 Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |  Photographer: Sergio Llamera
Date: 26 Apr 2008 |
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| 26 Apr 2008 - Pilara Tennis Club, Buenos Aires - Rodrigo Valdebenito - ARG v GER | |
| All square in Buenos Aires |
The result is logical, with both number one players defeating the No. 2 of the other team, but the surprise was how easily the winners overcame their potentially troublesome opposition.
In the first match, Gisela Dulko took on Sabine Lisicki with the responsibility of giving the home team the first point in the tie. Dulko started slowly, but soon found her game. Lisicki, on the other hand, was a shadow of the player that impressed so well on her debut against Lindsay Davenport in February.
Nerves shake the No. 2s
Dulko broke twice in the first set, and three times (with one break for the German) in the second set. After an hour and ten minutes, it was all over.
“I didn’t know her,” said Dulko. “So I didn’t know what could happen. The court was very slow and that helped me. I think she did not feel comfortable, made a lot of mistakes and I played well.”
“This is only the beginning though,” she warned.
And it was fair warning, as in the second singles rubber Martina Muller rampaged over a nervous Jorgelina Cravero, who could not stop the good rhythm of the European player, and ended up rather disheartened after a poor performance.
“Things never worked out for me. I tried it all and nothing worked. Muller always did the same, I tried to change but I never managed to take her out of her game,” Cravero said.
Muller v Dulko key match
Muller, on the other hand, was understandably happy. “I entered the court with the pressure of being 0-1 down in the tie, but I found my game rather quickly and sticked to it. She could not deal with it so I continued putting pressure until I won.
“She looked nervous in the second set, but that’s expectable when you’ve lost the first set 61 and things are looking bleak,” Muller added.
“This is a very equalled tie,” said Ricardo Rivera, the Argentinean captain. “The key match will be Muller versus Dulko; whoever wins that match will have a 70% chance of winning the tie.”
After a small amount of rain overnight, the weather started to get better today and looks promising for tomorrow. As promising as the final matches of the tie; any of both teams can win, and the players will give all they have in order to reach the 2009 World Group.
Related Links on other websites
> Información en español - AAT
> Informationen auf Deutsch – DTB
Related Links on Fedcup.com
> Tie Information
> Dulko looks for positive start
Related audio
 Interview with Gisela Dulko (ARG) - Day 1
Interview with Martina Muller (GER) - day 1
 
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