The US Open this year will see a solitary Indian American face in the men's singles - Rajeev Ram, ranked 300 - and that, thanks to a wild card.

But Ram faces an uphill battle. He faces off against Jan-Michael Gambill in the first round; the second round will be either against Joachim Johansson, seeded 28, or Yen-Hsun Lu, and if gets past that, too, he will likely be up against seventh seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

The men's and women's singles draw ceremony for the seeded players was held August 25 at the Dag Hammarskjold Library at the United Nations, courtesy largely Vijay Amritraj and Shashi Tharoor, under secretary general for public information. Tharoor revealed it was Amritraj's idea to have the draw ceremony at the UN last year, the first time it was held there. Amritraj is a UN Messenger of Peace.

No other person of Indian origin makes it to the singles list, unless Shikha Uberoi of New Jersey can qualify for the main draw by Friday. Paes and Bhupathi, who are both likely to play the doubles and men's doubles, will have to wait until later in the week to find out how they are placed in the line-up.

"The Olympics have reminded us how, by its very nature, sports is all about participation and inclusion," Tharoor told the gathering, which included US Tennis Association Chairman Alan Schwartz, USTA CEO Arlen Kantarian, and US Davis Cup captains Patrick McEnroe and Zina Garrison. Both McEnroe and Garrison had flown back from Athens only a day before for the occasion.

"It's about brining individuals and communities together, as players and audience, showcasing what we have in common and bridging differences. That is also what we do at the UN," Tharoor said.

He also announced the UN International Day of Peace, whose theme would be Peace through Sports, would be held on September 21 this year.

"We will highlight 2005 as the Year of Sport and Physical Education," Tharoor said. "There is a lot that the world of sport can do to help the UN in sustainable development and in removing poverty. The ball is in your court."