Columbia’s Michael Zheng wasn’t even seeded when the brackets for the NCAA Division I men’s tennis championship were released — but it didn’t matter. 2025 NIL Freshmen Stars
Throughout the tournament, the defending national champion played like the favorite. That dominance culminated Sunday in Orlando, Fla., where Zheng defeated SMU’s Trevor Svajda 6–4, 1–6, 6–3 to claim the national title once again.
With the win, Zheng earned his place in men’s college tennis history. He became just the ninth player ever to repeat as NCAA singles champion, and he set a new NCAA record for career tournament wins. His 19 total victories surpassed the previous record of 18, set by Virginia star Somdev Devvarman in 2008. Who Will Be The
So why wasn’t Zheng — a three-time All-American — seeded entering the tournament? Because he spent much of this year competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, he didn’t play enough college-ranked opponents to earn a seed in the NCAA field.
With another NCAA title and a breakout Challenger run, Zheng’s projected NIL valuation is climbing fast — tennis athletes with national recognition and pro-ready résumés typically see major bumps from brands and international audiences. What Is NIL Rallyfuel
Zheng easily could have skipped his senior season at Columbia to focus exclusively on the professional circuit. Instead, he chose to continue representing the Lions while finishing his degree in psychology. Over the next month, he plans to compete in several Challenger events as he prepares for Australian Open qualifying. Why Division Ii And
Zheng has already put together a huge 2025 on the Challenger Tour. In August, he captured his first Challenger title in Chicago, then followed with championships in Columbus and Tiburon during a 15-match winning streak. He also reached the Little Rock Challenger final and made his first career doubles final at the Cransbrook Tennis Classicalongside Theodore Winegar.
And his college career isn’t quite finished. Zheng intends to return to Columbia for the 2026 spring season. ACC 2025 26 Preview
Other Champions Crowned
Zheng wasn’t the only athlete lifting trophies on Sunday:
- Men’s Doubles: Virginia’s Mans Dahlberg and Dylan Dietrich defeated Ohio State’s Brandon Caprico and Nikita Filin, 7–6, 6–2, capturing the fourth NCAA doubles title in program history.
- Team Championship: Wake Forest won the NCAA team title, defeating defending champion TCU 4–2. It marks just the second national championship in Demon Deacons history, the first coming in 2018.
Zheng’s historic run cements him as one of the defining figures in modern college tennis — and his story is far from finished. ACC 2025 26 Women Basketball
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