Jan. 3, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – While most University of Notre Dame students relaxed during the holiday break, Irish men’s tennis players Alex Lawson and Ryan Bandy turned in strong performances at local holiday tournaments.
Lawson went home to Arizona and finished third with partner Paul Oosterbaan in the doubles draw at the USTA Boy’s 18’s Winter National Championships. The fifth-seeded duo opened up with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Blake and Chalmers in the round of 32 before taking down Crystal and Perez-Blanco, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals the pair knocked off the 14th-seeded team of Mee and Reichmann, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 10-5, before falling to No. 2 Donovan and Goldhoff, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals. The Notre Dame freshman and Oosterbaan claimed third with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win in the third place match over Belga and Murray.
Bandy meanwhile traveled back to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio and reached the quarterfinals of the Queen City Pro Classic. Included in the week was a win over pro player Catalin Gard (4-6, 6-4, 7-6), who is ranked 634 on the ATP tour. Gard has reached a high of 224 and was a consistent top-five player in the ITA rankings at Ole Miss as an undergraduate.
The junior opened up the tournament with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Michael Cunningham in the round of 64. He next took down Patrick Weant, 6-2, 6-0, in the round of 32, before knocking off Gard to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. Bandy fell in the quarterfinals to Maor Zirkin after dropping out in the second set with an injury.
The Irish open the 2013 spring season in two weeks when they welcome in Marquette and Western Illinois for a pair of dual matches on Saturday, Jan. 19. Notre Dame and the Golden Eagles kick off the day at 11 a.m. at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
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