Gisela Dulko (; born 30 January 1985) is a retired Argentine tennis player. Although she enjoyed modest success in singles, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 26 and winning four
WTA titles, her speciality was doubles, where she achieved the
world No. 1 ranking and won 17 WTA titles. Partnering with
Flavia Pennetta, Dulko won the
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 com ...
and the
2011 Australian Open. She also reached the mixed-doubles final at the
2011 US Open, with
Eduardo Schwank. During her career, Dulko upset a number of top players on the tour, including
Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2009,
Samantha Stosur in the third round of Roland Garros in 2011, and
Martina Navratilova in the second round of Wimbledon in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and in Navratilova's final
Grand Slam singles match.
Dulko retired from professional tennis on 18 November 2012, aged 27.
Early life
Gisela was born and raised in
Tigre,
Buenos Aires Province. Her brother Alejandro, who is seven years her senior, was her coach.
Gisela was born to Ana and now deceased Estanislao Dulko, who was of
Hungarian descent.
At the age of twelve, she moved from Argentina to
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, to pursue a professional tennis career.
Career
1999–2008
As a junior, she won three Grand Slam events in doubles: the
2000 US Open with
María Emilia Salerni, the
2002 Australian Open with
Angelique Widjaja, and the
2001 Wimbledon Championships with
Ashley Harkleroad.
On 29 April 2007, she won her first WTA title by defeating
Sorana Cîrstea of Romania in the final of the Tier-III event in Budapest. On 25 August 2007, Dulko won her second WTA title at the
Forest Hills Tier-IV event, defeating
Virginie Razzano. On 4 May 2008, she won her third WTA title at the
Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
The Morocco Open or Rabat Grand Prix (for sponsorship reasons called the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem), is a women's professional tennis tournament currently held in Rabat, Morocco. This WTA Tour event is classified as an Inte ...
Tier-IV event, defeating
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues (, ; born 31 July 1982) is a Spanish tennis coach and former professional player.
As a player she reached a career-high ranking of world No. 16 in 2020, and won 11 singles and 28 doubles titles, including the 2008 ...
.
2009
In January, she played at the
Hong Kong Tennis Classic with two Americans,
CoCo Vandeweghe and
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She ...
, and then started the year with a quarter-final appearance at the
Hobart International
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an Interna ...
, losing to
Iveta Benešová. At the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...
she lost to the eventual champion,
Serena Williams, in the second round. In the first round of the
Fed Cup, she gave her team their only wins when she defeated Americans
Melanie Oudin and
Jill Craybas
Jill N. Craybas (born July 4, 1974) is an American former professional tennis player.
From the 2000 US Open to the 2011 US Open, Craybas competed in 45 consecutive Grand Slam main draws; her best result coming in the 2005 Wimbledon Championships ...
. In the
Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas she reached her first final of the year, but lost to
María José Martínez Sánchez. She then reached the quarter-finals of the
Monterrey Open and the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and the third round of mandatory events in
Indian Wells and
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
. However, she lost in the second rounds of the
Internazionali BNL d'Italia and
Internationaux de Strasbourg and made first round exits at the
Madrid Open and the
Aegon International.
She reached the third round in the next two Grand Slams, losing to
Dominika Cibulková at the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and v ...
, and then to
Nadia Petrova at
Wimbledon after she had upset the 24th seed,
Maria Sharapova, in three sets in the second round.
At the
Swedish Open
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used b ...
, she lost again to Martínez Sánchez, this time in the semi-finals. She then made first-round exits in the
Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, the
LA Women's Tennis Championships and the
Pilot Pen Tennis, and failed to qualify for the
Rogers Cup. At the
US Open, she made it to the round of 16 before falling to
Kateryna Bondarenko 0–6, 0–6 in just 47 minutes. Her last tournament of the year was at the
Toray Pan Pacific Open, where she reached the second round before losing to Benešová in three sets.
2010
She again played at the
Hong Kong Tennis Classic, and won Silver Group Championships with
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She ...
and
Michael Chang
Michael Te-pei Chang (born February 22, 1972) is an American former professional tennis player and coach. He is the youngest man in history to win a singles major, winning the 1989 French Open at 17 years and 109 days old. Chang won a total o ...
, and then she started the year at the
Hobart International
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an Interna ...
, where she reached the quarter-finals, losing to Medina Garrigues. At the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...
, she upset
Ana Ivanovic in the second round before losing to the ninth seed
Vera Zvonareva. She then played in
Copa BBVA-Colsanitas as the top seed, and made it to the semi-finals before being upset by
Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber (; born 18 January 1988) is a German professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 1, for a total of 34 weeks, and won three major titles at the 2016 Australian Open, the 2016 US Open, and the 2018 Wim ...
. At the same tournament, she won the doubles title with
Edina Gallovits. She then played in the
Abierto Mexicano Telcel as the third seed, but lost to the fifth-seeded
Carla Suárez Navarro in the semi-finals.
