Gisela Dulko
Encyclopedia
Gisela Dulko is an Argentine
female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where she has been a World No. 1 player. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta
, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships
and the 2011 Australian Open
in doubles.
, Buenos Aires Province
. Her brother Alejandro, who is seven years her junior, is her coach. Dulko was born to Ana and now deceased Estanislao, who was of Hungarian
descent. At the age of twelve, she moved from Argentina to Miami, Florida
, in order to pursue a professional tennis career.
Dulko is married to fellow Argentine, Fernando Gago, who is a footballer currently playing for A.S. Roma
.
, the 2002 Australian Open
with Angelique Widjaja
, and the 2001 Wimbledon Championships
with Ashley Harkleroad
. As a professional, she has won sixteen doubles championships.
In singles, Dulko has had a less successful career, although she has been consistently ranked in the Top 50 over the last few years. On April 29, 2007, Dulko finally won her first WTA Tour title by defeating Sorana Cîrstea
of Romania in the final of the Tier III event in Budapest. On August 25, 2007, Dulko won her second WTA Tour title at the Forest Hills
Tier IV event defeating Virginie Razzano
. On May 4, 2008, Dulko won her third WTA Tour title at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
Tier IV
event defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues
.
with two Americans Coco Vandeweghe
and Venus Williams
, and then she started the year with a Quarterfinals appearance at the 2009 Moorilla Hobart International
losing to Iveta Benešová
. At the 2009 Australian Open
she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams
in the second round. In the 2009 Fed Cup
first round, she gave her team their only wins when she defeated Americans Melanie Oudin
and Jill Craybas
. In the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas
she reached her first final of the year, but then lost to María José Martínez Sánchez
. She then made good performances by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2009 Monterrey Open
and 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
, and the Third Round of Mandatory Events in Indian Wells and Miami. She however lost in the second rounds of the 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
and 2009 Internationaux de Strasbourg
and a first round exits in 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
and the 2009 AEGON International
.
She reached the third round in the next two Grand Slams, losing to Dominika Cibulková
at the 2009 French Open
, and to Nadia Petrova
at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
. At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
, Dulko upset #24 seeded Maria Sharapova
in three sets in the second round.
At the 2009 Swedish Open
, she lost again to María José Martínez Sánchez
, this time in the semifinals. She then made first round exits in the 2009 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
, the 2009 LA Women's Tennis Championships
, the 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
and failed to qualify for the 2009 Rogers Cup
. At the 2009 US Open
, she made it to the Round of 16 before falling to Kateryna Bondarenko
6–0, 6–0 in just 47 minutes. Her last tournament of the year was at the 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open
were she reached the second round before losing to Iveta Benešová
in three sets.
and won Silver Group Championships with two Americans Venus Williams
and Michael Chang
, and then she started the year at the 2010 Moorilla Hobart International
where she reached the quarterfinals losing to Anabel Medina Garrigues
. At the 2010 Australian Open
, she upset Ana Ivanović
in the second round before losing to 9th seed Vera Zvonareva
. She then played in 2010 Copa BBVA-Colsanitas
as the top seed, and made it to the semifinals before being upset by Angelique Kerber
. There, she won the doubles title with Edina Gallovits
. She then played in the 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
as the 3rd seed but lost to 5th seeded Spaniard Carla Suárez Navarro
in the semifinals.
Seeded 31st at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
in Indian Wells
, she received a bye in the first round. In the second round she gained the biggest victory of her career by defeating former world No.1 Justine Henin in just over 2 hours. In the third round, she lost to No.5 seed Agnieszka Radwańska
.
Unseeded at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
, Dulko reached the third round by defeating Olga Govortsova
and No.21 seed Alona Bondarenko. She then lost to Marion Bartoli
in the fourth round. In doubles, Dulko teamed together with good friend Flavia Pennetta
. Despite playing in only their third event together of the season, they won their first WTA Premier
doubles title, beating Nadia Petrova
and Samantha Stosur
in three sets.
Dulko and Pennetta next teamed together in the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
in Stuttgart
, and won the tournament, extending their winning streak to ten matches. Their winning streak was extended to fifteen matches by winning the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
in Rome. They extended their streak to 19 matches before losing in the final of the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
to Serena
and Venus Williams
, the Australian Open
and eventual French Open champions.
