"Bravo, Tsveti!" trumpeted the mass-circulation daily Trud on its front page, after the 22-year-old beat Williams in two straight sets on Tuesday, becoming the first Bulgarian ever to reach the semi-finals in Wimbledon.
"Pironkova nailed Venus down! A Bulgarian girl writes history in world tennis!" wrote the daily 7 Days Sport in a special two-page article on the Pironkova's sensational 6-2, 6-3 win.
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Both Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov and Prime Minister Boyko Borisov telephoned Pironkova to congratulate her.
No Bulgarian has ever reached the Wimbledon semi-finals before and only one Bulgarian player -- tennis legend Manuela Maleeva -- reached a Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open in 1992 and 1993.
Maleeva herself reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 1984, followed by her sister Katerina Maleeva twice in 1990 and 1992.
"But history changed yesterday, with Tsveti's uncompromising win," cheered the left-wing daily Sega.
"This is an incredible success, but Tsveti deserves it. She can beat (Vera) Zvonareva" of Russia in the semi-finals on Thursday, Magdalena Maleeva told the daily Dnevnik.
"I am happy that there is another warrior girl to boost our record," Katerina Maleeva told the Internet sports website Gong.bg.
