Michael Zheng entered the top 100 for the first time, jumping to No 96 in the live rankings after winning his US Open main-draw debut, a step that reshapes the 22-year-old’s tour prospects.
The Columbia wildcard beat Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on a rain-affected Wednesday in Queens, closing the match in 1 hour 51 minutes on Court 10. Playing in front of college teammates and alumni, Zheng broke serve five times, surrendered his own serve once, and finished with 33 winners and 17 unforced errors. He won 92.3% of his first-serve points, dropping only three of 39.
“It just felt like a college tennis match, really,” Zheng said after the victory, noting the vocal support. “This is a place I grew up training. It was one of the first places that I kind of called home base, actually, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. So it’s really special to get that first main-draw win here and in front of my family, friends and teammates as well.”
Zheng’s rise completes a swift transition from Ivy League standout to Grand Slam contender. He was the first Columbia student-athlete since 1906 to claim the NCAA singles crown in 2024, and he successfully defended that title last November, the first man to do so in 13 years. This season he reached his first Australian Open main draw and beat Sebastian Korda in five sets, progressed through qualifying at Roland Garros, and made the third round at Wimbledon with a win over British No 1 Cameron Norrie. He also graduated from Columbia with a degree in psychology.
Entering Flushing Meadows ranked 107th, Zheng moved to No 96 in the live rankings and acknowledged the practical impact of the milestone. “If you told me at the end of last year that I would play the main draw at all four slams, I probably wouldn’t believe whoever told me that,” he said. “It’s kind of that benchmark, I would say, that players who want to play professionally have. You break the top 100, you can make a living playing tennis now.”
Rain pushed Zheng’s opener back a day and left little room for celebration. He returns on Thursday to face Yunchaokete Bu, the Chinese lucky loser ranked 124th, who produced a lop-sided result by defeating Rafael Jodar 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.
If Zheng supplied Wednesday’s most unexpected result, Ben Shelton produced the marquee American performance. Shelton, the highest-ranked American remaining in the men’s draw, survived a near three-hour match under the Arthur Ashe closed roof, beating Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5. Shelton seized control in the third-set tie-break and held off late pressure in the fourth as Hurkacz chased a comeback.
On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula moved through with a 56-minute win over Sofia Kenin, and Frances Tiafoe also advanced into the third round. With a mix of breakthrough college talent and established professionals progressing, the American contingent remains a meaningful force as the US Open moves into its second week.
