Photo by: Eric Espada/USTA
Michael Zheng Advances to Australian Open Main Draw
1/15/2026 9:29:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Zheng becomes the first Columbia tennis player to play in a Grand Slam since 1993
MELBOURNE – Columbia men's tennis senior Michael Zheng defeated Slovakian Lukas Klein in three sets, 4-6, 6-3,6-6 (12-10) to earn a spot in the main draw of the Australian Open.
Much like he did all qualifying, Zheng had a slow start to Thursday morning's match. Klein, ranked No. 136 in the ATP rankings, broke serve to take a 5-4 lead in the first and held serve to capture the first set 6-4.
Early in the second set, the two players held serve to tie the set up 3-3. That's when Zheng took the momentum. A wave of unforced errors plagued Klein, allowing Zheng to break serve and take the lead. The native of Monteville, N.J. would go on to capture the second set 6-3.
Errors played a crucial role in Zheng's comeback. Klein hit into 50 unforced errors in the match, 22 in the second set alone. Zheng countered by hitting just 29 unforced errors on the evening in total.
With the match tied at a set apiece, the third set proved to be a roller coaster. Zheng led the set 6-5 before Klein held serve to tie it up at 6-6. In the tiebreaker, Zheng once again jumped out front 7-1 before having to save match point. Trailing 10-9 in the tiebreaker, Zheng smashed an ace, his 10th of the match, to tie it up at 10-10. From there, Zheng put the match away with back-to-back forehand winners.
Zheng, the two-time NCAA singles national champion, becomes the first player from Columbia to play in a tennis singles main draw grand slam since Phil Williamson qualified for the US Open in 1993.
Zheng will also be the first Lion to play in the Australian Open since Vitas Gerulaitis in 1984. Gerulaitis, who won the Australian singles title in 1977 and reached a career high of No. 3 in 1978, played five dual matches as a freshman for the Lions in 1973 before he turned pro.
Zheng returns to the court on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. ET when he faces American Sebastian Korda (ranked No. 51 ATP) in the opening round.
The Australian Open main draw will be primarily televised in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN2, with extensive live streaming on ESPN+ for all courts. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress on the Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten), and Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Much like he did all qualifying, Zheng had a slow start to Thursday morning's match. Klein, ranked No. 136 in the ATP rankings, broke serve to take a 5-4 lead in the first and held serve to capture the first set 6-4.
Early in the second set, the two players held serve to tie the set up 3-3. That's when Zheng took the momentum. A wave of unforced errors plagued Klein, allowing Zheng to break serve and take the lead. The native of Monteville, N.J. would go on to capture the second set 6-3.
Errors played a crucial role in Zheng's comeback. Klein hit into 50 unforced errors in the match, 22 in the second set alone. Zheng countered by hitting just 29 unforced errors on the evening in total.
With the match tied at a set apiece, the third set proved to be a roller coaster. Zheng led the set 6-5 before Klein held serve to tie it up at 6-6. In the tiebreaker, Zheng once again jumped out front 7-1 before having to save match point. Trailing 10-9 in the tiebreaker, Zheng smashed an ace, his 10th of the match, to tie it up at 10-10. From there, Zheng put the match away with back-to-back forehand winners.
Zheng, the two-time NCAA singles national champion, becomes the first player from Columbia to play in a tennis singles main draw grand slam since Phil Williamson qualified for the US Open in 1993.
Zheng will also be the first Lion to play in the Australian Open since Vitas Gerulaitis in 1984. Gerulaitis, who won the Australian singles title in 1977 and reached a career high of No. 3 in 1978, played five dual matches as a freshman for the Lions in 1973 before he turned pro.
Zheng returns to the court on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. ET when he faces American Sebastian Korda (ranked No. 51 ATP) in the opening round.
The Australian Open main draw will be primarily televised in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN2, with extensive live streaming on ESPN+ for all courts. Fans can also follow Zheng's progress on the Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten), and Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
Highlights: MTEN | National Championship Highlights
Sunday, November 23
Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on winning the NCAA singles championship
Sunday, November 24
Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to the singles final at NCAA Championships
Saturday, November 23
Postgame: MTEN | Michael Zheng on advancing to semifinals at NCAA Championships
Friday, November 22
