SERENA SHOWS US WHAT SHE'S WORKIN' WITH

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND — Serena Williams bunny-hopped three times on her 1 1/2 legs, set herself inside the baseline to await the final serve, then took the ball on the rise and jammed it back cross-court hard enough to not only handcuff tall, bewildered Daniela Hantuchova but drive one final stake into her mortally damaged psyche.

Maybe Williams was once as distraught as everyone else here about the incessant rain that has pelted Wimbledon for most of the first eight days, but you'll never again hear her complain.

"I was definitely saved by the rain," she acknowledged. And she might have added to the list of saviors the trainers who iced her badly pulled calf muscle, who fed her so much liquid she was begging the chair umpire for a bathroom break in the third set and, of course, Hantuchova, who fell into the classic trap of playing tentatively against a wounded opponent.

Williams had virtually collapsed on Centre Court in the second set of this 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-2 triumph when pain suddenly shot through her left leg immediately after her Slovakian adversary had scored for a 30-15 lead at 5-5.

Fallen warrior, Williams lay on the grass, gripping her leg, and the anguished look on her face must have been frightening to her parents and sister, Venus, who watched from the stands.
But after three minutes of medical attention, she insisted on continuing, hoping that, while she could scarcely walk, her serve would put her into the tiebreak and give her a chance of winning straight sets.


Her prospects were exceedingly grim, however, when Hantuchova shot out to a 4-0 lead and was at 4-2 in the breaker. Then, rain shut down play for nearly two hours, allowing her to get treatment and return for one brave, final stand.

"I thought about not finishing, but very briefly," she said. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hadn't at least tried."

Williams will next play No. 1 seed Justine Henin, who has lost only 15 games in four matches and breezed into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 15 Patty Schnyder. Henin and Williams will meet on Wednesday.