Drizzle dampens programme as play cancelled in New York (Roundup)

By Bill Scott Sep 6, 2006, 3:44 GMT

New York - Steady rain Tuesday left former champions Roger Federer and Lindsay Davenport high and dry as their matches were postponed due to bad weather at the US Open.

The Swiss top seed and defending champion found his fourth-round contest against Frenchman Marc Gicquel postponed, while 1998 winner Davenport was unable to take to the court against Justine Henin- Hardenne, the second seed.

Also caught out by the conditions: fifth seed James Blake taking on Czech Tomas Berdych. That pair have contrasting five-set records, with number 5 Blake 0-9 in five setters, while the Czech stands exactly opposite.

But Berdych is 0-5 career against top-10 players at Grand Slam events.

Surprised Serb Jelena Jankovic overcame a painful 1-10 start to the season after earning a first-ever Grand Slam semi-final place with a 6-2, 6-1 crushing of Elena Dementieva.

The world number 20, who flirted with quitting the game at the depths of her slump, completed a turnaround that began in May as she reached the Italian Open quarter-finals, then moved from strength to strength with the Wimbledon fourth round and a Los Angeles final.

The 21-year-old squeezed in her match before forecast rain arrived at Flushing Meadows; she next faces one of a pair of former winners in Davenport or Henin-Hardenne (2003).

'I'm so happy to be in the semi-finals,' said Jankovic, who profited from 39 unforced errors by Dementieva.

'I returned very well, but I didn't know what I was doing on court. I'm enjoying my tennis. I'm having fun on court. I'm so excited. This is an amazing feeling.'

Dementieva, who lost the final two years ago, was devastated in defeat.

'It's disappointing,' said the 24-year-old from Moscow.

'I'm getting older, and I haven't won a Grand Slam. That's really what I'm thinking about all the time. I feel like I was in a good shape here. That's why it's sad.'

Jankovic earned the Dementieva clash after putting out number-10 Nicole Vaidisova and 2004 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, ranked seventh at the event.

'I have so much confidence right now,' Jankovic said. 'In this tournament, I beat three top-10 players. It's amazing.'

The part-time university student said that she had considered going back to school full-time as her tennis fell apart earlier in the season.

She was also suffering with a virus and found little will to drive herself in the sport.

'It was terrible. When you go through something like this it makes you stronger,' Jankovic said.

'I took two and a half months off to recover. I don't know what was wrong with me. I didn't have the will to practice, and when I got on the court I didn't want to win matches. I almost quit playing tennis.

'I wanted to continue my studies. I'm in the second year of university and I'm doing good in tennis. I have the right balance, now. I'm really enjoying my tennis now. I'm so happy when every time I go on court I want to compete. I want to fight for every point.'

The match was the only one in singles completed by late afternoon due to the weather.

Forecasts were calling for rain overnight, ending Wednesday morning.

In the men's fourth round, resurgent Marat Safin had just earned an early break for 2-1 over German Tommy Haas, while Russia's seventh-seeded Nikolay Davydenko led Briton Andy Murray 6-1, 5-7, 6- 3.