As they headed for the locker room, the drizzle became a downpour, sending everyone scurrying across the grounds in a mad dash for cover: players toting racket bags, officials wearing smart blue blazers, spectators cradling cups of strawberries.

Williams, Sharapova and others whose matches were suspended in progress — including 2006 runner-up Rafael Nadal, tied 4-4 in the fifth set of a match originally slated for Saturday — will play another day at the All England Club.

That tournament organizers are confronted with a growing backlog of matches: 177 total, including 13 in singles.

"It's ghastly. It's a serious situation and one of great concern," tournament referee Andrew Jarrett said. "We will endeavor to complete the championships on time."

A retractable roof is coming to Centre Court — but not until 2009. So play has been delayed, suspended or stopped by rain on seven of eight days so far — with light showers predicted for tomorrow. Only seven singles matches were completed today, including No. 3 Jelena Jankovic's 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 loss to No. 18 Marion Bartoli.

"So many breaks," Jankovic said. "It's not the best thing, and you're not going to see the best tennis, because players are mentally drained."

French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic beat Nadia Petrova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 and now meets Vaidisova, while 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova eliminated 16-year-old Tamira Paszek 6-3, 6-2. Kuznetsova's quarterfinal opponent will be three-time Wimbledon winner Williams or 2004 champion Sharapova.

Williams-Sharapova was scheduled for 13,791-capacity Centre Court, but was shifted to 800-capacity Court 3 as rain came and went during a total of six delays today.

They arrived at the court at 4:57 p.m., and began playing at 5:06 p.m., right when thunder began to boom in the background. Williams took a 30-15 lead before, after a single minute of competition, play was suspended.

Nearly 1 1/2 hours later, Williams peeked through a window while chatting on a cell phone, watching the rain fall. Eventually, with hail coming down, players were told they could leave.

Williams and Sharapova were moved back to Centre Court for tomorrow.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Martina Navratilova, who won nine Wimbledon singles titles. "Players coming on the court, off the court."

None more so than three-time French Open champion Nadal and his opponent, No. 28 Robin Soderling. They first set foot on Court 1 Saturday afternoon and warmed up, but rain made them leave without playing a point. After the traditional middle Sunday off, Nadal and Soderling started Monday.

Nadal held a match point in the third set but missed a forehand wide. He challenged the call, was wrong, and that's when — big shock! — a rain delay came. When they resumed, Soderling won that set and the fourth, too. They had to stop with Nadal leading 2-0 in the fifth, a deficit Soderling erased Tuesday before another suspension.

When Nadal left the All England Club on Tuesday evening, the hood of his white sweat shirt was pulled tight over his head, protection from, appropriately, a shower.

Now, tomorrow, when one or the other could have been playing in the quarterfinals, Nadal and Soderling will trudge once again to Court 1 and hope to end their third-round match.

At least two-time finalist Andy Roddick is already in the fourth round, and he was up a set and a break against Paul-Henri Mathieu when they were sent home today.

In matches that did finish, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero eliminated Janko Tipsarevic to reach a quarterfinal against Roger Federer. The four-time defending champion, off since Friday, and Ferrero are the only men in the final eight.

Lleyton Hewitt, who won Wimbledon in 2002, beat No. 22 Guillermo Canas, and No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko defeated Gael Monfils 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the third round.