Columbia men's tennis junior Michael Zheng showcased remarkable resilience as he overcame a set down to defeat Georgia's 14th-ranked Thomas Paulsell. This victory not only secures his place in the singles quarterfinal match at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year but also earns him significant recognition.

ITA All-America Honors and Program History

After Zheng's win over Top Nidunjianzan (Princeton) yesterday, he achieved ITA All-America honors for the third straight season. This is a remarkable feat as he becomes the first person in program history to be named an All-American in three consecutive seasons. In fact, he is just the fourth Ivy League tennis player to earn this honor three times, with the last one being Howard Sands from Harvard between 1981-83.

Battle in the NCAA Championships

Paulsell took an early lead by winning the first set, 6-2. However, Zheng demonstrated his tenacity and swung the momentum in his favor. With a critical point at 5-4 in the second set and the game score at 40-40, Zheng held serve and secured a 6-4 second set win. He then capitalized on an early break in the third set and built on that to finish with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. "It was a tough match for sure," Zheng said. "I think (Paulseel) came out playing really solid, not giving any errors and hitting the ball really deep. In the second and third sets, I started serving much better, putting a lot more first serves in and then I was able to dictate some of the points more. Once I got my forehand going, that’s when the match started going my way."

Upcoming Quarterfinal Match

Zheng continues his action at the NCAA Championships on Friday in the quarterfinals against the No. 6 overall seeded Lui Maxted from TCU. The two played earlier this month at the LSU Invitational, where Zheng edged past Maxted in two sets, 7-6(4), 7-6(3). Additionally, Zheng and Maxted teamed up to win the doubles title at the ITF M25 in Southhaven, Mississippi in August. Friday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live scoring available through iOnCourt.

Following the Lions

Stay up to date on all things Columbia Men’s Tennis by following the Lions on X (@CULionsMTEN), Instagram (@culionsmten) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics). This allows fans to stay connected and get the latest updates on the team's performances.