Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
Michael Zheng Set for 2023 NCAA Singles Championships
5/21/2023 9:12:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ORLANDO, Fla. – First-year Michael Zheng will begin the 2023 NCAA Singles Championships on Monday, May 22 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
Zheng will face Texas Tech's Olle Wallin in an 11:30 a.m. first-round matchup on Monday.
To cap off an already incredible season as a first-year, Zheng was named to the First Team All-Ivy singles team and the First Team All-Ivy doubles team as a unanimous selection for both. Zheng earned the honor of being named the Columbia Rookie of the Year for his performance this season.
As the Ivy League Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Ivy honoree in singles and doubles, Zheng became the first player in Ivy League history to win all four awards in one season. Yale's Marc Powers previously earned three of the four honors in 2010 as he was named Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-Ivy in singles.
"It has been an amazing year for Michael, who made history," Bidyut K. Goswami Head Coach of Men's Tennis Howard Endelman said. "The NCAA Tournament invitation is a reward for his outstanding performance as one of the best first-year players in the country."
Zheng is the first Lion to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors since Victor Pham won the award back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Zheng is also the first Columbia men's tennis player to win the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award since 2013.
As the No. 1 singles player for the Lions, Zheng achieved an 18-5 overall record this spring. He went 5-2 in the Ivy League duals with wins in the Penn, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown and Cornell duals. Zheng went 1-1 in singles action during Columbia's run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"It is an exciting opportunity to compete with some of the best tennis players in the nation and an honor to represent an institution such as Columbia while competing," Zheng said.
SINGLES TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The NCAA Singles Championship features 64 of the best players in division I college tennis seeded by the NCAA based on seasonal performance. The best player from each of the 12 conferences received automatic qualification while the remaining 52 were selected at-large with performance and ranking by the ITA considered. Zheng received an at-large berth for his performance this season. All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker (first to seven points, must win by two points) at six-games-all will be used for all matches. Singles play begins on Monday, with one round being contested each day until the finals on Saturday, May 27.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Zheng will face Texas Tech's Olle Wallin in an 11:30 a.m. first-round matchup on Monday.
To cap off an already incredible season as a first-year, Zheng was named to the First Team All-Ivy singles team and the First Team All-Ivy doubles team as a unanimous selection for both. Zheng earned the honor of being named the Columbia Rookie of the Year for his performance this season.
As the Ivy League Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Ivy honoree in singles and doubles, Zheng became the first player in Ivy League history to win all four awards in one season. Yale's Marc Powers previously earned three of the four honors in 2010 as he was named Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-Ivy in singles.
"It has been an amazing year for Michael, who made history," Bidyut K. Goswami Head Coach of Men's Tennis Howard Endelman said. "The NCAA Tournament invitation is a reward for his outstanding performance as one of the best first-year players in the country."
Zheng is the first Lion to earn Ivy League Player of the Year honors since Victor Pham won the award back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Zheng is also the first Columbia men's tennis player to win the Ivy League Rookie of the Year award since 2013.
As the No. 1 singles player for the Lions, Zheng achieved an 18-5 overall record this spring. He went 5-2 in the Ivy League duals with wins in the Penn, Dartmouth, Yale, Brown and Cornell duals. Zheng went 1-1 in singles action during Columbia's run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"It is an exciting opportunity to compete with some of the best tennis players in the nation and an honor to represent an institution such as Columbia while competing," Zheng said.
SINGLES TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The NCAA Singles Championship features 64 of the best players in division I college tennis seeded by the NCAA based on seasonal performance. The best player from each of the 12 conferences received automatic qualification while the remaining 52 were selected at-large with performance and ranking by the ITA considered. Zheng received an at-large berth for his performance this season. All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker (first to seven points, must win by two points) at six-games-all will be used for all matches. Singles play begins on Monday, with one round being contested each day until the finals on Saturday, May 27.
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on winning the NCAA singles championship
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Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to the singles final at NCAA Championships
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Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to semifinals at NCAA Championships
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