Dulko caused the first upset of the 2010 French Open
with a first round victory over #10 Victoria Azarenka
. Dulko was then defeated by Chanelle Scheepers
in the second round. Dulko was then upset in the first round of her Wimbledon campaign by Monica Niculescu
. She and Pennetta reached the semifinals of the doubles event there before losing.
Dulko then played at the 2010 Collector Swedish Open
in Båstad
where she was seeded fourth. Although Dulko overcame her doubles partner Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals, she fell in the final to French #2 Aravane Rezaï
in three sets. Dulko and Pennetta went on to defend their doubles title there by defeating the Czech pair of Renata Voráčová
and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, earning their fourth team title of the season and seventh overall.
Dulko and Pennetta won a marathon doubles final at the 2010 Rogers Cup
in Montreal
, beating Květa Peschke
and Katarina Srebotnik
, for their fifth event of the season. Their very next event together was the 2010 U.S. Open
, in which they were the top seeds for the event.
In singles, Dulko made it to the third round before losing to twentieth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
. In doubles, Dulko and Panetta lost in the quarterfinals to Vania King
and Yaroslava Shvedova
, the eventual champions.
At the 2010 China Open
in Beijing
, Dulko made it to the second round before falling to Maria Kirilenko
. She would lose in the first round of her remaining tournaments. In doubles, Dulko and Pennetta fell in the final in Beijing to Olga Govortsova
and Chan Yung-Jan
, and then won their sixth combined event at the 2010 Kremlin Cup
in Moscow. Because of their outstanding doubles efforts, Dulko and Pennetta were invited to the 2010 WTA Tour Championships
in Doha
, Qatar
, where they are the top seeds. They ended up defeating Peschke and Srebotnik in the final to win the 2010 WTA Tour Championships
On November 1, 2010, Dulko became the world's Number 1 ranked doubles player.
and Maria Kirilenko
2–6 7–5 6–1 in the final on January 28, 2011 to win the title.
Gisela made her first singles final of the year at the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
where she was the number 4 seed. She eased past Anna Tatishvili
and Silvia Soler Espinosa
to advance to the quarterfinals and won against Laura Pous Tió
3–6, 7–5, 6–0. In the semifinals she dispatched Anabel Medina Garrigues
6–0, 6–2. She defeated Arantxa Parra Santonja
in the finals, 6–3, 7–6(5) despite losing a 5–1 lead in the second set and having to save 3 set points down 5–6. It is her first title of the year, and her fourth career singles title.
Gisela struggled in her next few tournaments losing in the first rounds of Miami, Madrid and Rome and only reaching second round at 2011 BNP Paribas Open
.
Gisela found her good form again at 2011 French Open
advancing to the 4th round by defeating 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur
in three sets. However, she was forced to retire due to injury to her left leg early in the second set of her match against Marion Bartoli
.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where she has been a World No. 1 player. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships
2010 WTA Tour Championships
The 2010 WTA Tour Championships was held in Doha, Qatar from October 26 to October 31. It was the third and final time that the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships. In 2011 the competition will move to Istanbul, Turkey.Serena Williams...
and the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
in doubles.
Early and personal life
Dulko was born and raised in TigreTigre Partido
Tigre Partido is a partido or municipality of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires. The department covers a large section of the Paraná Delta and its low-lying islands...
, Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
. Her brother Alejandro, who is seven years her junior, is her coach. Dulko was born to Ana and now deceased Estanislao, who was of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
descent. At the age of twelve, she moved from Argentina to Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, in order to pursue a professional tennis career.
Dulko is married to fellow Argentine, Fernando Gago, who is a footballer currently playing for A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
.
1999–2008
As a Junior, she won three of the four Grand Slam events in doubles, including the 2000 US Open with María Emilia SalerniMaría Emilia Salerni
María Emilia Salerni , known as Pitu Salerni, was an Argentine professional tennis player from the city of Rafaela, province of Santa Fe....
, the 2002 Australian Open
2002 Australian Open
List of the 2002 Australian Open champions:-Men's Singles: Thomas Johansson def. Marat Safin, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6...
with Angelique Widjaja
Angelique Widjaja
Angelique Widjaja is a retired Chinese Indonesian professional tennis player. She won the Junior Championships at Wimbledon in 2001, defeating Dinara Safina. She reached a peak of No.55 in the Women's Tennis Association singles rankings in March 2003, and a peak of No.15 in the doubles rankings...
