Tennis really does never stop and that has been proven since the conclusion of the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz was crowned Australian Open champion for the first time in his career this year, making him the youngest man in history to have completed the Career Slam.
While in the women’s singles draw, Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka to win her second Grand Slam title.
The eventual champions are understandably the main talking points from the tournament, but there were also some other breakthrough stars in Melbourne.
This includes an American player, who has since returned to play college tennis after winning his first Grand Slam match at the Australian Open.
Michael Zheng loses college match after Australian Open breakthrough
The Australian Open saw some players win their first ever Grand Slam match, which was certainly the case for Michael Zheng.
Zheng is a two-time NCAA singles champion, and came through qualifying to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time.
In his first round match in Melbourne, Zheng would take on his compatriot and former Australian Open quarterfinalist Sebastian Korda.
Despite being the underdog, Zheng would beat Korda, 6-4 6-4 3-6 6(0)-7 6-3, to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
Zheng was unable to continue this run after retiring in his second match against Corentin Moutet, but he received very high praise for his performances in Melbourne, including from Tommy Paul, who called him ‘impressive’.
Although he is now ranked inside the top 150 of the ATP rankings, Zheng is continuing to play college tennis for Columbia University.
This included Columbia’s latest tie against Michigan, where Zheng participated in both singles and doubles.
Despite being the highest profile player in the tie, Zheng was beaten by Swedish player Max Dahlin, 6-4 3-6 6-3.
Dahlin and his partner Pierce Shaya also beat Zheng and Nicolas Kotzen in a doubles match, but Columbia were still able to win the tie.
What is next for Michael Zheng?
Zheng may not have got the result he would have wanted in college, but the 22-year-old is now set to return to make his ATP Tour debut.
Following his performances at the Australian Open, Zheng has received a wildcard for the ATP 500 tournament in Dallas.
This is the first time Zheng has played in the main draw of an ATP tournament, and he will actually play Korda in the first round once again.
If Zheng is able to beat Korda like he did at the Australian Open then he could have a potential second round match against eighth seed Frances Tiafoe.
It could be a significant week for Zheng, as he looks to move closer towards the top 100, but he may actually not be able to claim his prize money due to his college commitments.
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