Rain wipes out schedule in National 40 Hard Courts

   Rain continued to wreak havoc with the schedule at the USTA National 40 Hard Court Championships in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla.
   All of today's matches were postponed, and only one was completed on Tuesday.
   Thursday's forecast is partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain, and matches are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. PST. There is little or no chance of rain from Friday through Sunday.
   Tournament referee Ralph Anderson said men's third- and fourth-round matches will be contested on Thursday, while the women will play in the second round. All of Thursday’s matches will use a match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.
   "Despite the rain and postponements, we are going to make every effort possible to get the tournament back on schedule so we can complete the event this weekend,” Anderson said in a news release.
   A special tribute to International Tennis Hall of Famer Dorothy "Dodo" Bundy Cheney, who died on Nov. 23 at 98, will take place during a reception for tournament players on Friday evening at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
   Cheney, who played into her 90s, amassed over 390 USTA national titles, winning many of them at the LJB&TC. In the National 40 Hard Courts, she captured the women's singles title 13 straight times (1957-69), the women's doubles crown nine times with six partners and the mixed doubles championship five times.