As the 100-odd spectators suppressed yawns and eyed their watches just before 1am local time, the heavens opened and jolted everyone into action on court three at the Olympic Green Tennis Centre.
New Zealand's world No 49 was serving the opening game of the third set of her first round match against 18-year-old Ayumi Morita -- ranked 96 places below her -- when the heavy downpour saw play postponed into day three.
But Erakovic could already have been tucked up in bed and looking forward to facing China's big hope Li Na in the second round had she converted her solitary match point.
Having won the first set 7-5, Erakovic served for the match at 7-6 in the second set tiebreaker but sent a forehand long to offer Morita an opening.
She gladly took it, complete with a Lleyton Hewitt-esque "come-on!", as she rattled off three consecutive points to win the tiebreak 9-7 and send it to a decider.
After one wag commented "rain is all we need", it arrived about 10 minutes later, one hour and 52 minutes into the contest.
A second round match against Li Na is the big carrot for the winner when play resumes, after she eliminated Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6 6-4 at a roaring centre court earlier in the night.
Erakovic, 20, had to wait almost 30 hours to hit her first ball at an Olympic Games after rain postponed day one, and when Morita served the opening point it was 10.52pm local time.
A handful of New Zealand Olympic team management boosted the crowd into three figures, with nearly all the attention on the packed neighbouring court.
Hewitt and Australian doubles partner Chris Guccione slugged it out with Argentinian pair Agustin Calleri and Juan Monaco for three hours and 17 minutes.
To the joy of the big Aussie contingent, Guccione finally held serve at 18-16 to earn the win and a bear hug from Hewitt after a two-hour third set.
The roars and chants were clearly heard on court three and Erakovic took time to hit her stride.
Three unforced errors in the first game were a sign of things to come as Morita sped around the court and made Erakovic scramble with powerful ground strokes on boh sides.
At their only two previous meetings, Morita had won in straight sets.
But Erakovic's powerful serve and forehand helped her break serve in the third and 11th games, then she rattled off four consecutive points to take the first set.
She led 4-2 and 5-3 as Mortia's unforced errors mounted, then served for the match at 5-4 and survived nine break points over two games before Morita levelled 5-5.
After Morita survived match point she hit consecutive cross-court winners to take the tiebreak 9-7.
Erakovic was 40-30 on serve when the drops of rain became heavier, then sent all scurrying for cover.
Asked if he had a comment, Erakovic's Dutch coach Michiel Schapers, the former world No 25, declined. "I have to see Marina," he said.
It seemed the patient spectators weren't the only ones frustrated.
