Michael Mmoh, son of former top Nigerian tennis player Tony Mmoh, has zoomed into the third round of the 2023 Australian Open.
Mmoh defeated German number one Alexander Zeverev, a former world number two, seeded 12th at the event. Mmoh won 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to set up a Saturday clash with American JJ Wolf.
Thursday’s defeat followed two defeats at the recent United Cup, Zverev’s first ATP matches since tearing ankle ligaments at the French Open in June.
A planned return at the Davis Cup in September failed to materialise when the 25-year-old pulled out after experiencing “extreme pain.”
It’s just the first time in Mmoh’s career that he has made it to the third round of any major.
It was a disappointing outcome in what was Zverev’s first major since making the semi-finals at last year’s French Open.
Born in Saudi Arabia, where he lived until the age of 13, Mmoh has both Irish and Nigerian ancestry.
Mmoh’s father, Tony, represented Nigeria and reached a career-high ranking of 105.
According to Complete Sports, Mmoh’s mother was born in Ireland and is also an Australian citizen. His parents named him after basketball superstar Michael Jordan.
Mmoh began playing tennis at age three and trains at the IMG Academy in Florida.
Mmoh peaked in the Boy’s Junior rankings at No. 2 after reaching the semifinals at the 2015 Junior French Open.
He won the 2016 USTA 18s Boys’ National Championship to earn a wild card into the main draw of the US Open.
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