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5/23/09 1:00 AM | Ricky Dimon
Julien Benneteau dispatches Oscar Hernandez in straight sets at the Austrian Open on Friday. Benneteau will take on Guillermo Garcia-Lopez for the title.
For the second time in three weeks, a lucky loser is in the final of an ATP event.
Julien Benneteau, who lost in qualifying but got into the main draw when Nicolas Devilder withdrew, defeated Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3 on Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the Austrian Open. Benneteau needed one hour and 29 minutes to book a spot in the title match against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Lukasz Kubot lost in Belgrade qualifying earlier this month, but ended up getting into the main draw and going all the way to the final before falling to Serbian favorite and top-seeded Novak Djokovic.
Benneteau clawed his way through the first set against Hernandez despite being far from dominant. The Frenchman won just six return points in the first set, but almost all of those came in one game. A single break was enough for Benneteau to take the opening frame of play. He was able to overcome four double-faults and he saved two break points en route to closing out the set,
Benneteau's struggles with his serve also cost him in the second set, but he survived one service break by getting two more at the expense of Hernandez. The Spaniard did not do enough with either his first or second serves, and Benneteau used an aggressive return game to take control of most of the points. A final hold at 5-4 finished off the proceedings in Benneteau's favor.
Benneteau will look to limit his double-faults in Saturday's final against Garcia-Lopez. He had six against Hernandez in only 10 service games.
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