, and the 2001 Wimbledon Championships
2001 Wimbledon Championships
The 2001 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom the event was part of the 2001 ATP Tour and 2001 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from June 25 to July 9, 2001...
with Ashley Harkleroad
Ashley Harkleroad
Ashley Harkleroad , is an American tennis player. Born in Rossville, Georgia, Harkleroad reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 on June 9, 2003. Her career prize money to date is $1,022,094...
. As a professional, she has won sixteen doubles championships.
In singles, Dulko has had a less successful career, although she has been consistently ranked in the Top 50 over the last few years. On April 29, 2007, Dulko finally won her first WTA Tour title by defeating Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea, is a Romanian tennis player. Her career high rank was World No. 23, achieved on 17 August 2009, after she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open and the semifinals of the 2009 Los Angeles Open.- Playing style :...
of Romania in the final of the Tier III event in Budapest. On August 25, 2007, Dulko won her second WTA Tour title at the Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
Tier IV event defeating Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano , is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 4. Razzano, who was born in Dijon, has won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007 in Guangzhou and Tokyo. Razzano reached her career high ranking of World No. 16 on September 14, 2009. As of May 2011, she is ranked...
. On May 4, 2008, Dulko won her third WTA Tour title at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
2008 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
The 2008 Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 8th edition of the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, and was part of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...
Tier IV
WTA Tier IV Events
The WTA Tier IV tournaments were Women's Tennis Association tennis fourth-level tournaments held from 1988 until 2008 season. The line-up of events varied over the years, with tournaments being promoted, demoted or cancelled. The series resulted from a reform of the WTA tour in 1988, offering more...
event defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...
.
2009
In January, she obtained an invite from Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association to play JB Group Classic 2009Hong Kong Tennis Classic
The Hong Kong Tennis Classic is a women's exhibition tennis tournament held in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, in the first week of January...
with two Americans Coco Vandeweghe
Coco Vandeweghe
Coco Vandeweghe is an American professional tennis player. She played on the junior circuit, where she reached a high ranking of junior world no. 15, but is gradually playing more senior tournaments. She won the 2008 US Open Girls' singles championship.She made her WTA debut in Los Angeles, and...
and Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
, and then she started the year with a Quarterfinals appearance at the 2009 Moorilla Hobart International
2009 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2009 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the event and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 12 through 18...
losing to Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...
. At the 2009 Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
she lost to eventual champion Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
in the second round. In the 2009 Fed Cup
2009 Fed Cup
The 2009 Fed Cup was the 47th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in women's tennis...
first round, she gave her team their only wins when she defeated Americans Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin is an American tennis player and former World Junior No. 2. Her career high rank is World No. 31, which she achieved on April 19, 2010...
and Jill Craybas
Jill Craybas
- Early years :Craybas was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team in National Collegiate Athletics Association competition from 1993 to...
. In the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas
2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas
The 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 17th edition of the Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, and was on the International category of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Club Campestre El Rancho in Bogotá, Colombia, from February 14...
she reached her first final of the year, but then lost to María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez is a Spanish professional tennis player. In singles, she has won five WTA singles titles, the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, the 2009 Swedish Open, the Premier 5 event, 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the 2011 Gastein Ladies and the 2011 Hansol Korea Open. She...
. She then made good performances by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2009 Monterrey Open
2009 Monterrey Open
The 2009 Monterrey Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the Monterrey Open and was categorized as an International tournament on the 2009 WTA Tour...
and 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a tennis tournament played on indoor clay courts. It is the 32nd edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and is part of the Premier tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, and the Third Round of Mandatory Events in Indian Wells and Miami. She however lost in the second rounds of the 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 66th edition of the event known that year as the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier-level tournaments of...
and 2009 Internationaux de Strasbourg
2009 Internationaux de Strasbourg
The 2009 Internationaux de Strasbourg is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 23nd edition of the Internationaux de Strasbourg, and is part of the International-level tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
and a first round exits in 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
2009 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open
The 2009 Madrid Masters is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 8th edition of the event on the ATP and 1st on the WTA. It is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2009 WTA Tour...
and the 2009 AEGON International
2009 AEGON International
The 2009 AEGON International is a combined men's and women's tennis tournament to be played on outdoor grass courts. It will be the 34th edition of the event for the women and the 1st edition for the men. It is classified as a WTA Premier tournament on the 2009 WTA Tour and as an ATP World Tour 250...
