Day 7 in Wimbledon 2009 will forever be remembered as a triumphant day in tennis history.  Not because of an exhausting match between two brilliant players, but because it marked the first day that the new retractable roof over centre court was called into action because of rain.  That’s right everyone, Day 7.  Write it into your diaries.

Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo were battling it out for their spot in the next round when their match came to a halt halfway through the second set because of the rain.  The players exited to the locker rooms while the 1,000-ton roof was set into motion.  Over the next ten minutes an appreciative crowd cheered as the new roof rolled to a slow and steady close.  Another 30 minutes passed while the air circulated to create perfect playing conditions, and the game was back underway.

Safina managed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over the former French Wimbledon champion thus securing her place in tennis history as the first player to win a match under the new centre court roof.  So prepare yourselves everyone because here comes a little trivia that you might want to hold onto for future reference.

-    First point scored under the new roof goes to Dinara Safina
-    First game won under the new roof goes to Amelie Mauresmo
-    First match won under the new roof goes to Dinara Safina

Continuing with the new roof excitement, Andy Murray faced off against Stanislas Wawrinka under the new addition to centre court.  Unfortunately, the new roof took a back seat to some pretty fine performances from these two friends.  Wawrinka took the lead early on in the first set, causing some panic among British fans.  It didn’t look good for Murray as his opponent took a 4-0 lead in the first set.

Murray managed to gain some ground in the fifth game of the second set after warding off a couple of break points.  From then on, Wawrinka’s game wasn’t quite as ferocious as the first two sets, but Murray’s was.  In a fine demonstration of determination and skill, he took the third set, made it through the fourth and managed to hang on to the fifth.  It was a brutal four hour slugfest, but Murray, much to the delight of his fans, was victorious with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win.

Elsewhere at the Wimbledon courts, Roger Federer defeated Robin Soderling with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) win.  Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Novak Djokovic and Tommy Haas also won their respective matches to continue their Wimbledon dreams.  On the women’s side, Venus Williams defeated a tearful Ana Ivanovic after the Serbian had to pull out during the second set due to a leg injury.  Serena Williams easily ousted Daniela Hantuchova and Agnieszka Radwanska put a stop to Melanie Oudin who upset Jelena Jankovic late last week.  It was a memorable day indeed.

The Ladies’ Singles Quarterfinals get underway tomorrow and BetUS is currently offering the following odds:

Venus Williams v Agnieska Radwanska
Moneyline
Williams: -1000
Radwanska: +500

Dinara Safina v Sabine Lisicki
Moneyline
Safina: -250
Lisicki: +185

Victoria Azarenka v Serena Williams
Moneyline
Azarenka: +225
Williams: -350

Francesca Schiavone v Elena Dementieva
Moneyline
Schiavone: +225
Dementieva: -350