WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - The first raindrops of the week fell on Wimbledon on Friday, but former champion Serena Williams was beaming like a ray of sunshine after dispatching Amelie Mauresmo 7-6 (5), 6-1 in a third-round battle of former champions.
And then, Williams' half of the draw flung wide open when top seed Ana Ivanovic was humiliated and eliminated by 133rd-ranked Chinese wild card Zheng Jie.
Ivanovic had just taken over the tennis throne after her French Open victory, and the congenial Serb entered Wimbledon with much fanfare. But her troubles began in the second round, when a lucky net cord saved her from losing to Nathalie Dechy. Then, on Friday, Zheng, a 5-4 doubles specialist, dominated the 6-1 Ivanovic with her powerful low shots in a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
"I learned everyone is going to be so pumped against you and they're going to try to perform the best they can," Ivanovic said, explaining what she has learned since taking over the No. 1 ranking after Justine Henin's retirement. "They have nothing to lose. It's something you have to accept and, with time, learn to deal with."
Ivanovic's loss means the highest-seeded players left on Williams' path to the final are No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 8 Nicole Vaidisova and No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska.
But first she must get past Bethanie Mattek, a 23-year-old fellow American who might not have Williams' power or pedigree but certainly matches her boldness in fashion.
Most of the coverage 69th-ranked Mattek received before this week was for her eccentric outfits. She has shown up on the U.S. Open courts in low-cut leopard-print getups, been fined for trying to play in a cowboy hat, and two years ago at Wimbledon wore soccer knee socks in honor of the World Cup.
"Granted, the outfits were ... unusual, but I really appreciated her courage," Williams said. "Her personality is so good, and the courage you have to wear something like that goes a long way with me."