.
She reached the third round in the next two Grand Slams, losing to Dominika Cibulková
Dominika Cibulková
Dominika Cibulková is a Slovak professional tennis player. She is also a former World Junior No. 3, achieving that ranking in May 2005. Her career-high ranking of World No. 12 was achieved on 6 July 2009...
at the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, and to Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
. At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
, Dulko upset #24 seeded Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
in three sets in the second round.
At the 2009 Swedish Open
2009 Swedish Open
The 2009 Collector Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 1st edition of the Collector Swedish Open. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 4 through July 11, 2009 for Women's and from July 11 through July 19, 2009 for Men's.-Seeds:*Seedings are based on...
, she lost again to María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez is a Spanish professional tennis player. In singles, she has won five WTA singles titles, the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, the 2009 Swedish Open, the Premier 5 event, 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the 2011 Gastein Ladies and the 2011 Hansol Korea Open. She...
, this time in the semifinals. She then made first round exits in the 2009 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
2009 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The 2009 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 22st edition of the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, and is part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, the 2009 LA Women's Tennis Championships
2009 LA Women's Tennis Championships
The 2009 LA Women's Tennis Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 36th edition of the LA Women's Tennis Championships, and was part of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, the 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
2009 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 41st edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis...
and failed to qualify for the 2009 Rogers Cup
2009 Rogers Cup
The 2009 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 120th edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier 5 of the 2009 WTA Tour...
. At the 2009 US Open
2009 US Open (tennis)
The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...
, she made it to the Round of 16 before falling to Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Bondarenko is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine and a doubles champion at Australian Open 2008.The younger sister of professional tennis players Valeria and Alona Bondarenko, she was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She was...
6–0, 6–0 in just 47 minutes. Her last tournament of the year was at the 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open
2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 26th edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour...
were she reached the second round before losing to Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...
in three sets.
2010
She obtained an invite from the Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association once again to play Hong Kong Tennis ClassicHong Kong Tennis Classic
The Hong Kong Tennis Classic is a women's exhibition tennis tournament held in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, in the first week of January...
and won Silver Group Championships with two Americans Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
and Michael Chang
Michael Chang
Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
, and then she started the year at the 2010 Moorilla Hobart International
2010 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2010 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the event and is part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
where she reached the quarterfinals losing to Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...
. At the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
, she upset Ana Ivanović
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanović is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of November 7, 2011, she is ranked 22th on the WTA rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open...
in the second round before losing to 9th seed Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
. She then played in 2010 Copa BBVA-Colsanitas
2010 Copa BBVA-Colsanitas
The 2010 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 18th edition of the Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, and was on the International category of the 2010 WTA Tour. It took place at the Club Campestre El Rancho in Bogotá, Colombia, from February 15...
as the top seed, and made it to the semifinals before being upset by Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber is a professional German tennis player of Polish descent, who has considered representing Poland. She began playing tennis aged five. Kerber has a career high ranking of World No. 30 achieved on 3 October 2011...
. There, she won the doubles title with Edina Gallovits
Edina Gallovits
Klaudia Edina Gallovits-Hall is a Romanian female tennis player of Hungarian descent on her father's side. She is currently ranked 75th in the world and her career highest ranking of No. 54 was achieved on April 28, 2008...
. She then played in the 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2010 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 17th edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, and was part of the 500 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and was in the International category of tournaments on the 2010 WTA Tour...
as the 3rd seed but lost to 5th seeded Spaniard Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...
in the semifinals.
Seeded 31st at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
in Indian Wells
Indian Wells
Indian Wells may refer to:*Indian Wells, Arizona, community within the Navajo Nation*Indian Wells, California, city in Riverside County**Indian Wells Masters, tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California...
, she received a bye in the first round. In the second round she gained the biggest victory of her career by defeating former world No.1 Justine Henin in just over 2 hours. In the third round, she lost to No.5 seed Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
.
