Michael Zheng beat Stefano Travaglia 7-5, 7-5 to reach the final round of Roland‑Garros qualifying and is set to face top seed Jesper de Jong for a place in the French Open singles draw.
The 22‑year‑old, ranked world No. 146, has arrived at Roland‑Garros on the back of a string of results that have transformed his season: three consecutive ATP Challenger titles last season, three rounds of qualifying at the Australian Open in January 2026 and, in his Grand Slam debut, a five‑set victory over Sebastian Korda at Melbourne Park. "He’s a veteran (Travaglia), been out here for a while, and he's had a lot of success, so I knew he was gonna be a tough match. He's played on the biggest stages, so I'm just happy to do it," Zheng said after the win.
That victory in qualifying mattered for more than the scoreline. The French Open singles main draw begins Sunday, May 24, and the USTA announced that 37 Americans will compete in the singles fields — 18 men and 19 women — the most since 39 Americans in 1995. A final qualifying win would put Zheng in position to join that total and continue a breakout 18 months that began after he started working with coach Ruan Roelofse last summer.
Zheng has also been juggling life beyond the tour: he completed his psychology degree at Columbia University in New York but missed Columbia's May 20 graduation ceremonies because he was playing in Paris. "Unfortunately, I'm missing [the ceremony], but maybe someone will FaceTime me depending on when I play tomorrow. We'll see," he said.
His rise has been rapid. Zheng traced much of the improvement to Roelofse: "I started working with him last summer and that's basically when I started taking off with the pro results. I think I was ranked like 700 something and then all of a sudden through the summer and fall, I'm up to 140, 150, so a lot of credit is to him," he said, crediting coaching, greater professionalism and physical gains for the leap up the rankings.
That backstory helps explain why Zheng's showdown with de Jong carries weight. He was the Wimbledon 2022 boys’ singles finalist, is the back‑to‑back NCAA college champion for 2024 and 2025, and his form in January — navigating three qualifying rounds and then winning a five‑set main‑draw match at the Australian Open — proved he can carry momentum into the biggest events. "I had a taste of the pro tour and I would just say it's more just bringing that physicality, that level, week in, week out, and match after match," he said.
There is friction beneath the momentum. Zheng's own assessment undercuts a simple success story: "You can have good runs here and there, but if you're not consistent enough, you won't be able to maintain that level. You have to bring your top level pretty much every week." The challenge is immediate: veteran Travaglia was a stern test, and Jesper de Jong — the top seed in qualifying — will be a different kind of opponent, a high seed who stands between Zheng and the main draw.
If Zheng carries the same blend of physicality and newly professional routine that pushed him from the 700s into the 140–150 range, he is well placed to win the next match and add his name to a large American presence in Paris. He sounded buoyant after the win and aware of the moment: "I'm surprised to see so many fans out here, and it's been amazing. I hope they keep coming." For Zheng, the choice to miss a graduation ceremony for a shot at Roland‑Garros is no longer hypothetical — it is the next serve in a career that is moving fast.
