Photo by: AP
Michael Zheng’s Run at the Australian Open Comes to an End
1/21/2026 10:06:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Men’s tennis senior retires in the fourth set
MELBOURNE – Columbia men's tennis senior Michael Zheng's amazing run at the Australian Open came to an end in the second round, as he fell to No. 32 Corentin Moutet of France. Zheng, the native of Montville, N.J., was trailing 6-3, 1-6, 3-6, 0-2 before he retired with an injury.
Playing in just his second career Grand Slam match, Zheng could not have gotten off to a better start, going up 3-0 in the first set. Up 2-0, Zheng dug himself out of a love-30 deficit and held serve to take a commanding lead in the first.
Moutet held serve to make it 3-1 before Zheng won all four points in game five, 4-1. In game six, Moutet continued to struggle with his serve, recording three double faults, allowing Zheng to take a 5-1 lead. After Moutet won back-to-back sets, Zheng finished off the set, winning 6-3 in the first.
Errors played a crucial role in the second round match. In the first set, Moutet had five double faults and hit 13 unforced errors. Beginning in the second set, that changed. After hitting just seven errors in the first, Zheng hit 15 the remainder of the match, while Moutet had only nine.
With the second set tied 1-1, Moutet took control, winning five straight games to win the set 6-1. He carried that momentum over into the third, winning two more sets to go up 2-0. He eventually won that set 6-3.
Between sets three and four, Zheng took a medical timeout, but returned to the court to begin the fourth set. Moutet won both those games and was leading 2-0 when Zheng retired from the match.
Zheng becomes the first Columbia men's tennis player to reach the main draw of a singles at a major since Phil Williamson qualified for the US Open in 1993.
The back-to-back NCAA singles national champion and four-time All-American will return to Columbia later this week and join the 10th-ranked men's tennis team. The Lions host Illinois, Florida, and Kentucky Friday and Saturday for the ITA Kickoff at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center.
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).
Playing in just his second career Grand Slam match, Zheng could not have gotten off to a better start, going up 3-0 in the first set. Up 2-0, Zheng dug himself out of a love-30 deficit and held serve to take a commanding lead in the first.
Moutet held serve to make it 3-1 before Zheng won all four points in game five, 4-1. In game six, Moutet continued to struggle with his serve, recording three double faults, allowing Zheng to take a 5-1 lead. After Moutet won back-to-back sets, Zheng finished off the set, winning 6-3 in the first.
Errors played a crucial role in the second round match. In the first set, Moutet had five double faults and hit 13 unforced errors. Beginning in the second set, that changed. After hitting just seven errors in the first, Zheng hit 15 the remainder of the match, while Moutet had only nine.
With the second set tied 1-1, Moutet took control, winning five straight games to win the set 6-1. He carried that momentum over into the third, winning two more sets to go up 2-0. He eventually won that set 6-3.
Between sets three and four, Zheng took a medical timeout, but returned to the court to begin the fourth set. Moutet won both those games and was leading 2-0 when Zheng retired from the match.
Zheng becomes the first Columbia men's tennis player to reach the main draw of a singles at a major since Phil Williamson qualified for the US Open in 1993.
The back-to-back NCAA singles national champion and four-time All-American will return to Columbia later this week and join the 10th-ranked men's tennis team. The Lions host Illinois, Florida, and Kentucky Friday and Saturday for the ITA Kickoff at the Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center.
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).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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