Michael Zheng endured an arduous journey to compete at Flushing Meadows.
He was too young to drive, too far away to be chauffeured, and too determined to forgo the opportunity after earning selection to train at the prestigious Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center, home of the U.S. Open.
Three times per week, Zheng’s mother collected him from school in northern New Jersey and delivered him to a nearby bus stop, where he boarded transportation to Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. The young boy navigated the chaotic, dimly lit, grimy, and overwhelming station on Eighth Avenue before transferring to the 7 train for an additional leg of his commute.
However, following a one-way trek of approximately two hours spanning 40 miles, the aspiring athlete arrived at the shadow of Louis Armstrong Stadium.