Conor Niland, Jesse Huta Galung advance to the final qualifiers – US Open 2011
Conor Niland beats Tsung-Hua Yang 6-2, 6-3
World number 199 Conor Niland of Ireland dismissed Taiwanese Tsung-Hua Yang in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the qualifying draw at the US Open in New York on Thursday. The Irish took an hour and ten minutes to
beat his opponent in a one-sided match.
Niland broke the Taiwanese in the fourth game of the first set and won his next service game to build a 4-1 lead. The Irish broke again in the eighth game to clinch the set 6-2. The six feet and one inch tall delivered 64 percent
of the first serves, converting eight of the sixteen first serves and four of the nine second serves into points in the opening set.
Yang drew the first blood in the second set as he broke the Irish in the first game and consolidated on it to take a 2-0 lead. However, Niland broke back in the fourth game, levelling the score at 2-2. Niland broke the Taiwanese
again in the sixth game to go ahead 4-2 but lose his next service game to take the score to 4-3. The Irish clinched two successive games after that, bagging the set 6-3.
Niland is slated to face Matwe Middelkoop of the Netherlands in the final qualifier.
Jesse Huta Galung defeats Gregoire Burquier 7-6(4), 7-6(6)
World number 251 Jesse Huta Galung of the Netherlands reached the final round of the qualifying draw as he prevailed over Gregoire Burquier of France in straight sets 7-6(4), 7-6(6) in the second round qualifier. The match lasted
for two hours and ten minutes.
Huta Galung quickly took the lead, breaking the French in the opening game of the first set and holding his next service game to go up 2-0. Burquier changed his game and captured five successive games after that, breaking the Dutch
in the sixth game and taking a 5-2 lead. It was Huta Galung’s turn to stage a comeback now as he won three games in a row to level the score at 5-5. The Dutchman and Frenchman held their serve in the next two games to take the set to a tie-break. Huta Galung
hit a powerful back-hand winner to claim a single mini-break and capitalised on it to win 7-4.
Just like the first set, the Dutch and Burquier exchanged a couple of mini-breaks to take the set to a tie-break. Huta Galung grabbed a mini-break at 6-6 and won his next service point to win the tie-break 8-6.
The 25-year-old is drawn to face unseeded Antonio Veic of Croatia in the final round.
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