Sela sweeps by No. 16 Dolgopolov

Israeli tennis star records first victory of year over top-20 player.

By ALLON SINAI
Dudi Sela 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Dudi Sela 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
With the 2011 season entering its final few weeks, Dudi Sela finally recorded his first win of the year over a top-20 player on Monday.
Sela, who dropped five places to No. 97 in the world earlier Monday, beat world No. 16 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the St. Petersburg Open.
The 26-year-old Israeli dominated his Ukrainian opponent, converting four of six break points while holding his serve throughout the 59-minute match.
“I played consistently, applied the right tactics and took advantage of the chances he gave me,” explained Sela, who made the most of Dolgopolov’s struggles on his serve, with the Ukrainian hitting just 42 percent of his first serves in.
“I hope to continue playing well and end the season with a sweet taste in my mouth.”
Meanwhile, Amir Weintraub continued his consistent rise up the rankings on Monday, climbing four places to a career best No. 170.
The 25-year-old began the year at No. 281.
For the Israeli women, Julia Glushko also improved her previous best on Monday, moving up one place to 161 in the WTA rankings, while Shahar Pe’er dropped one more place to No. 37, her lowest position since October 2009.
Pe’er, who is in Israel recovering from a stress fracture in her lower back, will take part on Wednesday in an Israel Tennis Centers fundraiser at Ramat Hasharon aimed at collecting money for community programs that will improve the welfare of children in Israel.
Glushko and Weintraub will also attend, joining Maccabi Tel Aviv owner Mitch Goldhar and other donors from Israel and across the world.