Before the Championships, the odds were posted at 15-1 that reigning US Open queen Lindsay Davenport would win the Championships. Davenport reports her coach, former player Robert Van't Hof, believes she's such a sure bet he contemplated taking the gamble, telling her, ``I'm going to put a 1000 pounds on that those are great odds.''

Although the 23-year-old Davenport claims Van't Hof never placed the bet it's not exactly proper etiquette to place bets on your own team it would've been a money-making proposition.

Instead of hedging bets in public betting parlours, the No 2-ranked Davenport concentrates on beating the odds on-court. Putting one's money on Davenport to reach the finals seems like a smart wager. She next faces a qualifier, Alexandra Stevenson. Despite the semi-final match, there's actually another match that Davenport is eager to play. Teamed with doubles expert Todd Woodbridge, she faces the dynamic pairing of John McEnroe and Steffi Graf.

``Ican't wait,'' said Davenport, grinning. ``It will be really fun probably the most fun match [I'll play] at Wimbledon with the crowd and just to play against [McEnroe] he's a legend that I've never gotten a chance to play against.''

Steffi prefers cards on a rainy day

The secret is out. Steffi Graf, seven-time Wimbledon champion, divulged the key for players to keep their concentration, and sanity, during long rain delays. Many would say the most important thing is to speak to the coach, eat healthily, and keep training. No 2 seed Graf, of Germany, proclaims, ``I think it's much more important that you have a stack of cards and the right players to play cards with.''

Graf, the world No. 3, apparently did not find the `right' players, as she did not do very well in the card games she played Wednesday. However, the losing trend didn't continue on to the tennis court.