ORLANDO, Fla. – Alabama’s Matic Kriznik fell in the opening round of the NCAA Singles Championships to Wake Forest’s DK Suresh.

Kriznik fell to Suresh, who was ranked third nationally in the preseason ITA rankings and was a member of a Wake Forest team that won the 2025 NCAA Team Championship. The UA sophomore would drop two sets to the Demon Deacon, concluding his time at the individual national championships with a 6-3, 6-4 decision.

Kriznik earned his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after battling his way to the semifinals of the ITA South Sectional Championships.

“It’s an honor to represent Alabama at these championships. Matic earned his spot because he made noticeable improvements this fall. It all started in practice back in August and his commitment will be necessary as we have a break before the dual match season in January.

“Today he competed against a very good player, DK Suresh (the top returning player from the defending national champion Wake Forest and currently ranked 524 ATP). To have opportunities to beat players like DK, Matic will need to commit more time in practice and bring that same attitude to match play. He is willing to put in the work and keep becoming a better competitor. I’m proud of the strides he made in his first fall season and am excited to see him compete with the team in the spring.”

Next

• Alabama will return in January for the dual match season