Vinci beats Giorgi, rain to make US Open quarters

NEW YORK (AP) Roberta Vinci reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, beating fellow Italian Camila Giorgi and avoiding the rain on Monday.

The 10th-seeded Vinci won 6-4, 6-2 in 67 minutes. Moments later, it started pouring, stopping all matches at Flushing Meadows.

Vinci had never made a Grand Slam quarterfinal before this tournament a year ago, when she was 29. She lost to another countrywoman, doubles partner Sara Errani, in the quarters in 2012.

"It's obvious that I'm not young. I'm 30. But it can be a strength, because I have a lot of experience," Vinci said. "Against a player like Camila, who is very young, it can be an advantage for me and I think it was on the court today."

The 21-year-old Giorgi, a 136th-ranked qualifier, was trying to reach her first major quarterfinal. In her third-round upset of sixth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, she crushed the ball on point after point, with 46 winners and 45 unforced errors.

She jumped to a 4-1 lead in the first set Monday, but Vinci stayed poised and patient. Vinci, who had never played the younger Italian before, started attacking her forehand, and Giorgi's mistakes mounted. She finished with 35 unforced errors to 20 winners.

"The problem wasn't the opponent," Giorgi said. "The problem is that I wasn't myself on court today."

Vinci is one of only two players seeded in the top 10 left in her half of the draw, along with No. 2 Victoria Azarenka.

About two hours after play was halted, the courts had been dried but the players weren't yet warming up. Sure enough, rain started to fall again.

Finally, almost 4 hours after they left the court, the Alison Riske vs. Daniela Hantuchova and Simona Halep vs. Flavia Pennetta matches resumed.

Azarenka's meeting with 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic was postponed. So was the Williams sisters' doubles match.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were each still scheduled to play later Monday, though there was more rain in the forecast.

Arthur Ashe Stadium is finally getting a roof, the U.S. Tennis Association announced last month. But that won't happen until 2016 at the earliest. For now, rain delays are the reality at Flushing Meadows.

If Nadal and Federer win their fourth-round matches whenever they're actually played they'd meet in a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time. The great rivals have met 10 times at major tournaments, but never before the semis.

The potential matchup in the quarters is a byproduct of Federer falling to a seeding of No. 7. His match with 19th-seeded Tommy Robredo was moved to Louis Armstrong Stadium. It would be the first time since the fourth round in 2006 also because of rain that Federer played on the U.S. Open's No. 2 court.

The second-seeded Nadal wasl scheduled to play No. 22-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber on Ashe to start the night session.