In his final match for the Green Wave, junior Michael Zhang played a nearly perfect match on Thursday, June 17, defeating Nicolas Kotzen from Newark Academy 6-1, 6-0 for his first state singles title, and the first NJSIAA state singles title in Delbarton history!

Zheng and Kotzen are no strangers to each other, having faced each other three times before Thursday's state final.  Earlier in the year, Zheng defeated Kotzen at the Newark Academy Invitational and the North Jersey Non-Public final, while Kotzen defeated Zheng at the Bryan Bennett Tournament in May.  "That's the best he played all year long," Coach John Thompson said. "He was aggressive and he finished points. The two matches leading into this, I thought he was a little tentative, but he still won. This was the Michael Zheng we all know. He raised his level. That's the best he's played."

Zheng is currently ranked as the No. 1 player in New Jersey and No. 3 in the country in the 2022 class made easy work of Kotzen with only two unforced errors the entire match.  "Overall, I just think I played well," says Zheng.  "I didn't have many errors, I returned the ball well, I served well under pressure, and I didn't miss much. Every ball was deep. He gave me a few errors on some crucial points. It could have been closer. There were a lot of deuce games, but I played solid."  After the match, Zheng confirmed that this would be his last appearance for the Delbarton Green Wave.  Michael announced he will be transferring to Dwight Global Online School and focusing on various tournaments and matches with the USTA.  "He's a class act," Thompson said. "When you have a guy who is as talented as he is, usually other things come with it. He's the nicest kid, a great leader, and the team thrived off of him. You can't ask for anything else from him. His character is fantastic and he always works his tail off. He never missed a thing for us. Sometimes kids like him will miss stuff with other tournaments. He did everything for Delbarton."  

"To win here today," Zheng said, "it's a good way to end it.  My name is going to be here in the banners and the record books.  It's amazing."

Thank you to Michael for his hard work and dedication the last three years to the Delbarton Green Wave tennis program.  We wish you nothing but the best of luck and look forward to seeing you play at Arthur Ashe Stadium one day soon!