Williamses’ Quick Finishes Beat the Rain

Williams sisters 2, bad weather, nil.

Certainly, none of the players relish Wimbledon when it is rain-plagued, but Venus and Serena Williams share a special disdain for inclement weather. They get bored, restless and weary--take your pick--waiting for the rain to stop.

Which is why fifth-seeded Venus Williams, urged by the British press to play a couple of grass-court events in England, said she would rather go back to practice in Florida, noting that there was a drought back home.

That sort of control is out of her hands at Wimbledon, but she left little to chance, expediently completing a 6-3, 6-1 first-round victory over Kveta Hrdlickova of the Czech Republic on Monday. Less than an hour later, the rains came and play was delayed for almost two hours.

“The first time I played Wimbledon I didn’t play my first-round match until Saturday,” Williams said, referring to the rains of 1997. “You can only imagine my impression. I can’t use words to say it.”

Serena Williams, seeded eighth and making her first appearance here in two years, was almost as efficient, defeating Asa Carlsson of Sweden in 69 minutes.

Venus Williams had played only three tournaments--all on clay--before Wimbledon, having been sidelined with tendinitis in her wrists. And this is Serena’s first tournament since she suffered an injured left knee in early April at Amelia Island, Fla.

“I don’t feel comfortable down here,” Serena said of her eighth seeding. “I’m always itchy. I feel weird. It’s just not me.”

Two seeded women went out on the opening day of Wimbledon--No. 10 Sandrine Testud of France and No. 15 Barbara Schett of Austria. Testud lost to Anna Kournikova of Russia, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. Olga Barabanschikova of Belarus had little trouble with Schett, winning, 6-2, 6-2.

Top-seeded Martina Hingis of Switzerland, trying to erase last year’s memory of an opening-round loss to Jelena Dokic, took a step forward, beating clay-court specialist Angeles Montolio of Spain, 6-1, 6-2.

Hingis said she had learned a lesson here last year. She arrived in 1999--after having blown up in the French Open final against Steffi Graf--without her coach and mother, Melanie Molitor.

“I think losing in the first round as the No. 1 was quite enough,” said Hingis, who reunited with her mother shortly after the Dokic loss.

She was asked if the worst phase of her career was behind her.

“You have to find your line,” Hingis said. “You have your own ideas, your own mind. Sometimes you have to experience things. People go to school and do worse things than what I did last year.”