‘Ivy’s Finest’ Michael Zheng – From Columbia to Round 2 of AO, and Back to Columbia…

Die-hard tennis fans have been aware of Michael Zheng for a while now. He’s a two-time NCAA champion, after all, and in 2022 he reached the Boys’ Singles final at Wimbledon.

He twice played qualifying at the US Open (previously NCAA champions got a wild card directly into the main draw but that has changed), and failed to make the cut.

Oh, and he ripped through three challenger titles in three months last year to take his ranking up about 200 points, thereby ensuring a place in the AO qualifying draw.

The rest is a happy story of a kid making his mark on his Slam debut, and an indicator of what Zheng’s on-court potential is like.

After Sunday’s five-set win over Sebastian Korda, a lot more fans are going to know the 21-year-old world No.174.

“Just really happy to get through this match,” Zheng told reporters in Melbourne. “Definitely not easy drawing a fellow American and a former top-20 player in Sebastian Korda. Yeah, I was just really happy with the level today. I came out… pretty hot, two sets to love. I was just trying to stay focused and maintain the level.

“I thought he was serving really well down the stretch of the third and fourth. I was just trying to refocus. First time playing a five-set match. I just stay focused and try to hold and keep it going.”

Tiafoe Approved

Frances Tiafoe had nice things to say about Zheng during his post-match press conference on Day 1. Tiafoe, who defeated Jason Kubler in straight sets, recalled practicing with Zheng last year.

“I’ve been calling him Ivy’s Finest,” Tiafoe said. “The whole thing is hilarious to me.”

“By the way, love Mike. Mike is just funny, man. He’s so chill and relaxed about the whole thing, because you got to think from his lens. The guy has got zero pressure, and he’s good. He’s just a good player. I practiced with him one time last offseason, not this one. We had an absolute battle.”

Zheng, who has a semester left at Columbia, will face Corentin Moutet in the second round.

“He’s telling me, he’s like, ‘Yeah, school starts in a week,'” Tiafoe said. “The guy qualified, and now he’s beating Korda. It doesn’t make any sense. He’s playing the NCAAs. The guy is… It’s crazy.”

Zheng’s success is further proof that NCAA tennis success can lead to immediate victories on tour.

“I think the NCAAs definitely prepared me for moments like these,” Zheng said. “I feel like when you are playing for college, you’re playing for something bigger than yourself. So there’s a lot of people supporting you. You really want to win for yourself, but also for your school.

“I actually felt more nervous I think going into the finals of NCAAs than this match, surprisingly. But, yeah, I think it shows college tennis is a real pathway to the pros.”

It is a frequent bone of contention that amateurs – which Zheng technically is and has to be while he plays NCAA tennis – don’t get to keep their prize money. It’s money they’ve earned, after all, but Zheng is not overly concerned about it. He’s more tuned into to going back to school and finishing up his studies, in fact.

“I still have one more semester at Columbia, which I do intend to finish. So whenever my run here is done, I’m going back to school,” he said.

“But, yeah, I’ll talk to our head coach and try to figure out what’s the deal with the prize money, if I’m allowed to take it or not. Yeah, I’ll try to figure that out after the tournament is over, I think.”

Asked if there was something that would provide the impetus for him to turn pro on the spot, Zheng said “If I beat Carlos Alcaraz in the third round, you know, maybe then I’ll consider turning pro,” with a smile.