Alejandro Gallego from Huesca lost in the first round of the European Junior Championship against Finland’s Alvar Melleri. After a great comeback in the third set, however, it ended up going down (13-21, 21-18, 20-22).
It was an even fight. Although the game was not clearly dominated, Mallory was a bit more accurate than Gallego’s start. But after the break, the Finns came out to Gallego (8-13) and scored several midfielders to take an already dangerous lead. The Huesca player responded by forcing an opponent’s mistake and carrying more of the weight of the game (12-15). But Mallory responded, hitting two shots to close out the set at 13-21.
Mallory started off strong in the second set and went 0-3. Gallego tried to claim from the defense and take the game to the net to take the initiative (5-7). He’s lost a few flyers and the odds are growing (5-10). But He didn’t give up, he picked up the pace, got a point at the net and attacked and was able to get to the gap with the difference in the game (11-10). The Finn lost some strength and precision (15-11) which he soon recovered (15-14). But Gallego was able to keep the momentum on the scoreboard (19-15) and force the contest (21-18).
The third set started with Dulles battling to press the match, with Huska building more and punching the Finn’s Gallego to win 4-2. Although the Finns could not finish clearly, they turned it around (5-8). He went 6-11 in the middle and Gallego was in trouble. He tried to extend the points, but the competitor found gaps to finish with confidence and finish (7-15). Gallego insisted on the setback and was able to get into the game (14-17). The game was up in the air and Gallego tied it at 19. Gallego had a 20-19 match point, but lost 20-22.