DK Suresh begins his 2026 Winston-Salem Open campaign on familiar ground. The Indian No. 400 opens qualifying against Spain’s Roger Pascual Ferra, a 20-year-old TCU junior enjoying the best summer of his young career, in a Round 1 clash on the very courts where Suresh has built his biggest professional results.
Match Details
- Tournament: Winston-Salem Open, ATP 250
- Round: Qualifying, Round 1
- Players: DK Suresh (IND) vs Roger Pascual Ferra (ESP)
- Date: Saturday, August 22
- Time: Approximately 11:55 PM IST
- Venue: Wake Forest Tennis Complex, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
DK Suresh: A Career Building at Wake Forest’s Backyard
Dhakshineswar “DK” Suresh, 26, has turned Wake Forest’s home courts into something of a personal proving ground. A transfer from Georgia Gwinnett, where he went undefeated across singles and doubles in 2023, Suresh became a two-time All-American at Wake Forest and helped the Demon Deacons win the 2025 NCAA team championship, sealing the title-clinching point himself. He was named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and reached a career-high ranking of No. 462 in April this year — a mark he has since improved on, entering this week’s qualifying draw at No. 400.
Suresh has also become a fixture for India on the international stage. In February, he delivered the decisive singles win as India edged the Netherlands to advance in Davis Cup qualifying, closing out the tie on home soil in Bengaluru.
2026 is expected to be Suresh’s final season at Wake Forest before he commits to the tour full-time, which makes his qualifying run at Winston-Salem — a tournament he knows intimately — a notable staging post.
Home-Court Pedigree at Winston-Salem
Suresh’s results on these specific courts have outpaced his ranking before. In 2024, he won his first-ever ATP qualifying match, upsetting No. 7 seed Alexey Zakarov, before falling to Learner Tien in the final qualifying round. A year later, entering as a wildcard, he went further still — beating former World No. 19 Alejandro Tabilo 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final round of qualifying to reach his maiden ATP main-draw appearance, where he faced Argentina’s Mariano Navone. That same week, he also defended his ITF M15 Winston-Salem title without dropping a set.
Whatever happens against Pascual Ferra, Suresh returns to Winston-Salem with a track record that makes him more dangerous than his ranking alone suggests.
Meet Roger Pascual Ferra
Pascual Ferra, born in Vinaros, Spain, is in the middle of a breakout stretch. A TCU Horned Frog entering his junior year, he models his lefty forehand on childhood idol Rafael Nadal — a game plan shaped early by his father and longtime coach, Juan Domingo. On the collegiate side, he was part of TCU’s run to the 2026 NCAA final and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after an 18-3 sophomore season.
His pro results have accelerated fast this summer. He won his first pro title at an M15 in Monastir in June, followed it with a run to the Round of 16 at the ATP 125 Challenger in Bloomfield Hills, and then made his ATP Tour qualifying debut in Los Cabos — upsetting World No. 174 Colton Smith before falling in the final round. He enters Winston-Salem ranked No. 682, just outside the career-high No. 671 he touched in July. Former World No. 49 Jacob Fearnley, who has trained alongside him, has called him one of the most competitive players he’s seen.
Contrasting Styles
The height difference tells its own story. Suresh, at 6’5″, leans on a big, physical serve-driven game. Pascual Ferra, at 5’7″, compensates with movement, a heavy lefty forehand, and a reputation for outlasting bigger opponents. It sets up a genuine contrast in styles for a first-round qualifying match.
How to Follow
As a qualifying match, live streaming is unlikely, but scores will be available via the ATP Tour app and winstonsalemopen.com. Follow Indian Tennis Daily for updates as the match unfolds.