STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — LSU’s 29th-ranked Dan Kiernan and sophomore Sebastian Rutka were each ousted from the main singles draw of the ITA All-American Championships on Thursday at the Lincoln Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Ga.
“Our guys went up against some very good tennis players today,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “They we’re both ranked among the top 50 in the nation and just outplayed our guys. I think that both Dan and Sebastian will learn from this experience and grow from it.”
Kiernan, the Tigers’ top returner from last season’s squad, fell in straight sets to Stanford’s 48th-ranked Ryan Haviland, 6-3, 6-4. With the opening-round loss, LSU’s senior began his second-straight season with a defeat. Kiernan fell to North Carolina’s Marcio Petrone in the fall opener last season before going on to finish with a phenomenal 25-9 mark.
After losing in the final qualifying round on Wednesday, LSU’s Rutka was named a “lucky loser” and was permitted to play in Thursday’s main draw of competition. The only drawback was that he had to face the No. 1 singles player in the nation, Phillip King. Duke’s sophomore from Los Angeles played a consistent match and defeated Rutka, 6-3, 6-3.
“Sebastian was fortunate to get into the main draw of competition,” Brown said. “He went up against the best player in the nation and didn’t back down. I was proud of how he played and he’ll learn from the experience. Now he knows what he needs to work on and what it takes to beat the best.”
The 12th-annual ITA All-American Championships will resume play on Friday at 9 a.m. CDT at the Lincoln Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Ga.
ITA All-American Championships
First Round Singles
#1 Phillip King (Duke) def. Sebastian Rutka (LSU), 6-3, 6-3.
#48 Ryan Haviland (Stanford) def. #29 Dan Kiernan (LSU), 6-3, 6-4.