Abierto Mexicano Telcel Tennis Championships: Gisela Dulko vs Anabel Garrigues – Semi-final Preview
Kicking of the semi-final round at the 2011 Women Abierto Mexicano Telcel Tennis Championships is the Argentinean Star, Gisela Dulko as she takes on Spanish Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Ranked 73rd in the world, Gisela Dulko will be in action in the semi-final of Mexican Open, a WTA event which takes place in Acapulco, Mexico. It has not been a great year so far for the fourth seeded Argentinean. She
started the season at the Medibank International where she was knocked off in the first round by Czech Lucie Hradecka. She then returned to the Tour at the Australian Open where her ship sank at the hands of world number one Caroline Wozniacki. However, Dulko
restored her lost pride to some extent at the Fed Cup by winning both of her matches for Argentina.
Although Dulko has slipped to number 73 in the WTA rankings following her continuous failures in singles arena, she continued to give inspiring results in the Women Doubles world, winning her first Australian Open Double Championships
partnering with Flavia Pennetta.
Playing here in her third WTA tournament of the season at US$ 220,000 clay-court Mexican Open, Dulko has certainly looked in good touch and has dropped only a set so far. The fourth seeded dispatched Spanish Soler Espinosa in straight
sets 6-1 6-1 in the second round. She then battled past another Spaniard Laura Pous-Tio in the quarterfinal.
On the other hand the “former top 20 player”, Anabel Garrigues had also sailed smoothly so far on the clay courts at The Fairmont Acapulco Princess. She eased past Julia Georges in her second round match. In the quarterfinal her
opponent Carla Saurez Navarro was trailing by 6-2, 2-2 before she retired due to a leg injury.
In the head-to-head stats the two players are tied at 3-3. In their last two meetings, the Spaniard has come up victorious, clinching a straight set victory4-6, 3-6 back in 2009 at Sony Ericsson Open and winning the quarterfinal
in three sets 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 at 2010 Hobart International.
Another interesting fact that should be pointed out is that Gisela Dulko has not lost a single match on clay surface this season. She has also defeated Garrigues every time they have met on a clay court surface previously. Considering
the on paper numbers and fact, the advantage will have to be with the Argentinean as they take one each other once more on the same surface.
Although both players posses key weapons which they can use effectively, Gisela Dulko is predicted to win the contest in three tight sets.
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