Notre Dame, Ind. — Before he takes the court for the Irish, men’s tennis’ freshman, Axel Nefve, will get some reps in as he competes at the 2018 US Open Junior Tennis Championships. The Junior grand slam events run alongside the professional grand slams, and are played at the same venues. This year’s appearance will be Nefve’s second at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships.
Boasting a combined year end ranking of 103, and peaking as high as 60th in the world (on 8/1/18), Nefve is the first Irish freshman to qualify for the event in over 20 years.
“We are thrilled for Axel to have the opportunity to play in the US Open,” Notre Dame’s Callaghan Family Head Coach Ryan Sachire said. “In his short time on campus, it’s easy to see why Axel had so much success at the junior level. His work ethic and passion to be an elite tennis player are extremely high, and we couldn’t be more proud that he will be representing our program on the world’s biggest stage.”
Prior to his arrival at Notre Dame, Nefve was the 2017 USTA National Clay Court Championships champion and was named runner-up at the event in 2018.
The junior grand slam event gets underway Friday, August 31st, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center – Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York.
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Katherine Harvath is currently an athletics communications assistant with Fighting Irish Media. She oversees Notre Dame cross country/track & field, swimming and diving and men’s tennis. She is a 2018 graduate of Bowling Green State University, where she studied sport management.