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Huta Galung stuns Ljubicic
Jesse Huta Galung is through to the 2nd round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament for the first time in his career, after he upset the former world number 3, Ivan Ljubicic 7-6, 6-3.
It was a very good win for the Dutch Davis Cup player, who has been troubled by an elbow injury causing him to drop significantly in the rankings. The success were therefore needed. "It was very special for me today here in Ahoy, especially against a player of Ljubicic´s caliber", Huta Galung said after the match.
He also thanked his new coach, Stephan Ehritt, who has had a very positive effect on the Dutchman´s progression. "This vivctory is partly due to him", Huta Galung explained.
It was certainly a great performance by Huta Galung, who has lost against players like Melzer and Tsonga in Ahoy. But today he was very consistent, and showed a lot of determination on court. Especially his passing shots and net game were working well, which had a big influence on the win.
Huta Galung opened the first set well, as he went up a break 2-1. But Ljubicic slowly got into the match, and the 1st set was decided by a tiebreak. After a missed set point at 6-5 in the tiebreak, Huta Galung eventually took the breaker 8-6.
In the second set Ljubicic handed Huta Galung a golden opportunity, as the 32-year-old Croat, as he put an easy forehand into the net, resulting in a break for Huta Galung. The Dutchman sealed the deal with a very confident service game, finishing with an ace, to make his way to the 2nd round, where he could face fellow countryman Thiemo De Bakker, if he can beat 7th seed Viktor Troicki. "It would be nice if Thiemo wins. Then we are certain that we will have a Dutchman in the quarterfinals, but it´s not going to be easy", Huta Galung said.
