By Jilawatan

Centre court queen Maria Sharapova, the 2004 champion, was sensationally dumped out of Wimbledon on Wednesday losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 to Argentina’s Gisela Dulko in the second round.

In another match Indian number one Sania Mirza tumbled out in the second round, losing 6-4, 6-4 to Romanian number 28 seed Sorana Cirstea.

Dulko, who needed five knife-edge match points to seal victory after 2hr 13min, goes on to face Russian 10th seed Nadia Petrova for a place in the last 16.

But for Sharapova, defeat will cast further doubts over the ability of the sport’s most bankable star to ever return to her former powers following a 10-month absence from the tour nursing a shoulder injury.

“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, now with renewed potency, was ahead to lead 1-0 in the decider before Dulko ended the Russian’s seven-game streak to level at 1-1. Breaks were exchanged in the next two games with Sharapova fighting off two breaks points, as well as picking up a time violation, in the fifth game.

Dulko, who has reached the third round here on three occasions, refused to be overpowered and she broke to love to lead 4-3 as the Centre Court crowd warmed further to the underdog. Sharapova saved four match points in a tense 10th game, but Dulko claimed an emotional victory when the Russian unleashed a wild forehand.

Japanese number one Ai Sugiyama made it to the third round at Wimbledon with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory over Spanish qualifier Arantxa Parra Santonja. Veteran Sugiyama, who made the quarter finals here in 2004, was pushed hard in the first set and was set point down but was able to break her opponent’s serve in the second.

Sania Mirza was able to break her friend’s serve but hit far more unforced errors than the French Open quarter-finalist.

Cirstea faces either Belarussian number eight seed Victoria Azarenka or Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru in the third round.

China’s Zheng Jie was denied another memorable run at Wimbledon as the 2008 semifinalist was beaten 6-3, 7-5 by Slovakian glamour girl Daniela Hantuchova in the second round.

Zheng, seeded 16th, came of age at the All-England Club last year when victories over top seed Ana Ivanovic and the highly ranked Nicole Vaidisova and Agnes Szavay made her the first Chinese to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal.

In the men’s draw Novak Djokovic eased into the third round with a straight sets win over German qualifier Simon Gruel.

The Serbian fourth seed won 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 to set up a meeting with American Mardy Fish for a place in the last 16.