Zheng hoping to graduate to big time in Paris

After four years of hard work and studying at university, it must be disappointing to then miss your graduation ceremony.

Perhaps not, however, if you’re on the cusp of reaching your maiden Roland-Garros main draw. That’s the case for Michael Zheng.

One step away

The 22-year-old put on his light blue gown to honour completing his psychology degree for a snap in front of the Roland-Garros logo, while launching his mortarboard hat into the air.

Ivy League institution Columbia University, New York, holds its ceremonies on Wednesday May 20, shortly after Zheng booked his third-round spot in qualifying in Porte d’Auteuil.

“Unfortunately, I'm missing [the ceremony], but maybe someone will FaceTime me depending on when I play tomorrow. We'll see.”

A robust 7-5, 7-5 passage past Italian Stefano Travaglia put the world No.146 a step away from the main draw.

It’s not too surprising the back-to-back NCAA college tennis champion (2024-25) is making in-roads in Paris.

Zheng won three consecutive ATP Challenger titles last season and into 2026 he navigated through three rounds of qualifying at January's Australian Open. Into the Melbourne main draw and Zheng’s rapid pace and rock solid repertoire helped him topple Sebastian Korda across five sets to mark his Grand Slam debut in style.

“I had a taste of the pro tour and I would just say it's more just bringing that physicality, that level, week in, week out, and match after match,” stated Zheng, the Wimbledon 2022 boys’ singles finalist.

“You can have good runs here and there, but if you're not consistent enough, you won't be able to maintain that level. You have to bring your top level pretty much every week.”

The world No.146’s victory over Travaglia sets up a shot at top seed Jesper de Jong.

“He’s a veteran (Travaglia), been out here for a while, and he's had a lot of success, so I knew he was gonna be a tough match. He's played on the biggest stages, so I'm just happy to do it,’ added Zheng, who was gifted a bunch of flowers at the end.

“I'm surprised to see so many fans out here, and it's been amazing. I hope they keep coming.”

The stateside prodigy hails coach Ruan Roelofse, the previous leader of Chris Eubanks and Aleksander Vukic, for his seismic rise up the rankings.

“I started working with him last summer and that's basically when I started taking off with the pro results. I think I was ranked like 700 something and then all of a sudden through the summer and fall, I'm up to 140, 150, so a lot of credit is to him,” suggested Zheng.

“I think it's just a little bit of everything, doing all the right stuff, [Ruan] giving his insight off, the players he's worked with and his time on tour, just being more professional and being physically stronger. I think everything just started adding up and then we all clicked together.”

Just before leaving college Zheng’s Australian Open heroics meant he was being recognised out and about by his fellow students.

“I was trying to just be low-key. A lot of times we're just at our facility practising, so you don't have that much time on campus. Every now and then, someone would ask for a photo on campus, which is pretty cool.”

On his current trajectory, Zheng might have to get used to the attention.

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