Seeded 31st at the
BNP Paribas Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
in Indian Wells, she gained the biggest victory of her career by defeating the former world No. 1,
Justine Henin. In the third round, she lost to the No. 5 seed,
Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Roma Radwańska (; born 6 March 1989) is a Polish former professional tennis player. She won 20 career singles WTA Tour titles, two doubles titles, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 on 9 July 2012. Her achievem ...
.
Unseeded at the
Sony Ericsson Open
The Miami Open (also known as the Miami Masters, and currently branded as the Miami Open presented by Itaú for sponsorship reasons) is a tennis tournament held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is part of the men's ATP Tour Mas ...
, Dulko reached the third round by defeating
Olga Govortsova and the No. 21 seed
Alona Bondarenko. She then lost to
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli (; born 2 October 1984) is a French former professional tennis player. Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title after previously being runner-up in 2007, and was a semifinalist at the 2011 French Open. She also ...
. In the doubles, Dulko and
Flavia Pennetta won their first
WTA Premier title, beating Petrova and
Samantha Stosur in three sets.
Dulko and Pennetta also won the
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and the
Internazionali d'Italia
The Italian Open ( it, Internazionali d'Italia; literally: ''Italy's Internationals''), originally called the Italian International Championships, is a tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is one of the most important clay tennis tournament ...
in Rome, and extended their winning streak to 19 matches before losing in the final of the
Madrid Open to Serena and Venus Williams.
Dulko caused the first upset of the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and v ...
with a first round victory over the No. 10 seed,
Victoria Azarenka
Victória Fyódarauna Azárenka ( be, Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка; Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Azarenka is a former ...
. Dulko was then defeated by
Chanelle Scheepers in the second round. Dulko lost in the first round of her Wimbledon campaign by
Monica Niculescu. She and Pennetta reached the semi-finals of the doubles event.
Dulko then played at the
Swedish Open
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used b ...
in Båstad, where she was seeded 4th. Although Dulko overcame Pennetta in the semi-finals, she fell in the final to the French No. 2 seed,
Aravane Rezaï, in three sets. Dulko and Pennetta went on to defend their doubles title by defeating the Czech pair of
Renata Voráčová
Renata Voráčová (; born 6 October 1983) is a Czech professional tennis player.
Voráčová has won 11 doubles titles on the WTA Tour and three on WTA 125 tournaments, as well as 15 singles and 56 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 11 Oc ...
and
Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová.
Dulko and Pennetta won a marathon doubles final at the
Rogers Cup in Montreal, beating
Květa Peschke and
Katarina Srebotnik, for their fifth title of the season. Their next event together was the
US Open, in which they were the top seeds but lost in the quarter-finals to
Vania King and
Yaroslava Shvedova, the eventual champions. In the singles, Dulko reached to the third round before losing to the No. 20 seed,
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
At the
China Open in Beijing, Dulko made it to the second round before falling to
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko ( rus, Мари́я Ю́рьевна Кириле́нко, p=mɐˈrʲijə kʲɪrʲɪˈlʲɛnkə ; born 25 January 1987) is a Russian former professional tennis player. A junior Grand Slam champion at the 2002 US Open a ...
. In the doubles, Dulko and Pennetta lost in the final to
Olga Govortsova and
Chan Yung-jan, and then won their sixth event of the season at the
Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Dulko and Pennetta were invited to the
Tour Championships in Doha as the top seeds, and defeated Peschke and Srebotnik in the final to win the year-end championship.
On 1 November 2010, Dulko became the world No. 1 ranked doubles player.
2011–2012
Dulko and Pennetta to won their first Grand Slam event title at the
2011 Australian Open, defeating Azarenka and Kirilenko 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 in the final.
Dulko reached her first singles final of the year at the
Abierto Mexicano Telcel, where she was the fourth seed. There she defeated
Arantxa Parra Santonja to win her fourth career singles title. She struggled in her next few tournaments, losing in the first rounds of Miami, Madrid, and Rome, and only reaching the second round at the
BNP Paribas Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
, but found form again at the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and v ...
, advancing to the fourth round by defeating the 2010 finalist Stosur in three sets. However, she was forced to retire due to a leg injury in the second set of her match against Bartoli.
Career statistics
Grand Slam finals
Doubles: 1 (1–0)
Mixed doubles: 1 (0–1)
Doubles performance timeline
Personal life
Dulko was married to the Argentinian international footballer
Fernando Gago.
The couple has two sons and a daughter. The couple separated in 2021, after he had an affair with one of her friends.
Awards
* 2010 —
WTA Award for Doubles Team of the Year (with
Flavia Pennetta)
* 2010 —
ITF Doubles World Champion (with Flavia Pennetta)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dulko, Gisela
1985 births
Living people
Argentine female tennis players
Argentine people of Hungarian descent
Australian Open (tennis) junior champions
Association footballers' wives and girlfriends
Olympic tennis players of Argentina
Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province
Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
US Open (tennis) junior champions
Wimbledon junior champions
Hopman Cup competitors
Australian Open (tennis) champions
Wimbledon champions
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in girls' doubles
People from Tigre, Buenos Aires
WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players
ITF World Champions