Mauresmo looks to make big splash

Amelie Mauresmo waves after winning her third round match against Mara Santangelo of Italy at the Wimbledon Championships on Saturday. PHOTO: EPA

At rainy Wimbledon, the reigning champion shows signs of making another big splash.

Amelie Mauresmo keeps moving forward, and her aggressive game has advanced her to the fourth round.

"I think it comes pretty naturally for me," the Frenchwoman said. "I don't feel like somebody's pushing me to go forward. It's a little bit the contrary -- I really feel that I'm really leaning forward very naturally after the serve and sometimes on the return."

In an era when most women swing from hard from the baseline, Mauresmo's tactic makes her a throwback. But it also makes her a formidable foe, especially on grass, where she often solves the vexing problem of capricious hops by charging forward to hit the ball before it bounces.

"I like it," she said. "It took me a little time to adjust to the grass. I was not really sure what I was going to do. Do I need to stay back? Do I need to go in? I was kind of in between. Then I got used to it, and the experience probably helped me a lot."

Mauresmo turns 28 on Thursday, which makes her the oldest player among the top women's title contenders. She remains prone to nervousness, especially at the French Open, where she lost in the third round this year.

But as a two-time Grand Slam champion, Mauresmo also knows how to win the kind of big matches that loom this week.

"It's still pretty open, this women's championship," she said. "But, you know, it has been open for quite a few years now -- not only here but in all Grand Slams ... I'm not thinking, `Oh, am I going to be able to go to the end?' In my mind, I'm confident about how I play, and about what I'm going to have to do in the next match."

Waiting to learn who she'll play next, Mauresmo was one of only two players with yesterday off. Thanks to her efficient work on a wet Saturday, she advanced during a brief dry spell, beating Mara Santangelo 6-1, 6-2.

Maria Sharapova was the only other player to complete a victory in the singles on Saturday. Fourteen matches were suspended or postponed before they started, creating a backlog that Mauresmo was happy to avoid.

"I'm just glad that I was able to go on and finish quickly," she said. "I'm pretty satisfied about how I handled that first week, how I played, and how I just improved a few things. I'm definitely looking forward to have probably some more fighting."

Despite all of the interruptions, the tournament stuck to its policy of taking the middle Sunday off.

Four-time defending men's champion Roger Federer got a bye into the quarter-finals when his fourth-round opponent, Tommy Haas, pulled out on Sunday with a stomach muscle injury.