Photo by: Eric Espada/USTA
Michael Zheng Advances to Qualifying Final
1/12/2026 9:51:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Four time All-American moves one step closer to Australian Open Main Draw
UPDATE: 1/14/26
MELBOURNE – Columbia men's tennis senior Michael Zheng moves one step closer to the main draw after defeating Tomas Barios Vera of Chile, 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open Qualifier.
Barrios Vera took the early momentum in the match, breaking Zheng's serve to go up 1-0. He then held serve to take a 2-0 lead before the four-time All-American rallied back to win the next four games to take a 4-2 lead in the first. He held on to capture the opening set 6-4.
In the second set, the two battled, with Barios Vera coming out on top 7-6(7-5). The winner came off an unforced error by Zheng, one of 14 in the set. He finished with 32 for the match.
In the third and final set, Zheng took over. After both players held serve, Zheng led 3-2 early when he took control of the set and the match. He broke Vera Barios' serve to make it 4-2 and went on to close it out, winning the final two games.
With the win, Zheng advances to the Qualifying Final, where he will face Slovakian Lukas Klein. That match is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET on Court 14.
The Australian Open qualifying rounds will be streamed primarily through ESPN+. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress on the Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten), and Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
NEW YORK – Columbia men's tennis senior and two-time NCAA singles national champion, Michael Zheng, will make his debut at the Australian Open, competing in the qualifying draw when he takes on Australian Cruz Hewitt tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.
According to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Zheng is one of 41 tournament entrants with collegiate experience; he is one of just two active players. The other being, Pepperdine's Edward Winter, who earned a wildcard entry due to his Australian citizenship.
This will be Zheng's fourth time competing in a Grand Slam tournament; he has qualified for the qualifying rounds of the US Open three, most recently in 2025. The Montville, N.J. native currently boasts an ATP ranking of 172, which is how he gained entry to the Australian Open.
Zheng's climb in the ATP standings began in August when he defeated Chinese Taipei's Hsu Yu-hsiou 6-4, 6-2 at the Chicago ATP Challenger. He followed that up with back-to-back ATP Challenger wins at the Columbus Challenger and Tiburon Challenger in September.
Playing in his final tuneup prior to the Australian Open, Zheng advanced to the semifinals of the Noumea ATP Challenger in Noumea, New Caledonia last week. There he fell to France's Arthur Gea in three sets.
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
The Australian Open qualifying rounds will be streamed primarily through ESPN+. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress through Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
MELBOURNE – Columbia men's tennis senior Michael Zheng moves one step closer to the main draw after defeating Tomas Barios Vera of Chile, 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open Qualifier.
Barrios Vera took the early momentum in the match, breaking Zheng's serve to go up 1-0. He then held serve to take a 2-0 lead before the four-time All-American rallied back to win the next four games to take a 4-2 lead in the first. He held on to capture the opening set 6-4.
In the second set, the two battled, with Barios Vera coming out on top 7-6(7-5). The winner came off an unforced error by Zheng, one of 14 in the set. He finished with 32 for the match.
In the third and final set, Zheng took over. After both players held serve, Zheng led 3-2 early when he took control of the set and the match. He broke Vera Barios' serve to make it 4-2 and went on to close it out, winning the final two games.
With the win, Zheng advances to the Qualifying Final, where he will face Slovakian Lukas Klein. That match is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET on Court 14.
The Australian Open qualifying rounds will be streamed primarily through ESPN+. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress on the Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten), and Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
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MELBOURNE – Columbia men's tennis senior Michael Zheng has advanced to the second round of the Australian Open qualifying round after a 6-3, 6-3 win over Australia's Cruz Hewitt. Zheng will take on Chile's Tomas Barrios Vera (No. 107 ATP) on Court 7. First serve is slated for 10:30 p.m.
In the opening round, Zheng took on Hewitt, the son of former world No. 1-ranked player Lleyton Hewitt. After trailing 3-2 in the opening set, Zheng broke Hewitt's serve to tie the match up 3-3. From there, Zheng took over, winning the first set 6-3 after once again breaking Hewitt's serve. In the second set, Zheng's experience took over, quickly jumping out to a 4-1 lead against the 17-year-old who entered the tournament ranked No. 734 in the latest ATP ranking.
With Zheng leading 4-3 in the second set, he put the match away, taking games eight and nine. The match-winning point game on a forehand smash across the court.
In the opening round, Zheng took on Hewitt, the son of former world No. 1-ranked player Lleyton Hewitt. After trailing 3-2 in the opening set, Zheng broke Hewitt's serve to tie the match up 3-3. From there, Zheng took over, winning the first set 6-3 after once again breaking Hewitt's serve. In the second set, Zheng's experience took over, quickly jumping out to a 4-1 lead against the 17-year-old who entered the tournament ranked No. 734 in the latest ATP ranking.
With Zheng leading 4-3 in the second set, he put the match away, taking games eight and nine. The match-winning point game on a forehand smash across the court.
Barrios advanced to the second round after defeating France's Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in the first round on Monday.
The Australian Open qualifying rounds will be streamed primarily through ESPN+. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress through Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
The Australian Open qualifying rounds will be streamed primarily through ESPN+. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress through Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
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NEW YORK – Columbia men's tennis senior and two-time NCAA singles national champion, Michael Zheng, will make his debut at the Australian Open, competing in the qualifying draw when he takes on Australian Cruz Hewitt tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.
According to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), Zheng is one of 41 tournament entrants with collegiate experience; he is one of just two active players. The other being, Pepperdine's Edward Winter, who earned a wildcard entry due to his Australian citizenship.
This will be Zheng's fourth time competing in a Grand Slam tournament; he has qualified for the qualifying rounds of the US Open three, most recently in 2025. The Montville, N.J. native currently boasts an ATP ranking of 172, which is how he gained entry to the Australian Open.
Zheng's climb in the ATP standings began in August when he defeated Chinese Taipei's Hsu Yu-hsiou 6-4, 6-2 at the Chicago ATP Challenger. He followed that up with back-to-back ATP Challenger wins at the Columbus Challenger and Tiburon Challenger in September.
Playing in his final tuneup prior to the Australian Open, Zheng advanced to the semifinals of the Noumea ATP Challenger in Noumea, New Caledonia last week. There he fell to France's Arthur Gea in three sets.
FOLLOWING THE ACTION
The Australian Open qualifying rounds will be streamed primarily through ESPN+. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress through Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
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