Noah Rubin said he never looks ahead at his half of the draw when he begins a tournament, but the fifth seed from Rockville Centre, N.Y., took on Mitchell Krueger, Aledo, Texas, in Friday’s Boys' 18s quarterfinals and upset the tournament’s top seed, 6-2, 6-4. Rubin said he and Krueger travel together to various tournaments, so he knew what to expect. “He’s a great player, so you really have to take your opportunities and run with them because you don’t get them too often against him,” Rubin said. “I stepped up on balls that I really normally would not step up on because I knew I had to take some chances against him because of the good player he is, and it worked out. He’s just a really solid player. He comes up with clutch shots when he needs them.” Rubin was not at all disappointed that rain forced all of Friday’s matches inside. “I guess it’s to my advantage,” he said. “I play indoors about 10 months out of the year, so I was a little lucky, I guess.”

Source: USTA Nationals Staff