Wimbledon: Sela storms into 3rd round as Pe'er knocked out

Israel's top female player loses 6-3, 6-2 to 10th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia in the second round.

By JEREMY LAST, ALLON SINAI, URIEL STURM
Shahar Peer 248.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Shahar Peer 248.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
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. Earlier, Israel's top female tennis player Shahar Pe'er was knocked out of the Wimbledon singles tournament, losing 6-3, 6-2 to 10th seed Nadia Petrova of Russia in the second round. The result will be a disappointment for Pe'er, who is currently ranked 55th in the world, after her superb showing at the All England Club in 2008 where she reached the fourth round. However the 22-year-old has only just recovered from a stress fracture in her right foot which she suffered in the middle of May. On Tuesday, Pe'er and Gisela Dulko advanced to the second round of the doubles tournament, defeating Jarmila Groth and Renata Voracova 6-4, 6-3. Also Wednesday, Andy Ram and Max Mirnyi, who are seeded No. 7 in the doubles tournament, were due to play Santiago Gonzalez and Travis Rettenmaier, while Yoni Erlich and Andy Murray's brother, Jamie, will face Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach in the first round.