Akli, Hamner Earn Bids to NCAA Singles Tournament

Columbia, S.C. – ­South Carolina women’s tennis senior Ayana Akli and sophomore Sarah Hamner have been invited to both the NCAA Singles Tournament. Each player earned a bid into the singles competition and the duo together was named as an alternate for the Doubles Tournament.

The 64-player singles event and the 32-team doubles event will be held May 22-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., following the conclusion of the team championships.

Akli posted a singles record of 31-8 this season with a 16-2 mark in dual play. She went 22-8 against ranked opponents including 20 wins in the top-100, nine wins in the top-50, and three wins in the top-25. At one point Akli went on a 17-match singles winning streak, beginning during the Carolina Kickoff and extending through the majority of the regular season.

Akli is currently ranked No. 12 in the ITA Singles Rankings, but climbed up to a new career-high ranked of No. 6 this season. She enters the tournament as a No. 9-16 seed.

Hamner put together an overall singles record of 19-11 this season with seven of her wins coming in dual play. She earned ten ranked singles wins with four of them in the top-25 and two in the top-10.

Hamner is currently ranked No. 21 in the ITA Singles Rankings but has been ranked as high as No. 6 this season.

In doubles, Akli and Hamner went 16-7 overall with a 9-2 dual record. They concluded the regular season on a four-match win streak with three of those wins coming over ranked opponents. They are listed at No. 5 on the alternate list.

Akli and Hamner both are familiar with the NCAA Singles Championships, having both competed in the event in 2022. During the 2022 edition of the event, Akli took an early departure in the Round of 64 to the nation’s No. 11 player while Hamner advanced to the Round of 32 but fell in three sets.

Akli also competed in the event in 2021 while at the University of Maryland, but this marks her first time competing in the event as a seeded individual.

The NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournaments will begin on May 22 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

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