ORLANDO, Fla. – Columbia men’s tennis senior Michael Zheng begins his title defense on Tuesday in the opening round of the NCAA Singles Championships. Zheng, the 2024 NCAA Singles Champion, looks to become the first four-time All-American in men’s tennis in Ivy League history. 

Zheng qualified for the NCAA Championships in singles play after advancing to the semifinals of the ITA Conference Masters in San Diego on November 9. Playing in just his second match of the season for the Lions, he opened the tournament with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Mikalai Bankou. 

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In the quarterfinals, Zheng faced off against Elon’s Velkjo Krstic. Zheng battled his way to a tight win in the opening set, winning 7-6(7-6). He made quick work of Krstic in the second set, winning 6-1.

The three-time All-American will become the Ivy League’s first four-time All-American if he can advance to the round of 16 on Thursday. Zheng has appeared in the championship match in two-straigth years after coming up short in 2024. Last fall, he defeated Michigan State’s Ozan Baris 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to claim the 2024 singles crown. 

Zheng became Columbia’s first NCAA singles champion in the modern era and is the first Lion to win a singles title since Robert LeRoy won the title in both 1904 and 1906. Zheng is the first men’s singles champion from an Ivy League school since Lucien Williams (Yale) won a title in 1922.

The tournament will take place at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., and a total of 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams have qualified. Brackets were released on Saturday, November 15, at 6 p.m. ET on the NCAA tournament page. 

Singles matches begin on Tuesday, November 18, with doubles starting on Wednesday, November 19. One round of play will take place each day of the tournament, with the championship matches for both singles and doubles scheduled for Sunday, November 23.

LIVE COVERAGE

All matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast by Cracked Racquets. Live video from the courts will be available HERE. 

FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS

Singles

Michael Zheng (COL) vs. Hugo Car (South Florida) – 9 a.m. ET Tuesday

FOLLOWING THE LIONS

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