Columbia’s Michael Zheng Wins Second Straight NCAA Singles Title
Columbia senior Michael Zheng became the first men’s tennis player to win back-to-back NCAA singles titles since Steve Johnson of the University of Southern California in 2011 and 2012 this past weekend.
Zheng defeated SMU’s Trevor Svajda 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 on Sunday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, defending his title from 2024 to become just the ninth player in NCAA history to win consecutive titles.
Zheng fell behind 1-3 in the opening set, but broke back against his opponent to bring the set on serve. After both players held serve at 4-4, Zheng broke Svajda for a 5-4 lead, and then proceeded to serve out the opener.
Svajda would respond in the second set, winning four straight games from 2-1 up to win 6-1 and force the championship into a deciding third set.
In the decider, Zheng got a key break to go ahead 4-2, before consolidating the break to build a 5-2 lead. Svajda would hold serve, but Zheng stepped to the service line with the championship in his sights. He held serve to seal the victory, and claim his second consecutive national title.
Zheng becomes the ninth player in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles, dating back to 1938 when the NCAA first started sponsoring men’s tennis. The list includes Frank Guernsey from Rice (1938, ’39), Miami’s Francisco Segura (1943, ’44, ’45), Tulane’s Hamilton Richardson (1953, ’54), USC’s Dennis Ralston (1963, ’64), Georgia’s Mikael Pernfors (1984, ’85) and Matias Boeker (2001, ’02), Virginia’s Devvarman (2007, ’08) and USC’s Johnson (2011, ’12).
