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Rain delays play at Wimbledon yet again
2007-07-02
The start of play at Wimbledon was delayed by showers Monday -- the sixth time in seven days there has been a rain interruption. Meanwhile, reigning champion Amelie Mauresmo shows signs of making another big splash. She keeps moving forward, and her aggressive game has her in the fourth round. "I think it comes pretty naturally for me," the Frenchwoman said. "I don't feel like somebody's pushing me to go forward. It's a little bit the contrary: I really feel that I'm really leaning forward very naturally after the serve and sometimes on the return." In an era when most women swing hard from the baseline, Mauresmo's tactic makes her a throwback. But it also makes her a formidable foe, especially on grass, where she often solves the vexing problem of capricious hops by charging forward to hit the ball before it bounces. "I like it," she said. "It took me a little time to adjust to the grass. I was not really sure what I was going to do. Do I need to stay back? Do I need to go in? I was kind of in between. "Then I got used to it, and the experience probably helped me a lot." Mauresmo turns 28 Thursday, which makes her the oldest player among the top women's title contenders. She remains prone to nervousness, especially at the French Open, where she lost in the third round this year. But as a two-time Grand Slam champion, Mauresmo also knows how to win the kind of big matches that loom this week. "It's still pretty open, this women's championship," she said. "But, you know, it has been open for quite a few years now -- not only here but in all Grand Slams. "I'm not thinking, 'Oh, am I going to be able to go to the end?' In my mind, I'm confident about how I play, and about what I'm going to have to do in the next match." Waiting to learn who she'll play next, Mauresmo was one of only two women with Monday off. Thanks to her efficient work on a wet Saturday, she advanced during a brief dry spell, beating Mara Santangelo 6-1, 6-2. Maria Sharapova was the only other player to complete a victory in singles Saturday. Fourteen matches were suspended or postponed before they started, creating a backlog that Mauresmo was happy to avoid. "I'm just glad that I was able to go on and finish quickly," she said. "I'm pretty satisfied about how I handled that first week, how I played, and how I just improved a few things. "I'm definitely looking forward to have probably some more fighting." Among the suspended third-round matches that were to be completed some 48 hours after starting was one involving three-time champion Venus Williams, who led Akiko Morigami 6-2, 1-4. Despite all of the interruptions, the tournament stuck to its policy of taking the middle Sunday off. Matches scheduled Monday included top-ranked Justin Henin against Patty Schnyder, and two-time champion Serena Williams against Daniela Hantuchova. On the men's side, Andy Roddick was to play Paul-Henri Mathieu, and Rafael Nadal was to face Robin Soderling. Four-time defending champion Roger Federer got a bye into the quarterfinals when his fourth-round opponent, Tommy Haas, pulled out Sunday with a stomach muscle injury. Against Santangelo, Mauresmo played serve-and-volley more than half the time, and it helped her win in a brisk 57 minutes. She swept all seven points using the tactic in the first set. "I thought I played some good, really going-forward kind of tennis," Mauresmo said. "That's what has been working well for me here. So I'll just keep going." Her next opponent will be the winner of Monday's match between Nicole Vaidisova and Victoria Azarenka, meaning Mauresmo will be favored to earn her 18th berth in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. "For me," Santangelo said, "she and Henin are the ones who can aim for the title."
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