College tennis star banned from claiming $150,000 prize money after stunning Seb Korda on Australian Open debut

Two-time NCAA champion Michael Zheng stunned Seb Korda in the first round of the Australian Open.

Korda is a former Australian Open quarter-finalist, but was upset 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-7 6-3 by the college student.

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Zheng, a senior psychology major at Columbia University, won three matches at qualifying to reach the first round.

The 21-year-old considered turning professional after winning his first NCAA title, but wanted to finish his degree first.

Then he won his second college title, becoming the first person to defend it since Steve Johnson in 2011-12.

He plans to finish his college degree in Spring and then will likely have a bright tennis future ahead of him.

Zheng has earned $150,000 in prize money for coming through qualifying and reaching the second round.

However, college tennis rules state that he can only earn a maximum of $10,000 in prize money from tournaments per year.

Work is going on behind the scenes to try and overturn those rules, but even Zheng himself wasn’t sure on what will happen.

Speaking after his Australian Open win, he said: “I feel like it’s gotten blurrier than it used to be in some ways in terms of the line between turning pro and staying in college. 

“I still have one more semester at Columbia, which I do intend to finish. So whenever my run here is done, I’m going back to school.

“I’ll talk to our head coach, try to figure out, you know, what’s the deal with the prize money, if I’m allowed to take it or not.

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“I’ll try to figure that out after the tournament’s over, I think.

“I’ve heard rumors that I’m allowed to take it because it’s my senior spring. But I want to make sure to double check, make sure there’s nothing wrong with eligibility if I take it. I don’t want to get in trouble or anything.

“So yeah, I’ll talk to our head coach, and I’ll try to figure that out after.”

Brantmeier lawsuit

NCAA college tennis star Reese Brantmeier is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit hoping to overturn NCAA rules.

At the moment, tennis players are prohibited from collecting prize money above $10,000 per year at professional tournaments.

Brantmeier, who plays for the University of North Carolina, filed the lawsuit last year calling out the NCAA’s hypocrisy.

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Student-athletes are able to sign name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, but are unable to keep money they win in competition.

The lawsuit will not go on trial until late 2026.

Zheng’s next match

On his win over Korda, Zheng added: “I’m just really happy to get through this match. Definitely not easy, drawing a fellow American and former top 20 player in Sebastian Korda. 

“I was just really happy with the level today. I came out really pretty hot.

“Two sets to love. I was just trying to stay focused and maintain the level. I thought he was serving really well down the stretch of the third and fourth. 

“I was just trying to refocus, it’s the first time playing a five-set match, and just stay focused and try to hold and keep it going.

“So happy to get it done and get into the next round.”

In the second round Zheng will face Frenchman Corentin Moutet.