Making it to the top 15 in 2022 is no easy accomplishment and maintaining a reputation as the Player’s Choice MVP is a worthy mention for the three-time tennis champ, Ronald Hohmann. As a disciplined and hard-working sportsman, his resurgence is making it pretty clear he’s got an ace up his sleeve.
The NCAA tournament gave Ronnie another opportunity to remind his audience and opponents that he is a force to be reckoned with.
“It feels good to be back playing at NCAA individuals for the second consecutive year,” said Hohmann. “It’s been an up and down year after coming back from surgery, but I’ve kept grinding and worked hard to make it back.”
Qualifying for the NCAA 2022 Division I Men’s Tennis Championship for the Tigers set the young professional on hot pursuit for the championship title. After dominating in his first match against Baylor’s singles favorite, Matias Soto in a 6-2, 6-4 win, the young tiger roared straight ahead in a keenly contested match against a tough contender, Joan Carlos Aguilar for TCU.
Leading the match in the first round of the tournament, Ronnie kept the momentum going in the second round. He secured a 5-3 lead but his opponent wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Aguilar proved to be a worthy contender clinching the first set 7-5. A resilient Ronnie clearly wasn’t in any position to taste defeat, reclaiming the spotlight from Aguilar with calculated revenge, game after game.
Hohmann was on a roll, giving some intense reaches and wicked serves in the third set. It was all Purple and Gold for the Tigers with Ronnie giving a star-spangled performance with five straight games. As it turned out, Aguilar’s second win of the third set was definitely the last time Hohmann gave his opponent any breathing space, winning the last five to take the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Obviously calm, cool and collected, Ronnie steadily advanced to his first round of 16 to face Florida’s familiar champ, Sam Riffice.
All of this on the back drop of LSU’s victory over the Mississippi state tennis team with a 4-1 win at the Southern Eastern Conference (SEC) Tennis Championship Round One in April where Ronnie rose as #1 seizing a 6-2 win in the 3rd match.
For Ronnie, a doubles match is just as important as every singles match as he strongly believes team bonding and having a great support system is the lifeblood to the LSU tennis family. In the doubles, Hohmann and his partner, Rafael Wagner, finished with an 18-12 record overall and went 10-10 in dual play. He won the LSU Olivier Borsos Invitational with partner Rafael Wagner.
This amazing duo had two ranked victories on the dual season, defeating Auburn’s Tad Maclean & Finn Murgett 6-4, and Alabama’s Patrick Kaukovalta & Riccardo Roberto 6-4. With a high ITA Doubles ranking of 32, the Tigers duo has been named #3 alternate for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Ronnie’s all-star sophomore campaign was strategically built on the solid foundation of an impressive freshman season. He’s been named to the All-SEC Second Team and also, to the LSWA All-Louisiana First Team. In the singles category, he finished 13-13 on the overall season and till date, remains LSU’s No. 1 in all 19 matches he’s participated in.
There’s no telling what surprise Ronnie Hohmann will spring up next in the coming season.
