diff --git a/packages/zone.js/lib/zone-spec/fake-async-test.ts b/packages/zone.js/lib/zone-spec/fake-async-test.ts
index 625b9a7763..661dc08e39 100644
--- a/packages/zone.js/lib/zone-spec/fake-async-test.ts
+++ b/packages/zone.js/lib/zone-spec/fake-async-test.ts
@@ -136,11 +136,12 @@
       }
     }
 
-    tick(millis: number = 0, doTick?: (elapsed: number) => void, tickOptions: {
+    tick(millis: number = 0, doTick?: (elapsed: number) => void, tickOptions?: {
       processNewMacroTasksSynchronously: boolean
-    } = {processNewMacroTasksSynchronously: true}): void {
+    }): void {
       let finalTime = this._currentTime + millis;
       let lastCurrentTime = 0;
+      tickOptions = Object.assign({processNewMacroTasksSynchronously: true}, tickOptions);
       // we need to copy the schedulerQueue so nested timeout
       // will not be wrongly called in the current tick
       // https://github.com/angular/angular/issues/33799
diff --git a/packages/zone.js/test/zone-spec/fake-async-test.spec.ts b/packages/zone.js/test/zone-spec/fake-async-test.spec.ts
index 6c7b82ed68..eae4658cb9 100644
--- a/packages/zone.js/test/zone-spec/fake-async-test.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/zone.js/test/zone-spec/fake-async-test.spec.ts
@@ -145,6 +145,20 @@ describe('FakeAsyncTestZoneSpec', () => {
          });
        }));
 
+    it('should default to processNewMacroTasksSynchronously if providing other flags', () => {
+      function nestedTimer(callback: () => any): void {
+        setTimeout(() => setTimeout(() => callback()));
+      }
+      fakeAsyncTestZone.run(() => {
+        const callback = jasmine.createSpy('callback');
+        nestedTimer(callback);
+        expect(callback).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        testZoneSpec.tick(0, null, {});
+        expect(callback).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      });
+    });
+
+
     it('should not queue new macro task on tick with processNewMacroTasksSynchronously=false',
        () => {
          function nestedTimer(callback: () => any): void {