Rain causes havoc as final postponed

Rain caused havoc at Wimbledon on Saturday as the women's singles final was postponed and local hero Tim Henman's singles semifinal against Goran Ivanisevic was carried over into a third day.

Defending champion Venus Williams will now take on Belgium's Justine Henin at 1300 GMT on Sunday, or after the men's semifinal has been completed.

It is likely the men's singles final will now be played on Monday, a tournament official said, but a final decision will be made after discussions with Henman, Ivanisevic and Pat Rafter of Australia who went through to the final on Friday.

Rain fell for much of Saturday and only 51 minutes of play was possible at the grasscourt Grand Slam. The last recorded men's singles that took three days to complete was a second round match in 1989.

Because less than an hour's play was possible, fans who bought 60 pounds ($84.17) Centre Court tickets will receive a full refund.

Fans who bought ground passes to watch Henman on a giant TV screen on "Henman Hill" will also be given a refund.

"We had hoped to complete the men's semifinals but the courts were so greasy and the atmosphere was so damp we felt it would be unfair to the players to expect them to play on," tournament official Christopher Gorringe said.

STRONG FEELINGS

"We are sorry people didn't see the end of the men's semifinal and indeed the women's final." Sunday's weather forecast is for a dry day.

In a little less than an hour Ivanisevic won the fourth set against Henman to level the match 7-5 in a tiebreak. The score stands at 7-5 6-7 0-6 7-6 3-2 in Ivanisevic's favour.

Sixth seed Henman is bidding to become the first Briton to reach the men's final since 1938 while Ivanisevic would be the first wild card to reach the title decider in a Grand Slam tournament if he wins.

The players had been called off court on Friday night with Henman leading by two sets to one and 2-1 in the fourth. The start of play was delayed by 4-1/2 hours on Saturday by rain.

Tournament referee Alan Mills said: "I will to talk to Goran and to Tim tonight because it is only fair to let Pat (Rafter) know if he is playing the final on Sunday or Monday.

"My own view is that they should finish their semi tomorrow and play the final on Monday.

"However, I will speak to the two players involved -- and Pat -- and see if they have any strong feelings about finishing on Sunday."

The women's final was put back to the second Sunday of the tournament in 1999. On that occasion Lindsay Davenport beat Steffi Graf.

The All England Club said that if there is play on Monday, or following days, admission will be via the turnstiles on a first come, first served basis. Last year the women's doubles final was delayed until Monday because of bad light.

If Henman should reach a Monday final there are fears of major crowd and logistical problems around the All England Club, situated in a residential area of south west London.

"We would have to consult the police and the local council obviously. Any men's final from scratch on a Monday would create huge logistical problems," said Gorringe.

All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said:" We always try to finish on time but we also try to be fair to the players.

"This is a big, big event."