Sisters survive Court 2

Williamses move on as top seeds fall

Tamarine Tanasugarn celebrates after ousting second-seeded Jelena Jankovic in straight sets to reach the women's quarterfinals. (Sang Tan/Associated Press)

LONDON - An obit for the obit-maker.

After a long and unhappiness-clad life that inspired countless maudlin headlines and funeral notices, the renowned Wimbledon graveyard - Court 2 - is about to be shoveled under itself.

Sing no dirges for the obituary maker. The grassy plot just across the main concourse from Centre Court has had its days of making life miserable for marquee names - and ecstatic-for-a-day for such as a Swiss named George Bastl. That was in 2002 when Bastl, ranked No. 145, crafted Pete Sampras's farewell to Wimbledon in the second round.

"That's not how I wanted to end my Wimbledon career - on Court 2," scowled Sampras, who looked peeved enough to kick a couple of dozen buckets. As the record seven-time champ, Sampras justifiably expected better treatment from the scheduling committee - but that's the way the tomb loomed.

Not that Court 2 is a different size than any other, or that - as some upset victims claimed - the playing field wasn't level. But the intimacy made the 2,192-seat arena a choice perch for patrons, who seemed close enough to whisper in players' ears.

However, 2 is being deep-sixed. A new 2 will be unveiled next year, a tidy stadium with no tradition or curses within its walls, at least for a while. So yesterday was the last chance for burial of a notable as the tournament narrowed to quarterfinals, to be played out on Centre or Court 1.

But the Sisters Sledgehammer, pointed toward their first Williams-only title bout here since 2003, were having no hearses or reverses.

Although both of them have been RIP'd at the hands of lessers on Court 2, Serena by Rhode Islander Jill Craybas, No. 85, two years ago, they avoided self-mourning effortlessly: champ Venus over 18-year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova, 6-3, 6-4; Serena over fellow American Bethanie Mattek, 6-3, 6-3.

Court 2 began developing a fatal reputation in the late 1960s, and got a significant necrological lift in 1973 when overwhelming favorite Ilie Nastase, the Bucharest Buffoon, was knocked off in the fourth round by an American college kid, Sandy Mayer out of Stanford.

Thereafter it wasn't unusual for Wimbledon champions to be waylaid there by inferiors, among them: Andre Agassi by No. 281 Doug Flach in 1996; Jimmy Connors by Kevin Curren in 1983, and Patrik Kuhnen in 1988; Arthur Ashe by Chris Kachel in 1979; Conchita Martinez by No. 194 Samantha Smith in 1998, and by No. 79 Sonya Jeyaseelan in 2000; Michael Stich by qualifier Bryan Shelton in 1994; Richard Krajicek by No. 196 Enzo Manta in 1999. You could count on it, and some scouted the daily schedule to see which big shots looked vulnerable on 2.

But that era is over. Tennis in a closet, as Court 2 skirmishes often seemed, becomes the victim of so-called progress as management attempts to modernize the 86-year-old playpen. But the new 2 will never be as much fun.

Maybe it's because we used to get at least one good, unlikely upset a year from the old funeral parlor that endeared it to us newspaper guys.

But if 2 couldn't push the Sisters close to embalming, there were fireworks aplenty elsewhere, especially among the women's draw where the 31-year-old Thai, Tamarine Tanasugarn, and the hardly recognizable Chinese, Zheng Jie, posted upsets.

Falling to her knees in happy tears - "In 12 years here I never made the quarterfinals," said Tanasugarn - she finished off the Serbian Surge in the person of Jelena Jankovic, 6-3, 6-2. Jankovic came in as No. 2, compatriots Ana Ivanovic No. 1 and Novak Djokovic, the men's No. 3 - but they're all gone. In fact so are the top four females (Maria Sharapova was No. 3), the first time ever at this stage. The No. 4, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, got bounced by Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

Because she had written a polite begging note to management (and had won the doubles with Yan Zi two years ago), No. 133 Zheng was rewarded with a wild card. She more than earned it Saturday by eliminating Ivanovic, and followed up yesterday with a 6-3, 6-4, victory over 15th-seeded Agnes Szavay.

The last time anybody looked, the men's top two - Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - were intact. In a rematch of champions, defender Federer continued punishing 2002 ruler Lleyton Hewitt a 12th straight time, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, 6-4.

Marat "I hate grass!" Safin, having sunk to No. 75, continued his revival on the green, marching to the quarters where he once landed seven years ago, this time 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, over 13th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka.

While daytime belonged to the ladies, nightfall became the property of an actual British tennis player: Andy Murray. Starting timidly, Murray, 21, looked like a prime candidate for interment at Court 2. Two sets down, two points from defeat, visibility fading, the swift, skinny Scotsman somehow came on undeniably.

Screaming like a werewolf, Murray pulled the full house of 15,000 in Centre Court with him as well as millions across the British Isles, as he defied darkness, the sometime brilliant shotmaking of Frenchman Richard Gasquet, and a long history of British flops - and won, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, 6-4.

Lasting 3 hours 58 minutes, ending at 9:31 p.m., it was one of the latest finishes in Wimbledon history.

"I'm ecstatic!" cooed Sue Mott, author of Andy's biography, "Hitting Back!" "This should sell a few books." Then, she couldn't resist saying to this American reporter, "And how many Yanks are left in the tournament?"

OK, sister, you win, this time. You deserve a few chortles.