Dec. 13, 2017
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Two former University of Notre Dame men’s tennis players are making the most of their opportunities on the professional circuit.
Alex Lawson (’16) and Josh Hagar (’17) are wrapping up their respective seasons, having most recently competed at an International Tennis Federation Futures event in Tallahassee, Florida. With nearly two seasons behind him, Lawson has climbed into the top 200 in the world doubles rankings, while Hagar is making strides in his first season on the circuit.
Alex Lawson
After a stellar rookie season, Lawson continues to impress in his second year on the pro circuit. Currently ranked No. 191 in the world ATP doubles rankings, he has won three professional doubles titles this season, including most recently at the ITF USA F40 Futures tournament in on Dec. 9.
Lawson and partner Nathaniel Lammons (SMU ’16) owned the No. 1 seed in their most recent tournament, easily claiming the crown with four straight-set victories. In their previous tournament at the ITF USA F39 Futures in Waco, Texas, the pair came in second to third-seeded Julian Lenz of Germany and Roberto Maytin of Venezuela.
A native of Tempe, Arizona, Lawson owns a 50-31 doubles record on the season and is 80-51 in his career (ATP/ITF results).
Josh Hagar
Hagar has split his time between singles and doubles in his first year on tour, most recently reaching the singles quarterfinal at the ITF USA F40 Futures in Tallahassee, and facing Lawson and Lammons in the first round of the doubles tournament. Hagar’s best doubles performance came in July, when he and partner Julian Bradley of Ireland reached the semifinal of the Canada F4 Futures tournament in Saskatoon, Canada.
Since graduating in May, Hagar has tallied a 3-6 ATP/ITF singles record and a 6-12 doubles mark (not counting results in qualifying rounds).
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs, in addition to overseeing production of the football Gameday Magazine. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.