MICHAEL ZHENG is forbidden from walking away with a huge payday despite pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history.
The Columbia University student, 21, sealed a stunning win over Seb Korda in the first round of the Australian Open.
Zheng only booked his place in the main draw after winning three qualifiers.
And the psychology student notched a shock victory over former Australian Open quarter-finalist Korda in five sets.
But Zheng has been banned from claiming his £75,000 prize money for coming through qualifying and reaching the second round.
Rules state that he can only earn a maximum of £5,000 from tournaments each year while he is at university.
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After his statement Australian Open win, Zheng revealed that he will hold talks with his head coach to see if he can pocket the cash.
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 what’s the deal with the prize money, if I’m allowed to take it or not.
“I’ll try to figure that out after the tournament’s over, I think.
“I’ve heard rumours 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.
“I’ll talk to our head coach, and I’ll try to figure that out after.”
Demands are being made behind the scenes for tennis chiefs to change the rules over forking out prize money.
Zheng, who is planning to finish his degree in the spring, became the first back-to-back NCAA champion since Steve Johnson last November.
The American will now face French star Corentin Moutet in the second round of the Australian Open.
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