Columbia's Michael Zheng earns first tour-level win at 2026 Australian Open

“To be honest, I’m feeling better today than I thought,” he said after the three-hour, 43-minute win that went longer than most college matches ever would.

While a growing number of pros rely on college tennis to prepare for the rigors of a full-time, globetrotting career, Zheng is one of the few still enrolled—and at an elite Ivy League institution, no less—while already making a splash at the highest level.

Zheng grew up in New Jersey. His parents emigrated from China and made their home in the Garden State, hardly known as a breeding ground for top-tier tennis. Zheng’s father, Joe, fell in love with the sport and introduced it to Michael and his older sister, Amy.

Zheng eventually emerged as a standout junior, trained with the USTA several days a week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open, and advanced to the Wimbledon boys’ final before later enrolling at Columbia.

In 2024, Zheng made history as the first Columbia Lion since 1906 to capture a national college singles title. He followed that milestone in November by becoming the first NCAA player since USC’s Steve Johnson (2011–12) to successfully defend his championship.

Howard Endelman, his coach at Columbia, said Zheng’s game has improved by “leaps and bounds” during college. He also physically matured. Now 6-foot-2, he can dictate with his forehand and increasingly his serve. Together with his quick feet, disciplined shot-making, and natural mental composure, he is pushing closer to the top echelons of the game.

“He has a knack for hitting the right shot at the right time,” Endelman said.

Against Korda, Zheng came out hot and won the first two sets, cooled off a bit as Korda played his way back into the match, and then kept his nerve in the final set to seal the victory. On court, Zheng wrote “Go Lions” on a camera lens in homage to his Columbia teammates thousands of miles away.

Zheng’s success highlights the resurgence of both U.S. and foreign-born players that are enjoying pro careers after spending time in college. They include NCAA champs like Ben Shelton of the University of Florida (2022), currently the top-ranked American at world No. 8, and Emma Navarro of the University of Virginia (2021), who ranks 15th.

Indeed, the 25 men (and nine women) in the Australian Open main draw, including lucky loser Mackenzie McDonald and Zheng, have college ties. That is the most male players at the Australian Open in nearly three decades, when there were 25 in 1989.

“College tennis has changed a lot in the past few years,” said Zheng. “I think the level right now is so high, and it's become a real pathway to the pros.”

“I actually did pretty good,” he said by text.

Ranked No. 174 entering the Australian Open—and now slated to rise considerably higher—Zheng attributed his jump to a consolidation of skills he’d been honing for years.

“I would say I started kind of recognizing the way I want to play,” he said, adding that his “tennis IQ” is one of his growing weapons.

“It's kind of like an accumulation of a bunch of little things, like all the things you've been working on the past years up until this point,” said Zheng. “I think everything just started to click.” 

Ruan Roelofse, who began coaching Zheng last May, said he showed that rapid maturity against Korda by rarely letting his level dip during his long tussle.

“He only had one real loose service game in four hours,” said Roelofse.

What’s next? A return to college life.

Zheng says he’d have to go very deep in Melbourne to alter his plans to finish his degree. He intends to resume dormitory life in New York City for the spring semester, rejoining his five friends in the suite they share and completing the 15 credits he needs to earn his diploma. 

Though classes officially begin on Tuesday, Zheng will be preparing to face his second-round opponent instead. He plays the streaky, disruptive Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who is seeded 32nd.

Should he reach the third round, he’d likely find himself across the net from top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, probably in the tournament’s marquee Rod Laver Arena.

“It would be a dream in front of a packed stadium night show at Laver,” he said of the nearly 15,000-seat arena.

Either way, he’ll almost certainly be back to join his Lions teammates and enjoy the last months of academic freedom—or just freedom—before real life kicks in.

“Last ride with the boys,” he said. “Go out with a bang.”

The next level is already knocking.