Unseeded at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
, Dulko reached the third round by defeating Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. As of May 10, 2010 her highest singles ranking on the WTA is World Number 35, which she achieved on June 23, 2008.-Career:...
and No.21 seed Alona Bondarenko. She then lost to Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
in the fourth round. In doubles, Dulko teamed together with good friend Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
. Despite playing in only their third event together of the season, they won their first WTA Premier
WTA Premier tournaments
Premier Tournaments is a category of tennis tournaments in the Women's Tennis Association tour.Premier events include:*Four "Premier Mandatory" events in Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Madrid, and Beijing with prize money of $4.5 million....
doubles title, beating Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
and Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
in three sets.
Dulko and Pennetta next teamed together in the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a tennis tournament played on indoor clay courts. It was the 33rd edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and was part of the Premier tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour. It took place at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, from April 24 through May 2, 2010...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, and won the tournament, extending their winning streak to ten matches. Their winning streak was extended to fifteen matches by winning the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 67th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Rome. They extended their streak to 19 matches before losing in the final of the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
The 2010 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from May 7 – May 16. It was the 9th edition of the event on the ATP and 2nd on the WTA...
to Serena
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
and Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
, the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
and eventual French Open champions.
Dulko caused the first upset of the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
with a first round victory over #10 Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
. Dulko was then defeated by Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers is a South African professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking is No. 37, which she reached on 10 October 2011. Her career high doubles ranking is 91, set at 30 August 2010....
in the second round. Dulko was then upset in the first round of her Wimbledon campaign by Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu is a Romanian tennis player. As of October 24, 2011 she is ranked No. 29 at the WTA Tour Singles Ranking. Her highest WTA ranking is currently her present ranking in singles, reached on 24 Oct 2011, and No. 24 in doubles, reached on June 7, 2010.Niculescu was born in Slatina,...
. She and Pennetta reached the semifinals of the doubles event there before losing.
Dulko then played at the 2010 Collector Swedish Open
2010 Swedish Open
The 2010 Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour and 2010 WTA Tour. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 5 through July 11, 2010 for Women's and from July 12 through July 18, 2010 for Men's...
in Båstad
Båstad
Båstad is a locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 4,793 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:The town of Båstad is located in a sheltered bay with the Hallandian ridge stretching behind it...
where she was seeded fourth. Although Dulko overcame her doubles partner Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals, she fell in the final to French #2 Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï is an Iranian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne, France to Iranian parents. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis. Rezaï took up tennis after a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl...
in three sets. Dulko and Pennetta went on to defend their doubles title there by defeating the Czech pair of Renata Voráčová
Renata Vorácová
Renata Voráčová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. Her career high singles ranking is No...
and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, earning their fourth team title of the season and seventh overall.
Dulko and Pennetta won a marathon doubles final at the 2010 Rogers Cup
2010 Rogers Cup
The 2010 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Canada. It was the 121st edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, beating Květa Peschke
Kveta Peschke
Květoslava Peschke, also known as Květa Peschkeová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. She plays mostly on the baseline, with her best shot being the forehand. Her favourite surfaces are hard court and carpet...
and Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30...
, for their fifth event of the season. Their very next event together was the 2010 U.S. Open
2010 US Open (tennis)
The 2010 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 30 to September 13, 2010 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City, United States....
, in which they were the top seeds for the event.
In singles, Dulko made it to the third round before losing to twentieth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Sergeyevna Pavlyuchenkova is a Russian professional tennis player and a multiple junior Grand Slam champion. Her career-high rank of World No. 13 was achieved on 4 July 2011. From July 2007 to September 2009 she was coached at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France...
. In doubles, Dulko and Panetta lost in the quarterfinals to Vania King
Vania King
Vania King is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova....
and Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player of Russian descent. She has achieved a career high ranking of No. 29 as of 21 June 2010. She has won 1 WTA singles title, 3 ITF Women's Circuit singles titles and 3 doubles titles, including the 2010 Wimbledon and US...
, the eventual champions.
At the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open (tennis)
The 2010 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the China Open, and is part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Dulko made it to the second round before falling to Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko is a Russian professional tennis player. Kirilenko won her first WTA Tour title in 2005, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the China Open. Kirilenko reached no. 18, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour in July 2008. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian...
