A Tempe-native is representing Arizona on the biggest stage of tennis in America.
Alex Lawson, 27, was victorious in his first-ever Grand Slam tennis match this week at the US Open in New York City.
Lawson earned a qualifying spot in the Men's Double's Tournament with partner Robert Galloway. The duo defeated Gianluca Mager and Federico Coria in straight sets, 6-1 6-3, in a match that began Wednesday afternoon and ended late Thursday night thanks to a rain delay that left much of New York City drenched with water.
"Definitely amped. Definitely nervous," said Lawson about his emotions before playing his first match. "I was walking down the stairs and I thought I was going to trip down the stairs. I was like, 'This is like absolutely crazy that I'm walking onto this court right now."
Lawson and Galloway recently won the Challenger Tournament in Segovia, Spain and the 2021 Cleveland Challenger Tournament, helping the duo earn a wild card berth into the US Open Doubles Main Draw.
"The scale of the tournament in general, it's just insane here. Just walking around the grounds it's just such a big event compared to what we're used to," said Lawson who is sharing the tennis complex with players he's been rooting for from the stands for years. "It’s really weird to see guys that you were getting autographs from not that long ago, sitting next to you in a towel."
Lawson grew up in Tempe, where he attended Corona Del Sol High School. During his high school tennis career, Lawson won four Arizona Tennis State Titles. He went on to play college tennis at the University of Notre Dame.
"I don't really think the goal of that part of my life was US Open," said Lawson. "When I was little kid and watching on T.V. and stuff like that. Obviously, when you're a little kid you're like, 'I want to be number one in the world.' But it's not really a realistic thing. My goal was always just kind of college tennis. That's just kind of where I saw it progressing."
Since college, Lawson has traveled the world playing tennis, finally breaking through to a major slam this year.
"As far as what I would tell my [younger] self, 'There's no point in really limiting yourself as far as what you're shooting for."
Lawson and Galloway play their second-round match on Saturday and it can be watched on ESPN's streaming app, ESPN+.
