Wimbledon 2009: Maria Sharapova defeated by Gisela Dulko

If Maria Sharapova was the taller, the louder and the blonder on Centre Court this afternoon, the Siberian's tennis was not better than Gisela Dulko's, and for the second summer in succession the 2004 Wimbledon champion was defeated in the second round.

To think that Sharapova had been considered the third favourite to win this summer's Venus Rosewater Dish after the two Williams sisters. And had been bumped up into the seeds, despite being ranked outside the top 50.

She didn't even come close to winning the title, instead equalling her worst ever result at the All England Club when she was beaten 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 by an Argentine ranked 45 in the world.

“It’s the biggest win of my career because she’s a great champion and on centre court in the most important tournament in the world,” said the 24-year-old Dulko.

“It’s a dream day. I played a poor second set but I kept fighting in the third. I was really nervous at the end. I didn’t want it to go to 5-5 because she competes right to the very end.”

Sharapova was playing only her fourth tournament back since she returned from a nine-month absence with an injured right shoulder, so it is much too early to suggest that the 22-year-old is never going to add to her three grand slam titles, but her status as the third favourite probably had less to do with her own pre-tournament form and more to do with the fact there were a lack of serious contenders who don't have Williams as a surname.

Now that Sharapova is out, is there anyone left in the tournament who can prevent an all-Williams final for the second consecutive year?

Since coming back from an operation to fix a torn rotator cuff in her shoulder, Sharapova's serving rituals are still the same.

She still takes a moment to compose herself, she still bounces the ball in the same way, she hasn't changed the routine of tucking her blonde hair behind her right ear, and then behind her left ear.

And there is no doubt that her grunt that goes with it hasn't exactly lost any intensity. But it is not the weapon that it once was.

On their two previous meetings, Dulko had won just three games. But she reached three games within 11 minutes on Centre Court this afternoon.

In fact, she won nine of the first 11 games, giving her a 6-2, 3-0 lead, at which point it appeared as though she was going to beat Sharapova, a former world No 1, in straight sets.

And yet Dulko didn't win another game in the second set, and also lost the first game of the decider, which was a losing sequence of seven games.

But Dulko steadied herself, went a break up, lost the break, went a break up again, and then went through the dramas of serving for the match.

Dulko couldn't convert her first four match points, and survived Sharapova's breakpoint chance when the Russian fired a backhand into the net, a shot that was accompanied by her loudest scream of the match.

But, on Dulko's fifth match point, Sharapova struck a forehand long, and Dulko had achieved her most important victory to date.