NOTEBOOK Wimbledon

Court 2 no problem: Serena Williams knows the “graveyard of champions” tag for Wimbledon’s No. 2 Court is given for very good reason. The two-time champion was ousted on Court 2 in the third round in 2005, so she was anxious after discovering the court would be the venue for Wednesday’s second-round clash against Polish teenager Urszula Radwanska. The sixth-seeded Williams was determined not to put her name again to a long list of upsets out there which have included her sister Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Pete Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi over the years. This time, she survived, and had a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Radwanska. “That did kind of cross my mind,” she said. “I just didn’t want to go out on Court Two, but I was just happy to get it over. It was windy too, the conditions weren’t great.”

Pigeon reprieve: Ana Ivanovic wasn’t the only one to win a reprieve Wednesday. The pigeons around the All England Club are also safe — for now. Wimbledon organizers came under fire from animal rights groups for using marksmen to eradicate some pesky pigeons Sunday, but they have pledged to use only two hawks to keep the birds away for the remainder of the tournament. Wimbledon organizers said the extreme pest control response had only been deemed necessary because pigeons were creating a health risk around the players’ lawn and a restaurant.

Clocking off: There’s a touch of symmetry about the second-round wins of Marat Safin and Roger Federer Wednesday. Safin needed 121 minutes for his upset over No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the same time Federer took to beat Robin Soderling. With Djokovic out, Safin is growing as a contender for a possible semifinal showdown with five-time champion Federer.

Arrested: Two Australian fans were thrown out for rowdy behavior while Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 Wimbledon champion, beat Albert Montanes on Court 2. The stewards’ appeals for men to keep the noise down went unheeded and the pair were swiftly ejected. Wimbledon organizers said one was arrested, although police did not release any details of the charge.

Associated Press