Zheng cruises – Zheng secured a straight-sets win over Italian Stefano Travaglia at Roland-Garros 2026, moving one step closer to the main draw and setting up a possible matchup with top seed Jesper de Jong.
When Zheng stepped through his match in Paris, it didn’t look like a detour. It looked like momentum—measured, confident, and hard to stop.
Zheng earned a robust 7-5, 7-5 passage past Italian Stefano Travaglia, putting the world No.146 a step away from the main draw.
The win matters not just because it advances him in this moment, but because of where it comes from. Zheng is a back-to-back NCAA college tennis champion from 2024-25, and he has been steadily translating that grind into the pro circuit.
Last season, Zheng won three consecutive ATP Challenger titles. Into 2026, he navigated through three rounds of qualifying at January’s Australian Open, landing in the Melbourne main draw. There. his pace and rock-solid repertoire helped him topple Sebastian Korda across five sets to mark his Grand Slam debut in style.
Zheng described the shift in terms of the day-to-day demands. “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. “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.”.
Now, in Paris, that belief has brought him to the next threshold. His victory over Travaglia sets up a shot at top seed Jesper de Jong.
Roland-Garros 2026 Zheng Stefano Travaglia Jesper de Jong Sebastian Korda Australian Open qualifying ATP Challenger NCAA tennis