Israelis at SW19: Shahar, Dudi, Yoni/Andy

Shahar Pe'er will be playing in her seventh Wimbledon, while Dudi Sela is in the draw for the fourth time in his career.

By ALLON SINAI
After suffering a first round exit in three straight tournaments, Shahar Pe’er will have every chance of kickstarting her season at the home of tennis in Wimbledon this week.
The 24-year-old Israeli, who has slipped to No. 22 in the world, will face 20-year-old left-handed Russian Ksenia Pervak (89) in the first round at the All England Club before a possible meeting with the winner of the match between Sorana Cirstea (81) and Pauline Parmentier (75).
In the last 32, Pe’er could come up against world No. 11 Andrea Petkovic, but considering the Israeli’s recent form, she will not be thinking any further than her opening match.
Meanwhile, after winning 15 straight matches on the Challenger circuit and receiving a wild-card for the main draw of Wimbledon, Dudi Sela will be confident of extending his streak when he faces Portugal’s Frederico Gil (73) in the first round.
Sela has jumped 66 places in the world rankings to No. 81 over the past six weeks after winning three consecutive Challenger events at at Busan, South Korea, Fergana, Uzbekistan and most recently on grass at Nottingham, England.
In the second round, Sela could play world No. 16 Giles Simon.
In doubles, Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich face the prospect of coming up against the world’s No. 1 team and 10-time grand slam winners Bob and Mike Bryan as early as the second round.
After missing out on the doubles tournament at Roland Garros, Pe’er will team-up with three-time Wimbledon doubles champion Cara Black on the London grass.
The Israeli/Zimbabwean duo, seeded No. 14, face Britain’s Sarah Borwell and Melanie South in the opening round.