FLUSHING, N.Y. – Columbia Men’s Tennis rising junior Michael Zheng has earned a spot in the US Open qualifying draw for the second-straight year after finishing as the runner-up in the NCAA Singles Championships last week.
 
“We are proud of Michael and how he has continued to develop and mature – both on and off the tennis court,” Bidyut K. Goswami Head Coach of Men’s Tennis Howard Endelman ’87CC said. “We are extremely pleased that the USTA has awarded a US Open qualifying wildcard to Michael after his performance this season which culminated in a spot in the finals of the NCAA Individual Championships and a year-end top-10 national ranking.”
 
Zheng continues to be recognized as part of an elite group of Columbia singles tennis players to compete in the US Open. Prior to Zheng, the last Lion to play in the singles qualifying draw or main draw was Phil Williamson ’87CC. Williamson saw action in the main draw of the tournament in 1987, 1991 and 1993. He most recently competed in 1997 as he lost in the qualifying draw. Max Schnur ’15CC is the last Lion to compete in the doubles main draw at the US Open in 2022.
 
Eight other former Lions have played in the qualifying or main draw at the US Open in singles. Evan Ratner ’85CC, Matthew Litsky ’87CC and current Bidyut K. Goswami Head Coach of Men’s Tennis Howard Endelman ’87CC have each participated in the singles qualifying draw.
 
Eric Fromm ’80CC earned a spot in the main draw of the US Open in four different years – 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1983. Vitas Gerulaitis was with the Lions for a stint and lost in the 1979 US Open final to John McEnroe. Rick Fagel ’75CC qualified for a spot in the main draw in 1975 and 1978. Fagel went straight into the main draw in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Henry Bunis ’75CC qualified for the main draw in 1974 before losing the first-round match to Butch Seewagen who was the Columbia tennis coach at the time. Bunis lost in the qualifying draw in 1975 before playing in the main draw in 1976 and 1977. He won his first-round matches in the main draw both years. Jon Molin ’77CC qualified for the main draw after losing in the qualifying draw in 1978.
 
The US Open Qualifying Tournament begins on Monday, August 19. The bracket features 128 individuals fighting for 16 open spots in the 2024 US Open singles field.
 
“The pathway from college to professional tennis is as strong as ever, and these wild cards reflect the USTA’s continued commitment to supporting our top-performing American collegians at the NCAA Division I level,” said USTA Player Development GM Martin Blackman.
 
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