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	After coming back Monday to win a match suspended over the weekend, Venus Williams and her sister Serena were scheduled to play doubles.

The come-and-go rains that are threatening to dull all other storylines at Wimbledon parted just long enough for Venus Williams to squeak out a come-from-behind third-round victory over Akiko Morigami. Williams trailed Morigami 5-3 in the deciding third set, but snared the momentum and won four games in a row, the last as the sky opened.

Hours later, rain arrived just in time to give the injured Serena Williams a much-needed break to nurse a severe muscle cramp in her left calf that caused her to buckle, scream and cry moments earlier.

The fourth-round match with Daniela Hantuchova was delayed for about 2 hours during the second-set tiebreaker. A gimpy Williams returned and slowly worked out the kinks, winning 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-2.

“I was literally saved by the rain, and it gave me a second chance,” Williams said.

Venus Williams will play No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the fourth round. Serena Williams will play top-seeded Justine Henin in the quarterfinals.

And, again, the Williams sisters – winners of a combined five Wimbledon titles -- have become the center of attention at the All England Club, just as they have been so many times before.

After the traditional day off on Sunday, in which the weather was nearly perfect, Wimbledon resumed under a blanket of dark clouds and increased security. Concrete barriers guarded each of the entrances of the All England Club, a police helicopter hovered over the grounds, and bags were examined with increased scrutiny.

The measures were implemented following two attempted car bombings in London on Friday and the intentional crashing of a car into the main entrance of Glasgow Airport on Saturday. Wimbledon attracts up to 40,000 fans each day.

But rain continued to wash over other storylines. Saturday’s schedule had been mostly erased, and hopes to catch up on were dashed by a day in which the courts were covered most of the time.

The women’s draw completed its third round, and top-seeded Justine Henin opened the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Patty Schnyder. Henin has not lost more than four games in the eight sets she has played.

“It’s been good,” said Henin, trying to win Wimbledon for the first time. “I did my job perfectly until now. Just going to try to keep going.”

No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 6 Ana Ivanovic also made the fourth round with easy victories. Unseeded Tamira Paszek beat 12th-seeded Elena Dementieva, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

The men’s bracket lags farther behind, and several third-round matches are incomplete. The backlog might be good news for the top-seeded Roger Federer, aiming for his fifth consecutive title. He completed his third-round match on Friday, and received a free pass to the quarterfinals when his next opponent, Tommy Haas, withdrew with an abdominal tear. Federer likely will not play again until at least Wednesday. He has not lost a set, and needs three victories for another championship.

His rivals are not so lucky. No. 2 Rafael Nadal still has not finished his third-round match, originally scheduled for Saturday. Nadal blew a third-set match point against Robin Soderling before rain intervened. Soderling return to snag the third set and the fourth. Nadal took a 2-0 lead in the fifth set, when rain arrived again, ending the day’s play.

But that will be another day’s drama. Venus Williams, the three-time champion relegated to the 23rd seed after two years of injuries and diverted attention, was trying to rekindle the attitude and game that made her a surprising victor here two years ago. But continuing a match suspended from Saturday against Morigami, Williams slipped into a habit of double faults and slumped shoulders. At times it looked like the match was on the verge of ending, perhaps sinking what is left of Williams’ career with it.

“Definitely one of my strong points is I’m a tough competitor and a huge fighter,” Williams said. “In my experience, I just always feel like it should go my way. So I guess experience helps.”

She broke Morigami’s service twice, then finished her off after rediscovering her own daunting 120-mph serve. Williams skipped off the court with an uncontainable smile as the rain showered her and sent fans scurrying for cover.

She was relaxing in the Center Court stands later, watching her seventh-seeded sister, who won the first set easily against Hantuchova. With the second set at 5-all, and Hantuchova serving, Serena Williams suddenly stopped, jolted by pain, like a person who has stepped on a tack.

She looked down at her bulging left calf. She screamed and banged at it three times with her racket.

	Left, Julian Finney/Getty Images; center and right, Eddie Keogh/Reuters Serena Williams overcame a scream-inducing calf injury to defeat Daniela Hantuchova.

Labels: tennis actuell

# Eingestellt von Manfred @ Montag, Juli 02, 2007