TULSA, Okla. – Columbia men's tennis players Michael Zheng and Hugo Hashimoto are headed to Waco, Texas in November to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships after an incredible showing at the ITA All-American Championships. Zheng secured a spot in the NCAA Singles Championships, and the duo of Hashimoto and Zheng earned a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championships.
 
One of the highlights from Tulsa was the elite doubles play on the display from No. 21 Hashimoto and Zheng. The duo kicked off main draw action Wednesday with a three-set win over No. 41 Youcef Rihane and Alex Bulte (Florida State) 6-4, 2-6, [10-4]. The win set up a match against No. 1 Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez (Mississippi State) on Thursday. Hashimoto and Zheng dropped the first set before rallying back to win a second set tiebreaker and the third set tiebreak to post a 4-6, 7-6(6), [10-8] victory over the No. 1 doubles team in the nation.
 
Coming off a huge upset victory, Hashimoto and Zheng dominated in two sets Friday to defeat LSU's No. 20 Julien Penzlin and Aleksi Lofman, 7-5, 6-1. Hashimoto and Zheng advanced to the semifinals with the win and officially secured a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championships later this fall.
 
The Hashimoto and Zheng duo finished their run through the doubles bracket Saturday with a 7-5, 7-5 loss to Baylor's Marko Miladinovic and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen in the semifinals.
 
Zheng was busy this week as he also competed in the singles main draw. As the No. 2 ranked singles player in the nation, Zheng posted three straight victories to advance to the quarterfinals and secure a spot in the NCAA Singles Championships in November.
 
Zheng's run started Wednesday with a 7-5, 6-2 win over No. 61 Devin Badenhorst (Baylor). Zheng followed that up with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Wake Forest's No. 26 Dhakshineswar Suresh on Thursday. Zheng got the day started Friday with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over No. 17 JC Roddick (Texas A&M) to punch his ticket to Waco. Zheng played his quarterfinal match later that afternoon as he fell to No. 37 Pedro Vives (TCU) in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
 
Hashimoto and Nicolas Kotzen competed in the qualifying singles draw earlier in the week. No. 98 Hashimoto opened singles action Monday with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 52 Iiro Vasa (San Diego) Hashimoto fell in three sets to Corey Craig (Florida State) in the next round. No. 74 Kotzen lost to No. 83 Charlelie Cosnet (Kentucky) in his first qualifying match. Kotzen then fell to Sean Daryabeigi (South Carolina) in a consolation match.
 
The NCAA singles and doubles championships are scheduled to start on Tuesday, November 19 and last until Sunday, November 24 in Waco, Texas.
 
FULL RESULTS
Qualifying Singles
#98 Hugo Hashimoto (Columbia) def. #52 Iiro Vasa (San Diego) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Corey Craig (Florida State) def. #98 Hugo Hashimoto (Columbia) 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
#83 Charlelie Cosnet (Kentucky) def. #74 Nicolas Kotzen (Columbia) 6-4, 6-3
Sean Daryabeigi (South Carolina) def. #74 Nicolas Kotzen (Columbia) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
 
Main Draw Singles
#2 Michael Zheng (Columbia) def. #61 Devin Badenhorst (Baylor) 7-5, 6-2
#2 Michael Zheng (Columbia) #26 Dhakshineswar Suresh (Wake Forest) 7-5, 6-3
#2 Michael Zheng (Columbia) def. #17 JC Roddick (Texas A&M) 6-1, 6-2
#37 Pedro Vives (TCU) def. No. 2 Michael Zheng (Columbia) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
 
Main Draw Doubles
#21 Hugo Hashimoto/Michael Zheng (COL) def. #41 Youcef Rihane/Alex Bulte (FSU) 6-4, 2-6, [10-4]
#21 Hugo Hashimoto/Michael Zheng (COL) def. #1 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez (MSU) 4-6, 7-6(6), [10-8]
#21 Hugo Hashimoto/Michael Zheng (COL) def. #20 Julien Penzlin/Aleksi Lofman (LSU) 7-5, 6-1
Marko Miladinovic/Oskar Brostrom Poulsen (Baylor) def. #21 Hugo Hashimoto/Michael Zheng (COL) 7-5, 7-5
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS
Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men's Tennis by following the Lions on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).