Thursday, June 25, 2009

Gisela Dulko: Relaxes and Wins at Wimbledon

"I definitely got a bit nervous at 5-4. I could feel my legs shaking, and I just said to myself, 'Tranquila'. I knew that it was a vital game."

--Gisela Dulko, upset winner at Wimbledon, against former champion Maria Sharapova.
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WIMBLEDON, England — Unseeded Argentine Gisela Dulko upset former champion Maria Sharapova in a suspenseful 6-2 3-6 6-4 victory in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.

Sharapova, ranked 60, was still suffering with a shoulder injury. Gisela Dulko, ranked 45th, a slender 24-year-old Argentine veteran, was the latest second-tier player to seize the opportunity and beat Sharapova.

In her first match on Centre Court, Dulko jumped out to a 6-2, 3-0 lead. To her credit, she then managed to shake off the loss of seven straight games and recover early in the third set and then hold on through the final game, finally managing to serve out the victory on her fifth match point.

Dulko called the victory, the most important of her career.

"It's the biggest win of my career because she's a great champion and on Centre Court in the most important tournament in the world. It's a dream day. I played a poor second set but I kept fighting in the third. I was really nervous at the end. I didn't want it to go to 5-5 because she competes right to the very end."

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