Gisela Dulko upsets Iveta Benesova to advance at Whirlpool Monterrey Open
Argentine Gisela Dulko defeated 7th seeded Czech Iveta Benesova in straight sets at the Whirlpool Abierto Monterrey on Wednesday. Dulko overwhelmed her opponent with a score line of 6-2, 7-6(3).
Ranked 56th in the world, Dulko stands on a five match winning streak. Despite an early exit at Sydney and the Australian Open where she lost to world number one Caroline Wozniacki, she won title at Acapulco before entering
this event. She had overpowered 6th seeded Spanish Arantxa Parra Santonja in final to clinch her first title of the season.
On the other hand, Benesova hasn’t shown much progress this season. She lost to Russian Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round at the recent Grand Slam but she exited in the first round at Paris and Dubai.
In the opening set, Dulko trashed the higher ranked Czech completely. With the help of two breaks and 3 ferocious aces, the Argentine was able to clinch the first set 6-2. she won with the score line of 6-2. Benesova was only able
to save two break points and scored a lower first serve percentage of 56 percent compared to Dulko’s 72 percent. The Argentine also had a better winning rate on her returns and registered an impressive 78 percent win on it.
Dulko's agility allowed her to keep up her winning ways, as she held serve in the first game of the set. The Czech got her head back in the game and held her opening serve. Both players went on their top form in this set as they
exchanged breaks in the next two games and held all the remaining serves. The match went on to tiebreaker where Dulko clearly prevailed and clinched the set as she won the tiebreaker 7-3. The Czech was better in this set as she hammered 2 aces and had a much
higher first serve percentage.
Although the Czech had won their last four head-to-head clashes. But after winning this match in straight sets, Dulko reduced the deficit to 2-6.
She will be facing Canadian Aleksandra Wozniack in the second round. The Canadian reached this spot after defeating Mexican Ximena Hermoso with a bagel. Dulko, on the other hand dumped a seeded player convincingly so she can perhaps
easily surpass anyone to advance to the final in Mexico again.
In another late match, top seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic dumped Spanish Lourdes Dominguez Lino with a 6-4, 6-1 score.
Ranked 6th in the world, she lost her opening serve by three double faults but made an epic come back to win the match convincingly. Both players had an equal first serve percentage of 56 percent but the Serb got an
amazing 62 percent win on it.
She will next face Austrian Sybille Bammer in the quarter-finals.
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