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Michael Zheng: Household’s migration from China to ‘American dream’
The 21-year-old has triumphed in his previous three Challenger outings
October 14, 2025
Natalie Kim
American Michael Zheng is a three-time ATP Challenger Tour champion.
By Grant Thompson
Michael Zheng’s ascent as one of many promising younger People on the ATP Challenger Tour begins along with his household’s migration story.
Earlier than Michael was born, his dad and mom emigrated from Hubei, China, to the US so Zheng’s father, Joe, may pursue a PhD in physics. When the tech growth hit, Joe and his spouse Mei pivoted to careers in IT.
“He determined to enter computer systems, and my mother too,” Zheng instructed ATPTour.com of his dad and mom. “They got here [to the United States] after they have been both late 20s or early 30s, in order that they’ve been within the States for 20 to 30 years now. It’s just like the American dream I assume.”
Upon arrival in the US, Joe started taking part in tennis with buddies and immediately fell in love with the game. That keenness has since developed into watching and supporting Michael chase his personal ‘American dream’ on the tennis court docket. A longtime Roger Federer fan, Joe hoped his son would “play like Roger”, Michael, additionally a Federer fan, recalled with a smile.
Now 21 and a senior at Columbia College, Zheng has already loved a number of milestone victories at each the collegiate {and professional} degree. Final yr, Zheng received the 2024 NCAA singles title, six months faraway from a runner-up end on the identical match, which now could be held in November. Zheng turned the primary Ivy League NCAA singles champion since 1922.
The New Jersey native has made a seamless transition to the ATP Challenger Tour, lifting trophies in Chicago, Columbus and Tiburon in his previous three outings. Along with his newest victory in Tiburon, Zheng joined a prolonged record of People to triumph on the California hard-court occasion. Jack Sock, Sam Querrey and Tommy Paul are among the many elites who’ve received the Tiburon Challenger.
Michael Zheng wins the Tiburon Challenger.” model=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/pictures/information/2025/10/06/15/26/zheng-tiburonch-2025.jpg”>
Michael Zheng is topped champion on the Tiburon Challenger. Credit score: Natalie Kim
In Chicago, Zheng was competing in the principle draw via the ATP Next Gen Accelerator, a programme that goals to extend the event pathway for prime gamers within the American collegiate system to earn direct entry into choose Challenger occasions.
“It’s undoubtedly an excellent useful programme. It offers loads of incentive for gamers to return to school and undergo that pathway,” Zheng mentioned. “You simply get that leap begin out of your profession. You don’t actually need to grind via the Futures — there’s at all times good gamers in Futures as nicely and you’ll lose any time, and it truly is a grind. You must do loads of weeks on the highway earlier than you get to the Challenger degree.
“After which you will have a very good consequence like how I had in Chicago, then hastily your rating is there to get into the principle draw of Challengers by your self. I feel it’s a terrific initiative.”
Zheng is at a career-high World No. 180 on the again of his scorching streak. From his first Challenger look of the season in late Could to now, Zheng has soared greater than 500 spots within the PIF ATP Rankings.
The winner of 15 of his previous 16 matches throughout all ranges, Zheng is balancing that success with teachers. So as to add to that problem, all of Zheng’s Columbia lessons are in individual, forcing him to juggle coursework and journey with out the pliability of on-line studying.
“You discuss to all of your professors and form of really feel out the scenario on what makes essentially the most sense to play,” Zheng mentioned. “You then attempt to make up your work while you’re on the highway and keep up a correspondence together with your professors to verify the whole lot goes okay.”
Luckily, Zheng isn’t any stranger to balancing teachers and tennis. It’s one thing he has been doing since center college, when he usually commuted to the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle.
“I’d go there three days per week. I’d just about miss my final two lessons of center college. My dad and mom talked to the varsity and we made certain that [it would be okay],” mentioned Zheng, who in 2021 received the New Jersey state singles title, representing Delbarton Faculty.
“My mother would decide me up from college, drive me to the bus. I’d take the bus to Port Authority after which I’d take the 7 prepare principally to the tennis centre there. Then I’d make that very same commute again. It was most likely an hour and a half a technique, one thing like that.”
Zheng’s begin in tennis started aged six or seven, lengthy earlier than he made these sacrifices. The New Jersey native would go to the native courts alongside his older sister and father.
“He thought I had some expertise,” Zheng mentioned. “I had some good hand-eye coordination and I used to be capable of make the ball over the web despite the fact that I by no means touched a racquet earlier than. He was tremendous into tennis, had loads of ardour for the game and he needed to see how far he may take it.”
Regardless of Zheng’s preliminary struggles to deal with different children throughout his first yr coaching on the USTA, it was solely a matter of time earlier than the tables turned. By way of all of it, one fixed voice has been vital: Zheng’s father.
“My dad at all times had absolute religion in me that I may find yourself earning profits being an expert tennis participant,” mentioned Zheng, who’s working with coach Ruan Roelofse. “So the each day reinforcement helped me out and gave me the idea that perhaps I’ve a shot at this.”
With each passing week, Zheng continues to show that perhaps into actuality.
