By Andrew Labovitz
PLANTATION, Fla. – Mitchell Krueger, a 17-year-old from Aledo, Texas advanced to the second round of the 2011 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships on Tuesday via a 6-3, 6-3, victory over Israeli Or Ram-Harel at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center in Plantation, Fla. Krueger, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, was broken in the opening game but was able to pick up his play, seamlessly handling Ram-Harel’s speed and displaying a lot of poise as he routinely won the match’s pivotal points.
"I started off a little slow, but I was able to step it up and win five games in a row in the first," he said after the match. "There were definitely a lot of long points, but I really felt like I was able to come out on top on all the big ones."
One issue that Krueger didn’t have to deal with was the Orange Bowl’s transition back to clay courts this year for the first time since 1998. Krueger explained that he’s very comfortable on the surface, especially since it’s of the green variety as opposed to the European red clay.
"I’ve been playing on the clay for the last month and a half, so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal."
In Wednesday’s second round, the Texas A&M commitment will face Latvian qualifier Martins Podzus. The two have never faced in international competition.