Michael Zheng Advances to French Open Main Draw
5/21/2026 11:43:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Zheng does not drop a set in three qualifying rounds
NEW YORK – Columbia men's tennis alum Michael Zheng ('26CC) defeated Jesper de Jong (7-6, 6-3) to earn a spot in the main draw of the French Open. It is Zheng's second main draw appearance in a Grand Slam.
Fresh off a senior campaign in which he led the Lions to the second round of the NCAA Championships earlier this month, Zheng did not drop a set in three qualifying rounds of the French Open.
Zheng, ranked No. 146 in the latest ATP rankings, opened qualifying play with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Antoine Ghibaudo of France. In the opening set, the two held serve, with Zheng tying the set 4-4. Zheng then broke serve and won the next two games to win the opening set 6-4.
In the second set, Zheng took the opening game. Ghibaudo swung momentum in his favor, breaking Zheng's serve and holding to take a 2-1 lead. But the former Lion rallied back to win the next five games to defeat the young Frenchman 6-2.
In the second round, Zheng faced Italian Stefano Travaglia, who is ranked No. 137 in the ATP rankings. Zheng once again did not lose a set, defeating Travaglia 7-5, 7-5. In the opening set, Zheng jumped out to a 4-1 lead after holding serve in the fifth set.
Travaglia rallied to take the lead in the opening set 5-4. Travaglia's serve played a big role in the Italian's comeback, notching three of his four aces in the first set. Zheng rallied back to win three games and win the opening set 7-5 in 45 minutes.
In the second set, Zheng took a commanding 3-0 lead early. But Travaglia rallied back to tie the set 3-3. The two traded games with Travaglia holding serve to tie the set up 5-5. From there, Zheng put the match away, winning the next two sets.
Zheng punched his ticket to the main draw with a 7-6, 6-3 win over the Netherlands de Jong, the top-ranked player in the qualifying rounds. The Dutch national, ranked No. 109 in the ATP, took a 5-4 lead in the opening set, but Zheng rallied back, taking three-straight points to take the opening set 7-5. In the second set, Zheng held serve midway through to take a 4-2 lead, and he held on 6-3.
This will be Zheng's second appearance in the main draw of a grand slam, in January he advanced to the second round of the Australian Open, where he lost to No. 32 Corentin Moutet of France. He is the first Columbia player to play in a tennis grand slam since Phil Williamson qualified for the US Open in 1993.
Zheng is the first Lion since Vitas Gerulaitis played in the main draw of the French Open in 1985. Gerulaitis appeared in the French Open seven times. He advanced to the finals in 1980, where he lost to champion Björn Borg. Gerulatis played five dual matches as a freshman for the Lions in 1973 before he turned pro.
Zheng returns to the court on Sunday, May 24, in the opening round of the Open. The draw will be announced later this week.
The French Open main draw will be primarily televised in the U.S. on TNT, truTV, and streamed live on Max. Coverage typically begins at 5 a.m. EDT.
Fans can also follow Zheng's progress on the Columbia men's tennis social media platforms on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten), and Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).
Fresh off a senior campaign in which he led the Lions to the second round of the NCAA Championships earlier this month, Zheng did not drop a set in three qualifying rounds of the French Open.
Zheng, ranked No. 146 in the latest ATP rankings, opened qualifying play with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Antoine Ghibaudo of France. In the opening set, the two held serve, with Zheng tying the set 4-4. Zheng then broke serve and won the next two games to win the opening set 6-4.
In the second set, Zheng took the opening game. Ghibaudo swung momentum in his favor, breaking Zheng's serve and holding to take a 2-1 lead. But the former Lion rallied back to win the next five games to defeat the young Frenchman 6-2.
In the second round, Zheng faced Italian Stefano Travaglia, who is ranked No. 137 in the ATP rankings. Zheng once again did not lose a set, defeating Travaglia 7-5, 7-5. In the opening set, Zheng jumped out to a 4-1 lead after holding serve in the fifth set.
Travaglia rallied to take the lead in the opening set 5-4. Travaglia's serve played a big role in the Italian's comeback, notching three of his four aces in the first set. Zheng rallied back to win three games and win the opening set 7-5 in 45 minutes.
In the second set, Zheng took a commanding 3-0 lead early. But Travaglia rallied back to tie the set 3-3. The two traded games with Travaglia holding serve to tie the set up 5-5. From there, Zheng put the match away, winning the next two sets.
Zheng punched his ticket to the main draw with a 7-6, 6-3 win over the Netherlands de Jong, the top-ranked player in the qualifying rounds. The Dutch national, ranked No. 109 in the ATP, took a 5-4 lead in the opening set, but Zheng rallied back, taking three-straight points to take the opening set 7-5. In the second set, Zheng held serve midway through to take a 4-2 lead, and he held on 6-3.
This will be Zheng's second appearance in the main draw of a grand slam, in January he advanced to the second round of the Australian Open, where he lost to No. 32 Corentin Moutet of France. He is the first Columbia player to play in a tennis grand slam since Phil Williamson qualified for the US Open in 1993.
Zheng is the first Lion since Vitas Gerulaitis played in the main draw of the French Open in 1985. Gerulaitis appeared in the French Open seven times. He advanced to the finals in 1980, where he lost to champion Björn Borg. Gerulatis played five dual matches as a freshman for the Lions in 1973 before he turned pro.
Zheng returns to the court on Sunday, May 24, in the opening round of the Open. The draw will be announced later this week.
The French Open main draw will be primarily televised in the U.S. on TNT, truTV, and streamed live on Max. Coverage typically begins at 5 a.m. EDT.
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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