serve while breaking Corretja six times.

Another of Agassi’s contemporaries, Michael Chang, played the final match of his professional career – a 6-3 7-5 5-7 6-4 loss to 15th seed Fernando Gonzalez of Chile – and walked out of Arthur Ashe Stadium to a standing ovation.

Chang had no regrets as he bowed out.

“I wouldn’t change a thing, really,” he said. “You have your opportunities to win and you take them as best as you possibly can.

“Sometimes you’re able to come through and sometimes not.”

But a member of the younger generation, Andy Roddick, staked his claim for the title with a crushing victory over Tim Henman.

Roddick began his bid for a first Grand Slam winning 6-3 7-6 (7/2) 6-3 against the Briton to avenge his only loss in the summer hardcourt season.

The Roddick-Henman encounter promised to be the top first-round clash, but it was the American who played the big points better.

And he admitted: “I went into this match knowing good and well I could be going home afterwards.”

But Roddick improved to 21-1 during the hardcourt campaign and 31-2 since hiring Agassi’s former coach Brad Gilbert following a first-round loss at the French Open.

Roddick broke Henman twice to take the opening set but both players had trouble holding serve in a second set that featured breaks in four of the first six games.

Henman got a pivotal break to serve for the second set at 5-4 but was broken at love to level the set.

With a golden opportunity lost, Henman fell apart in the tie-breaker as Roddick took a decisive two-set advantage with a low forehand return that Henman sent wide.

The outcome seemed inevitable as Roddick broke for a 2-1 lead and closed out the match in just over two hours when Henman hit a forehand wide.

Henman could not repeat his performance of earlier this month, when he defeated Roddick in the semi-finals at Washington en route to his first title of the year.

He lost his serve six times and committed 32 unforced errors in his first opening-round loss here since 1999.

Henman then warned the rest of the field that the American has the ability to go all the way at Flushing Meadows.

He said: “In my opinion, he’s playing better than anyone in the world right now.

“You know he is going to be very tough to beat. He’s so confident right now.”

Meanwhile, eighth seed Rainer Schuettler and number 11 Paradorn Srichaphan both struggled before advancing to the second round.

Schuettler was forced to battle before finally beating hard-serving Australian Wayne Arthurs 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4.

Srichaphan defeated Frenchman Cyril Saulnier 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-6 (7/4) after appearing to suffer a respiratory problem that required several visits from the trainer.

The Thailander was given cold medication and an inhaler and later explained he picked up a cold on Sunday.

“I got sick that night and my throat is sore,” Srichaphan said. “But it wasn’t too bad.”

But 12th seed Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands, a semi-finalist here last year, had few problems as he cruised past France’s Julien Boutter 6-2 6-3 6-2.

The night session did produce a shock result however when former world number one Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil, the 14th seed, was outbattled by Russian Dmitry Tursunov 5-7 6-2 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7/1).