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Sharapova sent packing
Former champion Maria Sharapova had her lack of match practice exposed by unseeded Argentine Gisela Dulko who claimed a nailbiting 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
Sharapova, ranked 60 after suffering with a shoulder injury but given a special seeding of 24, had battered Dulko for the loss of three games in two previous meetings.
But the Russian struggled to find an answer to the world number 45's scurrying array of groundstrokes and changes of pace in the sunshine on Centre Court.
"The losses are tough. More here than at any other tournament," 22-year-old Sharapova told reporters after losing in the second round for the second successive year.
"It puts some perspective into your life. It's all right. I have many more years ahead of me. It's just unfortunate the timing of my comeback and this only being the fourth tournament.
"But that's just the way it is," she added.
Dulko no stranger to Wimbledon upsets
Dulko is no stranger to Wimbledon upsets having beaten the great Martina Navratilova as a 19-year-old in 2004 and she showed little stage fright as she sealed the opening set in 35 minutes with a crunching forehand winner.
Sharapova's frustration grew in the second as Dulko raced to a 3-0 lead but the Argentine suffered a temporary meltdown and her opponent raced back into contention with a run of seven straight games.
The two exchanged breaks in a tortuous decider which saw Sharapova punch the air after claiming every key point and Dulko somehow recover the composure she lost so spectacularly in the middle of the second set.
The Argentine stayed calm to seal victory on her nerve-wracking fifth match point and consign the 2004 champion to her second straight second-round defeat at SW19.
Dulko now faces a third-round contest against Russian 10th seed Nadia Petrova.
"It's a great day for me I feel really happy," said the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires.
"I didn't play well in that second set but in the third I kept fighting. I was really nervous at the end, I wanted to finish there and not go 5-all, she's very competitive but I am so happy.
"The crowd were great, I hope they will be there for the next match."
Federer strolls past Spaniard
A relaxed Roger Federer outclassed Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 to waltz into the third round at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The number two seed, bidding for a sixth Wimbledon crown and a record 15th grand slam title, barely broke sweat as he sent out an ominous message to the rest of the field.
As a contest it was all over once Federer broke serve in the third game of the match and the remainder of the one hour 29 minute stroll was pure exhibition stuff.
"I played too straightforward and maybe a liitle too much attack for him," said Federer, who lost in last year's final to Rafael Nadal. "I could even try a few things in the third set."
Federer, the favourite to win the title in the absence of injured champion Nadal, will play either Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber or Czech Ivo Minar in round three.
Sania's second round woes continue...
Sania Mirza's singles campaign at the Wimbledon championships ended with a 4-6, 4-6 second round loss to Romanian 28th seed Sorana Cirstea.
Unforced errors proved costly for the Indian in the one-hour-22-minute contest as she yet again failed to move beyond the second round.
Sania played mostly from the baseline but struggled to keep her booming strokes within the court.
The inability to win points on serve added to the woes of the unseeded Indian against an opponent ranked as high as 27th in the world.
Sania had the first opportunity to get a break but Cirstea denied her friend the favour.
Sania then committed a double fault in the fifth game to hand the Romanian a break chance.
Sania saved four breakpoints in that game but another double fault undid all the good work.
That one break proved costly for the Hyderabadi as the next four games went with serve with Cirstea claiming the first set.
The second set too started on an ominous note as Sania dropped her serve in the very first game.
Though she managed a double break -- second and fourth games -- to take a 3-1 lead, the unrelenting errors allowed the Romanian claw her way back.
And the Soderling saga continues...
French Open finalist Robin Soderling also made it to the third round by beating Marcel Granollers.
The Swede, seeded 13th, beat the Spaniard 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 7-5.
Soderling is scheduled to meet Roger Federer in the fourth round.
The Swiss beat him in the French Open final earlier in the month to complete his major set.
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