We all know it isn’t Wimbledon without some rain. But even by London standards, this rain was ahead of schedule. Monday’s mid-afternoon downpour on Day 1 halted play on all courts, and set a record for the earliest-ever use of the three-year old retractable roof over Centre Court.
In only the second main stage match of the tournament, No. 6 Francesca Schiavone and Jelena Dokic were halted early in the third set, with Schiavone serving at 6-4, 1-6, 1-1. After a delay of just under an an hour, the two players returned to the court to play under the roof as the only match continuing through the inclement weather.
Dokic has a track record of pulling off big upsets at Wimbledon, most notably with a first round drubbing of top-seeded Martina Hingis at Wimbledon 1999 on her way to a shocking quarterfinal run. But history was not to repeat itself today, as crafty net play and kick serves into Dokic’s body were enough for Schiavone to stave off the upset bid and seal a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 victory.
Dokic made the final of the grass court tournament in s-Hertogenbosch last week, but choked away her shot at the title there in a similar fashion to the way in which she lost today’s match, serving double faults at the most crucial junctures of the third set. Based on the results of these two matches, the tactic of missing serves late is not a strategy Dokic should employ further.
Schiavone next faces the winner of the first round match between Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Aleksandra Wozniak, which has not yet begun.
Andy Murray’s predictable romp over Daniel Gimeno-Traver is next up inside Centre Court.
Wimbledon 2011 Results: No. 6 Francesca Schiavone Outlasts Jelena Dokic
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