HARLINGEN, Texas — Three members of the Notre Dame men’s tennis team competed at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures Event this past week, a professional caliber tournament, allowing competitors to take part in professional-style contests.
Tristan McCormick and Alex Lebedev started the tournament in the qualifying round, where Lebedev advanced to the third round before falling to Zachary Svajda (USA; 5-7, 2-6), failing to qualify for the main draw.
Axel Nefve was the lone Irish competitor in the main draw at this year’s tournament, receiving a bye through qualifications on a wild card draw. In his first match, he defeated Stephen Gerritsen, handing the Dutch player, ranked 750th in the world, a set of 6-3 and 6-2 losses.
Nefve will now compete against the winner of Andrew Watson (GBR) v. A.J. Catanzariti (USA) for a spot in the quarterfinal match. Watson, of Great Britain, qualified for the main draw through the qualification round and currently ranks 837 in the world for singles. His opponent, Catanzariti, advanced to the main draw of competition when his competition withdrew in the final round of qualification.
The second round of the main draw will begin Thursday, October 18, as Nefve will face the to-be-determined victor of Watson v. Catanzariti.
The winner of the ITF Futures tournament will receive $25,000 in cash prizes.
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