Rain continues to plague Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Wimbledon played another soggy waiting game Wednesday as rain delayed the start of play for the third day in a row.

Jennifer Capriati's quarterfinal with France's Amelie Mauresmo on Centre Court looked set to begin about 90 minutes after the scheduled midday start.

But minutes after the green tarp was taken off, a light drizzle returned and the court was covered.

Also scheduled Wednesday was the resumption of a fourth-round match between Mark Philippoussis and Richard Krajicek, tied at two sets apiece; top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt's quarterfinal against Sjeng Schalken, and British hope Tim Henman's quarterfinal against Andre Sa of Brazil.

Serena Williams, projected for a final against sister Venus, was scheduled to play Daniela Hantuchova in a quarterfinal in the first match on Court 1.

Minutes before the scheduled start of play, Christopher Gorringe, chief executive of the All England Club, tried to be uplifting during a public address announcement.

"We have some room for optimism," he said. "Most of the light rain and drizzle is expected to gradually ease over the next hour or so -- before more rain comes in later." The crowds could only chuckle.

The last time a complete day's play was canceled due to rain was the second Tuesday in 1999. Last year, the men's final won by Goran Ivanisevic was played a day late on Monday, while two years ago, the women's doubles final was also delayed by a day.

On Tuesday, Venus Williams, seeking a third consecutive Wimbledon title, needed just 44 minutes to reach the semifinals, beating Elena Likhovtseva of Russia 6-2, 6-0.

The American was so overpowering that Likhovtseva won only seven points in the second set, and Williams conceded just two points on her serve.

Justine Henin also reached the semifinals, beating Monica Seles in straight sets, and will face Williams on Thursday in a rematch of last year's final -- weather permitting.

Capriati, admitting a rain suspension from Monday probably saved her in her fourth-rounder with Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, advanced to the quarterfinals.

She completed a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 win over Daniilidou after the match was suspended at one set each Monday. Capriati swept the final set in less than half an hour, finishing with an ace on match point.

Elsewhere Tuesday, Belgium's Xavier Malisse advanced to the men's quarterfinals by beating Britain's Greg Rusedski 6-4 in the final set of a match that had been suspended by rain Monday at two sets each.