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Bogdanovic v Huta GalungPreview:
Alex faces 21 year old Dutch qualifier Jesse Huta-Galung for a place in the Aachen semi-finals. Huta-Galung is currently ranked 411 [with a career high ranking of 311]. He's been in the form of his life this week, winning 3 rounds of qualifying and then beating the veteran 3rd seed Dick Norman in rd1 and dispatching Georgia's Irakli Labadze [who reached rd4 of Wimbledon] 6-3, 6-2 in rd2. Before this tournament he'd never beaten anyone ranked nearly as high as Dick Norman but he'd given Igor Andreev a close matches indoors earlier this year. Most of his success this year has come on clay where he's made a challenger quarter-final, won two futures titles and made two semis. Huta Galung has a similar game to Phillip Petzschner so here's hoping for a similar result !
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I think that Alex will win in straight sets, Huta Galung has a big serve and looks to dominate with his forehand and gets into the net quite a lot but Alex has more consistency and variety. In the latter stages of his match against Cilic and throughout the Petzschner match he was overpowering both opponents from the back of the ground, he's really playing some aggressive tennis off both sides this week.
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Huta-Galung opens the match with a hold to 15. Alex goes wide on the opening point and then a good deep return makes it 15-15. Two big first serves and a forehand winner give Huta-Galung the game.
Bogdanovic *0-1 Huta-Galung
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Alex holds to 15. Alex comes up with a big serve and then a netted forehand gives him 30-0. He attacks the net but a perfect topspin lob makes it 30-15. Two more big serves seal the game
Boggo 1-1* Huta-Galung
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Huta Galung goes 15-30 down with a double fault. However, he retrieves the situation with a cross-court winner, a volley winner at the net after a good serve and then a service winner.
Boggo *1-2 HG
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Some big serves from Boggo enable him to hold to love for 2-2
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A return winner gets Alex to 30-30 on the HG serve and then a brilliant passing shot gives him break point. However, a big first serve averts the danger for HG and another service winner and an ace enable him to hold.
Boggo *2-3 HG
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Alex gets to 30-15 on his serve with a forehand winner and an ace but HG plays a great drop shot which Alex gets but he can only scoop it long. Another big forehand gives HG break point. Alex bravely attacks the net and the gamble pays off as a good deep volley makes it deuce and two unforced errors from HG make it 3-3.
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HG gets to 40-15 with some big serves but a double fault and a fine passing shot from Alex makes it deuce. However, HG works Alex round the court and opens up the angle to win the point and a big serve enables him to hold
Boggo *3-4 HG
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HG wins the first point on the Boggo serve, punishing a mid-court shot from Alex which didn't have much on it. However, a great passing shot and a forehand winner takes Alex to 30-15. HG makes it 30-30 but a forehand error from him gives Alex game point which he takes with a good serve.
4-4
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Comfortable hold to 30 for Huta Galung. He gets to 40-0 with an ace and two unforced errors from Alex. A double fault and a backhand error from HG makes it 40-30 but HG is able to hold at his 3rd opportunity to lead 5-4.
Alex now serving to stay in the set.
HG's big weakness is his backhand, there are signs that Alex is starting to play to that wing more on the big points to try and exploit it
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jimmy
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Come on Alex!
Just popping in to see how Boggo's getting on. Looks like it's gonna be a tight one - but I still fancy Alex to get through it.
Off for a bit of squash action myself now, hopefully by time i get back Alex will be safely in the semi final!
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Alex holds to make it 5-5.
HG goes long on the first point and then a superb forehand winner gives Alex 30-0. HG attacks the net and puts away a volley for 30-15 but then Alex's 5th ace gives him 2 game points and he takes the first and HG goes long
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| jimmy wrote: | Come on Alex!
Just popping in to see how Boggo's getting on. Looks like it's gonna be a tight one - but I still fancy Alex to get through it.
Off for a bit of squash action myself now, hopefully by time i get back Alex will be safely in the semi final! |
I reckon that Alex's extra consistency will enable him to come through this one, that'll probably pay dividends if this set goes to a tiebreak. It's a close one, HG has a big serve, winning a lot of cheap points off it.
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HG hits an ace but some loose shots gives Boggo 15-30. HG hits an ace for 30-30 and then a massive forehand sets up game point. Alex attacks HG's backhand and gets his reward as the Dutchman nets to make it deuce. However, another ace and a big 2nd serve means that HG holds for 6-5 and Alex will be serving to stay in the set for a 2nd time.
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Alex has lost the first set 7-5 
He got to 30-0 with a superb topspin lob winner and a good serve. However, HG smashed a forehand winner for 30-15 and then Alex attempted a down the line winner but just missed - 30-30. Alex had a game point but a shot long made it deuce and a forehand winner from HG gave him set point. Alex then went wide and that was the first set.
That game came out of the blue, HG was hitting some really massive groundstrokes, pummelling Alex from the baseline and the pressure proved too much.
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HG opens the 2nd set.
He goes quickly to 40-15 with some power-hitting from the back but Alex pegs him back to deuce as HG double-faults and sends a forehand wide. Unfortunately Alex pulled a forehand just wide though he wasn't happy about the call and a good serve gives HG the game.
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Comfortable hold to 15 for Alex.
His 6th ace, 2 more big serves and a forehand long from HG. HG's one point was a double fault at 40-0
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A bit of an erratic game from Alex enables HG to hold for 2-1.
A loose backhands and a forehand wide and long gives HG 30-0 and then a double fault makes it 30-15. Another backhand error from Boggo gives HG two game points and he takes the first with an ace
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HG responds with an erratic game of his own.
Boggo sends a forehand long on the first point under pressure from some big hitting from HG but 3 forehand errors from HG give him 40-15 - Alex working the Dutchman well round the court and putting him under a lot of pressure. A netted backhand from HG makes it 2-2
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Nothing Alex could really do in that last game, 3 big serves from HG and he holds to love to lead 3-2
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Alex goes down 0-30 with two errors but a big serve gets him to 15-30 and then poor return into the net from HG makes it 30-30. Alex's 7th and 8th aces enable him to hold
3-3
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HG misses all his first serves but his power forehands are proving too hot to handle right now. 2 of them enable him to hold to 15
3-4
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Alex opens the game with his 9th ace but then goes wide with a shot for 15-15. 3 straight errors from HG enable Alex to hold for 4-4
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Alex saves match points to make it 5-5
HG puts the pressure straight back on though, holding to 15 to lead 6-5.
Alex will serve to stay in the match again
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Alex lost 7-5, 7-5
Had game point but made too many errors in that final game. Huta Galung didn't have a high 1st serve percentage today but he got them in when it mattered and in the 2nd set he really upped his level from the baseline, Boggo wasn't able to stay with the Dutchman's power.
Alex wasn't at his best today, shame he wasn't able to grind out a win
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Jono
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Can you pinpoint what went wrong and what Alex needs to do??
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reef
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This surely was a match he should have won. Very disappointing.
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