Oct. 3, 2011
TULSA, Okla. -
Alexander Pelaez defeated Jesus Bandres in the first qualifying round in the ITA All-American Tournament at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla. on Monday.
Pelaez defeated East Tennesse State's Bandres, 6-2, 6-3.
Head Coach Cris James was impressed with Pelaez's play.
"He started out really well," James said. "He came out pretty focused and played aggressively right from the beginning. He served really well, too, which helped take confidence away from the other guy right away."
James feels Pelaez has a good chance to go far in this tournament.
"To me, Alex is capable to play against any of the best guys in the country," James said. "Everybody at this stage in the tournament is very good; it's just a matter of playing well from match to match. If he plays well, I think he has a shot to beat pretty much anybody."
If Pelaez wins his match on Tuesday, he will make it into the final qualifying singles round on Wednesday, still having a chance to compete in the championship.
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