By Tracy Zwick
Michael Zheng, the two-time NCAA tennis champ who graduated from Columbia University in May, has made it to the third round of the US Open. This is the first time Zheng has appeared in the Open’s main draw.
Late Thursday evening, Zheng defeated China’s Yunchaokete Bu, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, under the lights of Court 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, which hosts the US Open.
The two-and-a-half-hour second-round match concluded just after 10 p.m., with an explosion of applause and fist-pumping from the home crowd, which broke into chants of “Michael Zheng” and “Let’s go, Michael” – as they had throughout the match.
Zheng outperformed Bu by every metric. He hit 13 aces compared to Bu’s 8. He won five of eight net points, compared to Bu’s five of eleven. And Zheng hit 48 winners, while Bu hit only 26.
Zheng set the tone for the match with his opening serve: an ace. Despite a wobble in the second set, there was never a time when the tournament’s “Live Likelihood to Win” – found within the Open’s app – favored Bu.
In the tournament’s first round, Zheng defeated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan. With that win, he broke into the top 100 in the live ATP rankings and earned a paycheck of $140,00.
After his win in the second round, Zheng sits at No. 88. If he loses in the next round, he’ll go home from his first main draw appearance with $290,000. If he wins, that goes up to $480,000.
The Montville, New Jersey, native will next face “lucky loser” Arthur Gea of France in the third round on Saturday. Gea lost his final qualifying match against American Nishesh Basavareddy. But when 2022 US Open finalist Casper Ruud withdrew from the tournament with an injury, Gea took his place in the main draw.
Gea defeated American Zachary Svajda on Thursday in four sets to move into the third round.
Zheng’s third-round match will take place on Saturday, with time and court announcement to come.
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