Daily Court Report
by Walt Reese
The 2026 Cary Tennis Classic is Officially Underway
The 2026 Cary Tennis Classic officially got underway Sunday at Cary Tennis Park as players from around the world took the court for the opening round of men’s qualifying. Sunday’s action also marked Cary Tennis Classic Community Day, offering free admission to fans of all ages as the tournament welcomed professional tennis back to Cary. With 12 spots in the final round of qualifying on the line, spectators were treated to a full day of competitive tennis featuring former champions, accomplished collegiate players, rising stars, and plenty of three-set battles.
One of the day’s biggest storylines featured DK Suresh of India taking on top qualifying seed Mitchell Krueger. Suresh, a Wake Forest alum and one of the most decorated collegiate players in recent years, helped lead the Demon Deacons to multiple ACC championships while earning ITA All-America honors in both singles and doubles. Across the net was Krueger, a two-time Cary Tennis Classic champion who captured both tournaments held in Cary in 2021 and reached a career-high ATP ranking of No. 135. Suresh ultimately earned one of the day’s biggest victories, defeating the top seed 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the final round of qualifying.
American wildcard Ozan Baris, the 2022 US Open Boys’ Doubles Champion, picked up one of the day’s biggest wins with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over No. 2 seed Daniel Milavsky. Fellow American Andrew Fenty also advanced with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 win over UNC alum Karl Poling, while Japan’s Hiroki Moriya, a former world No. 143, moved on after Alex Rybakov, the TCU alum and No. 6 seed, was forced to retire trailing 7-6(3), 5-2.
Japan continued its strong showing as Jay Friend defeated current NC State player Charlie Camus 6-4, 6-2, while James Trotter, an Ohio State alum and 2023 NCAA Division I doubles champion, battled through one of the longest matches of the day to defeat American Ronit Karki 6-1, 6-7(14), 6-3.
Several other highly touted players also advanced. Samir Banerjee, the 2021 Junior Wimbledon Champion and Stanford alum, earned a hard-fought 7-6(7), 6-4 victory over Christian Langmo. Current SMU player Trevor Svajda, last year’s NCAA Singles Championship finalist and younger brother of 2023 Cary Tennis Classic champion Zachary Svajda, rallied past China’s Jie Cui 6-3, 7-6(2). Australia’s Edward Winter also came from a set down to defeat North Carolina native and UNC’s Ian Mayhew 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Other seeded players also advanced on Sunday. No. 3 seed Yuta Shimizu survived a pair of tiebreaks to edge Canada’s Dan Martin 7-6(4), 7-6(2), while No. 5 seed Justin Boulais outlasted Australia’s Enzo Aguiard in a three-set battle, 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-3.
Men’s qualifying concludes Monday as players compete for the final six spots in the main draw, while the women take the court for the first time as their qualifying gets underway. With another strong field of international talent, former collegiate champions, and rising young players, the stage is set for an exciting week of professional tennis. It’s great to have the Cary Tennis Classic back in Cary, and fans can look forward to seven more days of outstanding tennis at Cary Tennis Park. For schedules, draws, and ticket information, visit https://carytennisclassic.com/ or download the new Cary Tennis Classic App.
