Sampras’ Game Has Sprung a Big Leak

The unexpected is becoming the norm at this year’s Wimbledon; the bizarre, the usual.

Wednesday’s full program of men’s quarterfinal matches was largely washed away by rain--there were 5 1/2 hours of rain delay and only 1 1/2 hours of play. In the two matches contested, two seeded players--Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic--fell behind, in keeping with the general tone of the tournament.

As rain delays stretched the day, one match was suspended because of darkness and another because of a freak accident in which a groundsman was trapped under a tarp covering the court.

The misfortune of that groundsman may have saved the day for defending champion Sampras, who was being outplayed by Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands. The unseeded Krajicek led, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 1-1, when the match was abandoned about 7:30 p.m.

The quarterfinal match on Court 1 was also close to an upset when it was abandoned about an hour later. In that match, unseeded Jason Stoltenberg of Australia was leading fourth-seeded Ivanisevic of Croatia, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (7-3).

The matches will be concluded today, along with the two other quarterfinals that never got started. Todd Martin of the United States will play Tim Henman of Great Britain and MaliVai Washington of the United States will play Alex Radulescu of Germany.

The unpredictability of Wimbledon continues: Both remaining seeded players are losing, and of the remaining four players, none is seeded. Wednesday’s developments leave open the possibility that no seeded player will appear in the men’s final, something that has never happened at Wimbledon.

Today’s schedule is jammed, with the four men’s matches to be completed along with the two women’s semifinals. As the matches are scheduled for only Centre Court and Court 1, there is a good chance that any rain delay would mean the day’s later matches might not be completed. Steady rain is again forecast for today and through the weekend.

Wednesday’s rain and events may have given Sampras a reprieve, but he is still in deep trouble unless he can raise the level of his play.

Sampras’ game was coming apart when the match was suspended for the second time by rain. The incident with the groundsman occurred after the players had left the court.

Tournament officials identified the man as Mark Hillaby, 27, who was treated and released from a local hospital. BBC television reported Hillaby had suffered a concussion.

The incident was so strange that it fit in well with the rest of the tournament. It happened so fast that hardly anyone noticed.

As the groundsmen ran across the court, pulling the heavy tarps behind them, Hillaby apparently tripped and fell. The tarp was being set up for several minutes before he was noticed, hidden under the cover.

Once it was determined that Hillaby had been left there, officials ordered the tarp peeled up and called for medical assistance. Hillaby was removed from the court on a stretcher.

While he was being attended to, half the court was exposed. There was hardly any rain at the time, but tournament officials said the court was unplayable.

The speculation among longtime observers was that officials at the All England Club were taking advantage of the incident to protect its three-time defending champion.

Sampras surely needed any help he could get. He had a rare day of being outserved. Krajicek served 23 aces to Sampras’ five. Worse, Sampras’ second serve was no weapon at all and the 6-foot-5 Krajicek teed off on his service returns.

The day, in addition to being wet, was cold and windy. If he was upset by the elements or simply out of sorts, Sampras didn’t look himself. He squandered six set points in the first set and crumbled in the second-set tiebreaker.

Sampras is usually at his best during tiebreakers, and Krajicek’s record would suggest he would wilt: The Dutchman had a 3-12 record in tiebreakers at Wimbledon. In fact, he is famous for losing a match at the U.S. Open after being up, 6-0, in the tiebreaker.

But the 24-year-old stood fast and blew Sampras off the court. Whether he can maintain his level of play is in question; so too is whether Sampras can regroup.

Conventional thinking would say that Sampras will benefit from the overnight break. But this Wimbledon has been anything but conventional.