WIMBLEDON, England -- Amelie Mauresmo ended Jennifer Capriati's streak of six consecutive Grand Slam semifinals with a rain-interrupted straight-set victory at Wimbledon on Wednesday.

	Physiotherapist Lisa Heller treats Jennifer Capriati's neck and shoulder during her match with Amelie Mauresmo.

Serena Williams, meanwhile, continued her easy run through the draw with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Daniela Hantuchova and will meet Mauresmo in the semis. Williams hasn't dropped a set in five matches and remains on course for a possible meeting with her sister, Venus, in the final.

Mauresmo dominated play in the 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Capriati, who twice received treatment from a trainer for a pulled neck muscle that might have been aggravated by the cool, damp weather.

"I don't think it had anything to do with my loss today," Capriati said. "I've got to hand it to her. She played unbelievable. I don't think I really had a chance to play out there."

In a match delayed for three hours and interrupted twice by showers, the ninth-seeded Frenchwoman pushed the third-seeded Capriati around the court and dictated the play with big serves and flashing winners.

Capriati couldn't handle Mauresmo's relentless game and failed to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the U.S. Open in 2000, when she was beaten in the fourth round.

"I never played better tennis than I played today," Mauresmo said.

Serena Set To Rule World

Serena Williams is a win away from replacing sister Venus at No. 1. If she beats Amelie Mauresmo in a Wimbledon semifinal Thursday, Serena will move from No. 2 to the top spot in next week's WTA Tour computer rankings -- no matter what else happens in the tournament. Even if Serena loses Thursday, she would still move up to No. 1 if Venus fails to win the tournament for the third year in a row. Venus plays Justine Henin in the other semifinal Thursday. After the French Open, where Serena beat Venus in the final, they became the first sisters ranked 1-2. -- The Associated Press

This is Mauresmo's best Grand Slam showing since she reached the Australian Open final in 1999.

"I was happy with my consistency today," she said. "From beginning to end, I didn't let anything go. That was the key today."

The Centre Court match lasted 59 minutes in actual playing time.

The match was due to start at noon but didn't get under way until just before 4 p.m. because of the rain. Play was then suspended after 17 minutes, just after Capriati had double-faulted on break point to give Mauresmo a 4-2 lead.

After a 38-minute break, Mauresmo held serve to make it 5-2 -- only for the match to be stopped again after just six minutes of play.

The match resumed 18 minutes later, with Capriati holding for 5-3. Mauresmo served out the set in the next game, catching Capriati going the wrong way and hitting a backhand winner down the line.

After Capriati held to open the second set, Mauresmo won five straight games, including eight consecutive points at one stage.

Capriati took a medical timeout at 4-1, with the trainer rubbing her shoulder and neck. She was treated again at 5-2. Mauresmo served out the match at 30, with Capriati sailing a forehand return long on the last point.

"In the first set, I had no rhythm at all," she said. "We had to go on and off for however many times. I just never really got into the match. She did everything great."

The French player took more risks than Capriati, finishing with 19 winners and 15 unforced errors, compared to 11 each for the American. Mauresmo broke three times, while Capriati had just two break points and failed to convert either.

The Williams-Hantuchova match was also severely disrupted by the rain, halted after just three minutes with the American up 1-0. The players were sent off again after a warmup and finally resumed after a break of 71 minutes.

At 3-3, Williams broke with a strong forehand to take control. She saved two break points in the ninth game before holding to take the set.

Williams went up 3-1 in the second when play was stopped again for 57 minutes. When play resumed at 7:10 p.m, Williams won three of the next four games in 14 minutes to wrap up the match. Total playing time was 68 minutes.

Rain has affected play the last two years. Last year, the men's final won by Goran Ivanisevic was played a day late on Monday, while two years ago, the women's doubles final was also delayed by a day.

On Tuesday, Venus Williams, seeking a third consecutive Wimbledon title, needed just 47 minutes to reach the semifinals, beating Elena Likhovtseva of Russia 6-2, 6-0.

The American was so overpowering that Likhovtseva won only seven points in the second set, and Williams conceded just two points on her serve.

Justine Henin also reached the semifinals, beating Monica Seles in straight sets, and will face Williams on Thursday in a rematch of last year's final -- weather permitting.