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Rain washes out Day 1 at Wimbo

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 27, 2006

WIMBLEDON, England - In what hardly qualifies as an upset, Wimbledon began with rain.

Two interruptions because of showers meant only a half hour of tennis on the tournament's first day, with no matches completed, 17 suspended and 47 postponed.

Rain moved in Monday after two weeks of warm, mostly dry weather, making it the 11th consecutive year Wimbledon has endured at least one interruption.

The backlog in matches means defending champion Venus Williams and top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo will wait until at least Wednesday to play.

Martina Hingis, playing at Wimbledon for the first time since 2001, won the first set against Olga Savchuk 6-2 before their match was suspended. Hingis, Wimbledon's youngest champion in the Open era when she won the title at 16 in 1997, began a career comeback in January after a three-year injury layoff.

With the grass courts covered, the players' restaurant was packed. French Open champ Rafael Nadal stood holding a tray of pasta, looking for a place to sit. Tampa's James Blake, whose match was later postponed, sat with his mom while his brother played cards.

"We'll all be used to this by the end of the fortnight, I'm sure," Blake said.

Also taking the court today will be Andre Agassi, 36, who will begin his final Wimbledon by facing Boris Pashanski. .

ON THE NET: American fans can watch Wimbledon via the Internet for the first time after an agreement between the All England Club and NBC Sports. More than 250 matches from up to nine courts will be made available through a subscription service at www.wimbledon.org/live.

[Last modified June 27, 2006, 01:38:37]