A problem for Maria

LONDON // Maria Sharapova, the 2004 women's champion, became the first big-name casualty at this year's Wimbledon Championships when she succumbed 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to Argentina's Gisela Dulko yesterday. Sharapova had beaten Dulko emphatically in their two previous meetings but was always up against it here as the Russian struggles to regain her form and confidence after a prolonged absence with a damaged shoulder. "It's going to take time," said the former world No 1 when asked to assess how far she is from her dominant position of a year ago. Sharapova, who admitted to finding it difficult to put the injury out of her mind on court, added: "It's tough to assess where I am only 30 minutes after losing a match, but I just have to keep moving forward. This was never going to be an overnight process." A delighted Dulko said: "This is a great day for me. I think it's the biggest of my career, considering it was on Centre Court against a player of Maria's reputation."

wjohnson@thenational.ae