The unimaginable story of Michael Zheng: Ivy League pupil competing within the Australian Open

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The unimaginable story of Michael Zheng: Ivy League pupil competing within the Australian Open

How the Columbia College star balances a rigorous educational workload with taking part in elite tennis

January 17, 2026

Michael Zheng will take 5 programs this spring semester at Columbia College in New York, the place he’s a senior. The 21-year-old is quickly to graduate from the Ivy League establishment, one of the prestigious faculties on the earth.

However regardless that faculty begins on 20 January, that won’t be his focus this week. As an alternative, the student-athlete is on the opposite aspect of the world competing in a significant essential draw for the primary time on the Australian Open.

“Proper now, I am actually excited,” Zheng, a qualifier, instructed ATPTour.com. “And relieved to get via that and get the possibility to play my first essential draw.”

A 12 months in the past, that was greater than inconceivable. Zheng was the reigning NCAA males’s singles champion, however nonetheless exterior the Prime 700 within the PIF ATP Rankings. But he has balanced a rigorous training — incomes Educational All-American honours in addition to the Rafael Osuna Nationwide Sportsmanship Award in 2025 — and faculty tennis with proving he can compete with the perfect gamers on the earth.

Zheng has lengthy proven skill, relationship again to when his father, Joe, determined to introduce Michael and his older sister by two years, Amy, to the game at their native highschool. Joe, who moved to america from China, fell in love with the game upon his arrival and handed it alongside to his kids.

Rising up in New Jersey, Zheng spent three days per week throughout center faculty coaching on the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart, dwelling of the US Open. And by the tip of his junior profession, the American reached the 2022 Wimbledon boys’ singles ultimate, beating Coleman Wong and Martin Landaluce alongside the best way.

“I had some expertise, so he needed to see how far he may take it,” Zheng mentioned of his father. “And now we’re right here taking part in my first essential draw [of a major]. It’s been fairly a event.”

But it surely has been an atypical one. Zheng is an energetic faculty pupil who within the coming days has to arrange for psychology programs within the New York winter. As an alternative, he’s heating up within the Australian summer time. The common-or-garden pupil doesn’t make an enormous deal of it, however Ivy League coursework is tough sufficient by itself.

“The educational rigour has helped Michael in some ways, particularly mentally,” mentioned Howard Endelman, the pinnacle coach of males’s tennis at Columbia. “The schoolwork is complementary; It permits Michael to focus and develop points of his life exterior of tennis. Though it is perhaps counter-intuitive, this mix has helped Michael develop as an entire individual which has really helped his tennis.”

In accordance with Zheng, Endelman emphasises this message persistently.

“You discover ways to handle your time and within the stress moments, I believe you may handle a bit bit higher, since you put all that work in and on the similar time, you are balancing faculty,” Zheng mentioned. “I believe it simply offers you that little little bit of a psychological edge, that you just’re doing possibly a bit bit greater than these different guys, and on the similar time, your degree is there.”

What makes his second within the highlight Sunday in opposition to Sebastian Korda at Melbourne Park extra spectacular is how he obtained there. Not solely did he work his approach via a tricky qualifying draw, however made an enormous run to earn his place in qualifying within the first place.

In early June, Zheng was nonetheless exterior the world’s Prime 700. However a run to the ATP Challenger ultimate in Little Rock started an enormous surge, with titles in Chicago, Columbus and Tiburon exhibiting it was no fluke.

“Proper after profitable the Tiburon Challenger ultimate in October, Michael took a Sunday evening red-eye flight so he may take an in-person examination Monday morning in New York Metropolis,” Endelman mentioned. “He simply takes all of it in stride.”

The latter two event victories got here whereas Zheng was taking 5 lessons, earlier than efficiently defending his NCAA singles crown.

“Positively not straightforward. On the similar time, I believe folks are inclined to overestimate the research. I believe you can also make it as exhausting or as straightforward as you need it to be,” Zheng, a Psychology main, mentioned. “I am travelling, lacking fairly a bit of sophistication, so I am not going to do something too loopy, like neuroscience, biology or one thing like that. However on the similar time, you may join no matter lessons you need to take.”

Getting into faculty, Zheng had not deliberate to review psychology, however economics. The 21-year-old has discovered it fascinating, even when he doesn’t imagine that there’s a agency hyperlink between his research and psychology on the tennis court docket. 

Zheng’s memorable run practically got here to an finish within the ultimate spherical of qualifying in opposition to Lukas Klein, in opposition to whom he confronted a match level within the final-set tie-break. However the Columbia Lion handled that stress the identical approach he does faculty: efficiently.

“Nothing appears to trouble Michael — on or off the court docket — particularly when issues go improper,” Endelman mentioned. “Michael misplaced the lead after being up 7/1 and 9/7 within the final-set tiebreaker, then hastily was serving down 9/10. With no emotion, he calmly goes as much as the road and saves match level with an ace large.”

Though Zheng’s tennis profession is just starting, the longer term is vibrant each on and off the court docket for the faculty standout. However the World No. 174 isn’t too involved about what is going to come together with his Psychology diploma in the meanwhile.

“I am not pondering too longterm proper now,” Zheng mentioned. “I am simply focussing on seeing how far I can take the tennis and giving 100 per cent give attention to that at the very least.”