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Associated PressRain washes out most of the U.S. Open, with the Saddlebrook resident and Justine Henin-Hardenne the only two to advance.
NEW YORK - Cutting short the chance to rest during a changeover, Saddlebrook's Jennifer Capriati hopped off her chair and headed to the baseline.
Enough waiting around, Capriati was thinking, let's get this over with.
In a rain-interrupted match that ended about 61/2 hours after it began, the No. 6-seeded Capriati reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the third straight year by beating No. 11 Elena Dementieva 6-2, 7-5 Monday.
"It was just getting pretty annoying. I was getting tired," Capriati said. "It's hard to play matches like that once you're out there because your rhythm is off."
Downpours washed out all men's action, and Capriati's was one of two matches completed. French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne started her fourth-round match before 10:30 p.m., and she was off the court quickly, beating Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 in 57 minutes to make the Open's round of eight for the first time.
After Henin-Hardenne and Safina, the younger sister of 2000 Open champion Marat Safin, warmed up, tournament referee Brian Earley made them sit while he inspected the court. With the No. 2-seeded Henin-Hardenne urging him to let them play, Earley did.
"It's been a long day," Henin-Hardenne said. "(Today) I have a day to rest, so that's going to be perfect."
Fewer than 50 fans were at the Grandstand Court when No. 7 Anastasia Myskina and two-time Grand Slam title winner Mary Pierce began their match a little after 11. When play was stopped for the day at 11:41, Myskina led 4-2 in the first set, and No. 15 Ai Sugiyama and No. 29 Francesca Schiavone were tied 6-all in the first set.
A total of 69 matches - including ones in the doubles, junior and senior tournaments - were postponed. The last time an entire day at the Open was rained out was Sept. 4, 1988.
Among the matches put off until today: top-ranked Andre Agassi against unseeded American Taylor Dent and No. 5 Guillermo Coria against Jonas Bjorkman. The winners of those matches meet in the quarterfinals.
Agassi complained after his third-round meeting with Yevgeny Kafelnikov was the only singles match postponed Saturday because of rain. Agassi was angered the players were not consulted and that Dent's match against Fernando Gonzalez went on as scheduled. Now Agassi will have plenty of rest before facing Dent.
Capriati had time to relax Monday, even catching some sleep during one of the delays.
"When I want to sleep I can sleep," she said. "I'm used to taking naps. I take a nap every day."
Her match was slated to start at 12:45 p.m., but that was pushed back by an hour. Once they did get on the court, Capriati, a three-time major champion, and Dementieva, a 2000 Open semifinalist, had 10 minutes to warm up, twice what is usually allotted. They finally started, only to be ushered off the court after 13 minutes - enough time for Capriati to go up 4-0.
A break of nearly 41/2 hours followed. They played another 36 minutes until sprinkles prompted the chair umpire to stop action, drawing boos from the few thousand fans. Capriati led 6-2, 3-2.
After another hour, play resumed. This time, Capriati finished the job. The players immediately traded breaks of service, and Dementieva took a 5-4 lead in the second set by breaking at love.
Capriati broke back, then held to 6-5 with help from her only ace (108 mph).
Rain trickled again, and Capriati was eager to get home. She chewed on her towel during the changeover, then moved to the baseline, ready to receive serve. Dementieva sat as long as allowed, making Capriati wait alone on court.
A backhand topspin lob got Capriati within two points of victory, and she wrapped it up with a deep forehand, then a backhand passing shot. They played 1 hour, 12 minutes - spread out from 1:45 p.m. to 8:22.
Capriati finished with a 28-14 edge in winners, and Dementieva had seven double faults, some serves landing a few feet out.
"I was just more aggressive overall with my shots, my tennis, too," Capriati said. "I was just really going for it. That's what I wanted to do. If it didn't work, it didn't work."
CHANG RECOGNITION: Michael Chang, who retired after his first-round loss, will be honored by the USTA tonight between matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Chang played for 16 years and was the youngest winner of a Grand Slam when he won the French Open in 1989 at 17. Two years earlier, he was the youngest player to win a match at the U.S. Open.
Chang won 34 singles titles and was runner-up in three Slams: the 1995 French Open, 1996 Australian Open and 1996 U.S. Open.