. She would lose in the first round of her remaining tournaments. In doubles, Dulko and Pennetta fell in the final in Beijing to Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. As of May 10, 2010 her highest singles ranking on the WTA is World Number 35, which she achieved on June 23, 2008.-Career:...
and Chan Yung-Jan
Chan Yung-jan
Chan Yung-jan , Taiwan) is a professional female tennis player from Republic of China . She has won 13 ITF singles titles; and 7 WTA and 11 ITF doubles titles. Her career highlights include semifinals in the Japan Open in 2006 and finals in the PTT Bangkok Open in 2007 Chan Yung-jan , Taiwan) is a...
, and then won their sixth combined event at the 2010 Kremlin Cup
2010 Kremlin Cup
The 2010 Kremlin Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the Kremlin Cup, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Moscow. Because of their outstanding doubles efforts, Dulko and Pennetta were invited to the 2010 WTA Tour Championships
2010 WTA Tour Championships
The 2010 WTA Tour Championships was held in Doha, Qatar from October 26 to October 31. It was the third and final time that the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships. In 2011 the competition will move to Istanbul, Turkey.Serena Williams...
in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, where they are the top seeds. They ended up defeating Peschke and Srebotnik in the final to win the 2010 WTA Tour Championships
2010 WTA Tour Championships
The 2010 WTA Tour Championships was held in Doha, Qatar from October 26 to October 31. It was the third and final time that the Khalifa International Tennis Complex hosted the WTA Tour Year-End Singles and Doubles Championships. In 2011 the competition will move to Istanbul, Turkey.Serena Williams...
On November 1, 2010, Dulko became the world's Number 1 ranked doubles player.
2011
Dulko teamed with Pennetta to win their first Grand Slam event title by winning the 2011 Australian Open. Top seeds Dulko and Pennetta defeated Victoria AzarenkaVictoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
and Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko is a Russian professional tennis player. Kirilenko won her first WTA Tour title in 2005, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the China Open. Kirilenko reached no. 18, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour in July 2008. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian...
2–6 7–5 6–1 in the final on January 28, 2011 to win the title.
Gisela made her first singles final of the year at the 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2011 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 18th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ATP World Tour and the 2011 WTA Tour...
where she was the number 4 seed. She eased past Anna Tatishvili
Anna Tatishvili
Anna Tatishvili is a professional Georgian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 84, which she reached on 4 July, 2011. Her career high in doubles is 107, which she reached on April 12, 2010...
and Silvia Soler Espinosa
Silvia Soler Espinosa
Silvia Soler Espinosa is an Spanish tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 136, which she reached on June 6, 2011. Her career high in doubles is 255, which she reached on May 9, 2011.-External links:...
to advance to the quarterfinals and won against Laura Pous Tió
Laura Pous Tio
Laura Pous Tio is a professional female tennis player from Spain. She won the gold medal at the 2005 Mediterranean Games by defeating compatriot Nuria Llagostera Vives. Pous Tio reached her career high of No. 73 on the WTA tour in July 2011.-Grand Slam Singles performance timeline:-External links:...
3–6, 7–5, 6–0. In the semifinals she dispatched Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...
6–0, 6–2. She defeated Arantxa Parra Santonja
Arantxa Parra Santonja
Arantxa Parra Santonja is a professional female tennis player from Spain. She turned pro in 2000.On 12 July 2010, Parra Santonja reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...
in the finals, 6–3, 7–6(5) despite losing a 5–1 lead in the second set and having to save 3 set points down 5–6. It is her first title of the year, and her fourth career singles title.
Gisela struggled in her next few tournaments losing in the first rounds of Miami, Madrid and Rome and only reaching second round at 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
.
Gisela found her good form again at 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
advancing to the 4th round by defeating 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
in three sets. However, she was forced to retire due to injury to her left leg early in the second set of her match against Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
.
Awards
- 2010 — WTA Award for Doubles Team of the YearWTA AwardsThis is a list with all the WTA Awards given by the Women's Tennis Association to players who have done or achieved something remarkable during the season or their career.-Player of the Year:-Doubles Team of the Year:-Most Improved Player:...
(with Flavia PennettaFlavia PennettaFlavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
) - 2010 — ITF Doubles World ChampionInternational Tennis FederationThe International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
(with Flavia Pennetta)