Fifth seed Elena Dementieva was given a fright before booking her place in the last 16 of Wimbledon with a 7-6 (7/2) 7-5 victory over Gisela Dulko of Argentina.

Dulko went into the match fresh from a walkover against the injured Lindsay Davenport and raced into a 4-0 lead against her shell-shocked Russian opponent. But Dementieva recovered to force a tie-break and her serve was never truly threatened in the second set.

A fabulous passing shot handed Dulko a break in the opening game on the Dementieva serve and an overhit forehand allowed the Argentinian to clinch the third of three break points in game three.

In the fourth game Dementieva, a French Open and US Open finalist in 2004, showed more aggression but Dulko held to move 4-0 ahead.

The Russian fought back to 4-3 by breaking in the sixth game and brought the match level at 5-5 when Dulko was wide with a forehand pass.

Dulko’s belief was being tested and Dementieva took the tie-break comfortably, in control from the moment she claimed the mini-break in the first point.

The second set went with serve until the 11th game when a Dementieva slice deadened on the net cord and dropped kindly for 0-30 on the Dulko serve.

The Argentinian world number 39 saved two break points, but not a third when she thudded a forehand into the net, and Dementieva served out the match to love.