Dudi Sela bows out of Wimbledon
 
AJN STAFF
DUDI Sela’s amazing run at this year’s Wimbledon has come to an end after the Israeli was knocked out on Monday by world number four Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.¬†Sela was convincingly beaten 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 by the Serbian.¬†Despite Monday’s defeat, Sela will jump about 15 places in the rankings next week for reaching the fourth round.¬†Israel’s men and women have reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam tournament 14 times in the past, but only in four occasions did they manage to go on and progress to the quarterfinals.
Shlomo Glickstein was the first to do so in the Australian Open in 1981, with Amos Mansdorf also recording his one and only Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne, in 1992. No Israeli man has done so since, with Shahar Peer the only Israeli women to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam event, advancing to the quarterfinals of both the Australian Open and US Open in 2007.
Until this year, Sela had not progressed past the second round of a major, losing in the first round at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open last year. However, reaching the third round at the Aussie Open in January, a tournament for which he had to qualify, gave him a crucial confidence boost and he entered Wimbledon ranked at a career high No. 46 in the world after starting 2009 ranked 107th. Sela overran 2008 Wimbledon semifinalist Reiner Scheuttler in straight sets last week to advance to the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Peer was ousted in straight sets by world number 10 Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-2, while Jesse Levine, who ended Marat Safin’s career with a surprise win against the Russian in the first round, has also bowed out.¬†Levine survived a marathon five-set match against Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay only to lose to 19th seed Stanislaw Warinka 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3. ¬†In the doubles Israel’s Andy Ram and partner Max Myrni are through to the third round after defeating Thai Ratiwatana 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 and will take on Swede Simon Aspelin and Australian Paul Hanley.¬†
Peer and partner Argentine Gisela Dulko were knocked out in the second round of the women’s doubles by Chinese pair Zi Yan and Jie Zheng 6-4, 6-1.¬†Ram and Anna Chakvetadze were unable to progress past the first round of the mixed doubles.¬†
With agencies
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