ATHENS, Ga. — Senior Ajay Ramaswami and junior Dan Kiernan will begin singles play while Kiernan will team with freshman Sebastian Rutka on Thursday at the NCAA Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Ramaswami, a native of Mumbai, India, will face fellow countryman Harsh Mankad of Minnesota in the first round. Mankad competed at No. 1 for the Golden Gophers and will also be competing in the doubles draw.
Due to his No. 9-16 seeding in the draw, Ramaswami has already earned singles all-America honors. It marks the first time in his career he has been named an All-American while it continues LSU’s streak of at having least one All-American to four years.
Kiernan, a 2000 doubles all-American, will face UCLA’s Jean-Julien Rojer in the first round. Rojer is a No. 9-16 seed in the tournament. With two wins in the 64-man field, Kiernan would earn singles all-America honors for himself.
In doubles, Kiernan and Rutka will face Rodrigo Echagaray/Eleazar Magellan of Kansas in the first round. Last year, Kiernan teamed with Michal Chmela in the NCAA Championships. The duo bowed out in the second round.
Rutka is the first LSU freshman to compete in an NCAA Championship as individual since 1997 when Chmela, Tom Hand and Pedro Escudero all did.