Sharapova Paved way for Williams

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 -- The three-time Grand Slam Russian Maria Sharapova defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine in the first round at Wimbledon. But she was beaten by her second round opponent Gisela Dulko from Argentian, who took control when Sharapova made a double fault in the final set.

"I had so many easy balls, and I just made unforced errors from those," Sharapova said. "When I've had those situations before, those balls would be pieces of cake, and today they weren't."

This loss unfortunately cut her out from the tournament for the second year in a row.

"This is not an overnight process," Sharapova said. "It's going to take time, as much time as I need on the court, to get everything together. ... Just being here is a wonderful accomplishment."

Roger Federer, seeded 2nd for Wimbledon, after winning over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the third round, is going after his 6th Wimbledon championship which will make it his 15th major title.

"The opponents are only going to get tougher," Federer said. "I'm playing great at the moment, and I hope it's going to last."

Seeded second Serena Williams, defeated Jarmila Groth of Australia in the second round. Sharapova’s defeat paved the way for Williams to the semifinals.

"I'm not that player that wishes someone else loses," Williams said. "I feel for her being injured. I know how hard it is to come back. She's playing really well. I think she'll be fine."