By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
In nearly four seasons at Columbia University, Michael Zheng has already had numerous highlights in his competitive tennis career.
The Montville, New Jersey, native won back-to-back NCAA singles titles in the fall edition of the tournament in 2024 and 2025 after finishing second in singles as a sophomore in 2023. The 2026 Australian Open was not only his debut in a main draw at a Grand Slam event, but also his first appearance at the ATP Tour main draw level.
However, one highlight that almost every tennis player who competes at the professional level never forgets is the first professional ranking point. For Zheng, he earned his first ATP ranking point at the 2021 Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships $15,000 USTA Pro Circuit event in Vero Beach, Florida.
After his historic 2025 NCAA singles title at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida, Zheng reflected on the tournament in which he earned his first victory as first in the ATP Tour singles rankings.
“I don’t remember the specific match point, but I think I played against Reece Falck,” Zheng said. “I think it was even sentences, maybe 75 63 or something like that. But yeah, of course I remember.”
For the record, Zheng defeated Falck, a qualifier from New Zealand ranked No. 1,758 in ATP singles, 7-5, 6-1. Zheng was granted entry to the event as a wildcard by the USTA. He lost in the second round to fellow American Zeke Clark.
“It’s your first ATP points, kind of a starting block for your professional career, and then you get the chance to compete in the professional tournaments,” Zheng said of the importance of collecting that first ATP ranking point. “But yeah, it was a fantastic tournament. It was a great place to get my first ATP point and start my professional career, so to speak.”