WIMBLEDON — Count ’em: seven seconds.
That’s how long French Open runner-up Sara Errani “played” at Wimbledon yesterday against qualifier CoCo Vandeweghe — enough time to wrap up a 6-1, 6-3 victory in the first round.
How’s that possible? Because action was suspended by rain a night earlier, with the 10th-seeded Errani at match point as the 132nd-ranked Vandeweghe — the niece of former Knicks forward Kiki Vandeweghe — served.
When they resumed, after the customary several-minute warmup ritual of baseline strokes, volleys, overheads and serves, Vandeweghe tossed up a ball and hit it into the net. Moments later, she hit her second serve into the net, too, to complete the double-fault that ended the match, right then and there — leaving both women smiling and spectators guffawing. Errani joined in the laughter as she packed away her racket bag, and kept right on giggling during her news conference.
Asked by an Italian reporter to recount what happened, Errani said, justifiably: “There’s not much to tell.”
All in all, it was exactly the sort of unusual happening that day three kept producing in what’s shaping up as a wet and wild week at the All England Club.
Four of the top 13 seeded women were sent packing, including 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, 2011 French Open champion Li Na, and former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki.
Before the rain came, Prince Charles sat in the Royal Box at Centre Court, watching six-time champion Roger Federer stumble once and awkwardly tweak his left knee but otherwise easily reach the third round by beating 68th-ranked Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.