Tarango at Least Goes Quietly, if Not Quickly

They let Jeff Tarango back into Wimbledon, but officials here didn’t have to like it. He left soon enough anyway, losing in the first round Tuesday to Rodolphe Gilbert of France.

Still, Tarango managed to irk some just by being around for two days because his match was stopped by darkness Monday night. Gilbert won, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-0), 6-4.

It was Tarango who in 1995 became the first player in Wimbledon history to walk off a court in the middle of a match. Tarango’s wild and vehement arguments with chair umpire Bruno Rebeuh, followed by his accusations that the prominent umpire had conspired against him, followed by his wife accosting Rebeuh and slapping him . . . led to Tarango’s one-year suspension from the All England Club and a hefty fine.

Tarango served the suspension and wrote a letter to the Club, promising to behave better. He clearly wrote no such missive to officials at the French Open, where he got into a childish tit-for-tat with Thomas Muster during a match last month. Muster refused to shake Tarango’s hand afterward, a social gaffe for which the Austrian later apologized.

All England Club officials were prepared for any eventuality: They even moved the match to Court 4, the closest court to the office of tournament referee Alan Mills.

Tarango went out meekly. The rain and darkness Monday were more disruptive.

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Chanda Rubin’s ranking has fallen to No. 31 and her confidence has gone with it. She hasn’t regained her form after wrist surgery that sidelined her for most of last season.

The latest setback was losing to Anna Kournikova on Tuesday. The 16-year-old defeated Rubin with amazing ease, 6-1, 6-1.

It was the intense interest in the provocative Kournikova that landed the match on Centre Court, an honor not accorded former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez in her match Tuesday.

Kournikova’s current boyfriend, Sergei Fedorov of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings, was on hand to cheer the teen star.

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Top-seeded Martina Hingis had some trouble in her 6-4, 6-4 victory against No. 218 Anne Kremer, a qualifier from Luxembourg. Kremer, who attends Stanford, extended Hingis to six match points. Hingis has not played since losing in the French Open final and looked rusty, losing her serve four times.