CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—Babson College senior Alexander Merson (Palisades Park, N.J.) and sophomore Edward Wang (Burr Ridge, Ill.) made their NCAA Singles Championship debuts on Saturday morning at the Champions Tennis Club. 

The first Babson competitors to qualify for the NCAA Championship since 1998, both Merson and Wang suffered opening round losses. Merson dropped a 6-2, 3-6, 6-7 (3-7) decision to junior Alexander Ekstrand (Delray Beach, Fla.) of Chicago, while Wang was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by junior Santiago Garza (Northvale, N.J.) of Case Western Reserve. 

Wang, who was added to the 32-player singles draw on Thursday as the first alternate., trailed 2-1 in the first before Garza broke his serve and then won a key deuce point to build a 4-1 lead in the opening set. Wang held serve of his final three games of the second but was unable to rally from an early 3-0 deficit. 

Merson, who entered the tournament as the fourth-seed, recorded a pair of service breaks and jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set before Ekstrand answered by winning a deuce point to go ahead 3-2 and followed by converting a break point to go up 4-2 on the way to forcing a decisive third set. 

Both players held serve over the first four games before trading breaks to even it up at 3-3. Merson was up 5-4 and 40-15 before Ekstrand fought off three match points to tie it up at 5-5. Both held serve to force a tiebreaker, where Merson erased a 3-1 deficit with back-to-back points before Ekstrand scored four straight to close the match. 

About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 13 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Saint Anselm College (beginning reclassification process with NCAA in 2027-28), Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 21 sports.