Graf Won’t Let Youth of Williams Be Served Yet

In the light, in the dusk, in the dark, in a little bit of sun and in the wind, even in the drizzle before the tarps came out, Steffi Graf and Venus Williams played magical tennis that should have continued forever--and it seemed, sometimes, as if it might.

Delayed at the beginning by rain, interrupted by 1 hour 4 minutes, by 31 minutes, and then by 1 hour 40 minutes, Graf and Williams continued to test each other’s power, to hit the lines so reliably that puffs of white chalk were always rising as balls kicked off the boundaries.

Aces were served at 120 mph and returned even faster. When it seemed a ladder would be necessary to reach an overhead, an imaginary ladder was climbed. To the 30-year-old Graf, age didn’t matter. And the 19-year-old Williams, the Wimbledon neophyte, gave no thought to Graf’s seven Wimbledon titles, to all that grass-court experience, to all the championship mettle.

So they exchanged respect and forehands, and played until the lights were on in all the houses outside the grounds, until you needed a flashlight to pick up the line calls, until, finally, Williams whacked a forehand wide and Graf celebrated with a squeal and a smile.

Some day, Graf is sure, Williams will win Wimbledon, but on a dull and rainy Thursday, Graf played more brightly. Graf played the big points a little better and moved into the Wimbledon semifinals for the 10th time in her career with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 quarterfinal victory.

In the only other match completed Thursday, third-seeded Lindsay Davenport of Newport Beach reached her first Wimbledon semifinal, smoothly moving by defending champion Jana Novotna, 6-3, 6-4.

Left unfinished were two women’s quarterfinals. In the match between two teenage qualifiers, Alexandra Stevenson, 18, of San Diego won the first set against Jelena Dokic, 16, of Australia, 6-3, but Dokic was leading the second set, 5-1. And 1998 Wimbledon finalist Nathalie Tauziat was ahead of Mirjana Lucic, 6-4, 3-3, in the other.

Two men’s quarterfinals had also gotten started, barely. Tim Henman, seeded sixth, won the first game of his match against 1997 finalist Cedric Pioline, and second-seeded Patrick Rafter was tied with eighth-seeded Todd Martin, 3-3, in the first set. The other two quarterfinals, between No. 4 Andre Agassi and No. 11 Gustavo Kuerten, and between No. 1 Pete Sampras and No. 7 Mark Philippoussis, never got started.

Today’s schedule includes the two suspended women’s quarterfinals as well as the four men’s quarterfinals. Which means that Saturday, instead of a women’s final, there will be men’s and women’s semifinals, although more rain is predicted. If all is perfect, there will be two finals Sunday. Don’t be surprised, though, if there is a final or two Monday.

In any event, it is unlikely that any match will be played at a higher level than Graf and Williams showed Thursday.

“I have to say that for as many breaks that we had, I think it’s unbelievable tennis today,” Graf said.

Each player tried a little bit of everything. Williams tried to pressure Graf by sprinting to the net but too often, and even though Williams’ long arms seem to reach from net pole to net pole, the lithe teenager went sprawling and swinging at air while the ball was landing behind her.

Graf tried to keep Williams away from the net not only with brilliant forehand passing shots but also with lobs. But often, those lobs weren’t high enough and the 6-foot-1 Williams, even if she was falling backward or still running awkwardly, was able to smash them for winners.

Once the match started, the first delay was called after Graf had dominated the 32-minute first set but also after Williams had seized the momentum for the first time by breaking Graf’s serve with the help of three deadly forehand service returns to take a 3-2 lead.

Sitting around for more than an hour didn’t faze Williams either. It took her 19 minutes to finish off the second set and hold serve in the first game of the third set.

“The break didn’t affect me,” she said. “I was able to come back and still compete in a good manner. Obviously we went through a lot more rain delays than I ever dreamed of. So everything is an experience.”

Graf and Williams next experienced only nine minutes of play. Each held serve and Williams led, 2-1, with Graf up, 40-15, on her own serve. And then, finally, at 7:41 p.m. and with much of the crowd having slogged off home to dinner, the Centre Court cover was lifted again.

In the fifth game of the third set, and the first Williams served after the final rain delay, Graf got what turned out to be the clinching service break with a forehand winner that left Williams with her mouth open and Graf with her fists clenched in triumph. And in the next game, in a champion’s display of determination, Graf saved three break points, the final on a curveball of a backhand pass that swerved past Williams’ racket.

“I should have been maybe more aggressive on the break points,” Williams said.

Having advanced nearly anonymously into the semis, Davenport, 23, gave credit to her practice on the grass court of a Tustin friend and to her belief after those practice sessions that she can play well on grass.

“When the tournament started, I believed I could win,” Davenport said. “Whether other people believed, I can’t control.”

Davenport, who is 6-0 against Novotna, could have bet on herself at 15-1 odds to win her first Wimbledon title. Davenport didn’t visit a London betting parlor.

“I don’t know how legal that is,” she said.

Very legal, she was told. As legal as winning Wimbledon.

WIMBLEDON

TODAY’S TOP MATCHES

MEN

Pete Sampras (1) United States vs. Mark Philippoussis (7) Australia

Cedric Pioline, France vs. Tim Henman (6) Britain

Todd Martin (8) United States vs. Patrick Rafter (2) Australia

Gustavo Kuerten (11) Brazil vs. Andre Agassi (4) United States

****

WOMEN

Jelena Dokic, Australia vs. Alexandra Stevenson, United States

Nathalie Tauziat (8) France vs. Mirjana Lucic, Croatia