Sela sails into third round of Wimbledon for first time

By URIEL STURM
Israel's Dudi Sela made personal history at the All England Club on Wednesday when he stormed into the third round of Wimbledon with a straight set 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2 victory over 2008 semi-finalist Rainer Schuettler of Germany. It was the second convincing win of the tournament for Sela, who defeated Mexico's Santiago Gonzalez in the first round. On Wednesday, it looked as if Schuettler, who was seeded 18th in the draw compared to the 22-year-old Israeli's unseeded status, was going to coast as he jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. However, Sela held strong and kept the rallies going long enough for the German to make the crucial mistakes and allow him to take the set in an eventual tiebreaker. The second and third sets were much easier for Sela as he seemed to figure out Schuettler's weaknesses and pounce. After breaking serve early in both of the final sets, Sela was able to take control of the match and close it out without any drama. In the third round, Sela will face the winner of the second-round match between 15th-seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo and Stefan Koubek of Austria.