The Australian Open is in full swing, and the first week has already delivered plenty of surprises. A few seeded players have retired, and a few shock exits have raised the tension around Melbourne Park. Just like that, for Michael Zheng, the opening round turned into a dream start as he faced former quarter-finalist Sebastian Korda. Yet there’s one thing still keeping the young gun from taking the full bag home.

On Sunday, 21-year-old Zheng pulled off a thrilling five-set win over Korda in the first round at Melbourne Park. The young American held his nerve through wild momentum swings to seal the victory 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 6-3—his longest stay yet at the Australian Open. According to the prize money breakdown, coming through qualifying and the opening round should earn him $150,000 (£112,000). But under college tennis rules, Zheng can only take home $10,000 (£5,000).

A senior at Columbia University, Zheng is finishing his final semester even as his tennis career takes off. The Montville, N.J., native made waves last season by lifting three ATP Challenger Tour titles and breaking into the Top 200. He also etched his name in history as the ninth man to win back-to-back NCAA titles, cementing his place as one of college tennis’s brightest young stars.

And though he can’t pocket the full prize money yet, Zheng is all smiles. Although the moment feels almost unreal for a college athlete now living his dream on one of the biggest stages in tennis.

“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,” he said after the match. “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.”

This is a developing story…