By Tracy Zwick
Former Columbia Lions tennis star Michael Zheng defeated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in his first U.S. Open main draw appearance Wednesday. He did it in businesslike fashion, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, in front of a crowd that had the warmth of a college reunion – if that reunion was being held in the crucible of one of the world’s most unforgiving sports stages.
What began as a saga for Zheng, originally scheduled to play Tuesday but forced to wait around until the tournament cancelled the match because of rain, ended in a straightforward victory.
Marozsan never had the momentum on his side in this match. Or the crowd.
Zheng hit nine aces and won 92% of points on his first serve, an area where Marozsan struggled, getting just over half, 31 of 50, of his first serves in. Zheng consistently took advantage of break points, converting five of eight, compared to the single break point Marozsan was able to pull off.
It could not have been easy for Marozsan, who’s come up against Zheng twice in the last three weeks. He lost both times in three sets.
Marozsan had no answers on the court or in a short conversation afterward. “He’s doing everything great,” Marozsan said, simply. “He was the better player three weeks ago, and he was better today. I don’t know what to say.”
Throughout the match there were choruses of “Let’s go, Michael!”, a great deal of clapping, and oohs and aahs aplenty. Zheng’s high school and college teammates, their parents, family, friends, and coaches past and present filled the stands with Columbia blue and a joyful, intimate vibe. They provided encouragement to Zheng after rare misses, and explosions after stylish winners and breaks of serve.
“The energy was amazing,” Zheng said to the media after his match. “It felt like a college tennis match. I’m not sure my opponent was ready for it, but … to have that energy,” which he called “through the roof,” and on a packed court – “that was super special.”
Zheng spoke of a childhood dream fulfilled, to play in front of a full house on one of tennis’s grandest stages. A northern New Jersey native, Zheng reflected on how meaningful it was to get his first U.S. Open main draw win at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. “This is a place I grew up training; it’s one of the first places I called home base, so it’s really special to get this first win here in front of my family, friends and teammates.”
Zheng is now No. 97 in the world in the ATP’s live rankings. When asked about the milestone, he described it as a “benchmark,” adding: “If you break the top 100 you can make a living playing tennis. So that’s really special.”
The two-time NCAA champ also spoke of returning to the Upper West Side, “after the tournament’s over,” to “say hi to the team.”
He’s got less than 24 hours to soak in the win. Zheng will play again on Thursday in Round 3. He’ll face China’s Yunchaokete Bu, who stunned the 12th seed, Spain’s Rafael Jodar, on Wednesday.
Zheng’s scheduled to play in the fourth match on Court 12 on Thursday, and will start no earlier than 4 p.m.
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