Overview
Duke repeated its success from a year ago with another trip to the Round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. The team steadily improved from the beginning of the season, and its veteran leadership and stellar doubles play shone through in the latter stages in the year.
The Blue Devils started out the season with a tough non-conference schedule, including a stretch of five losses in eight matches in February. Many of these were on the road and in difficult environments, but Duke still struggled to find its footing.
However, head coach Ramsey Smith’s squad bounced back in conference play, earning a 9-3 record in a tough ACC. The Blue Devils got much better in doubles, consistently winning the all-important doubles point to start off matches.
Redshirt senior Garrett Johns and sophomore Pedro Rodenas led the team throughout the season, with elite play at the top doubles line — rising to No. 1 in the country — and anchoring the top two courts in singles. Graduates Michael Heller and Andrew Zhang, who have played doubles together for five years, overcame injuries from last season to develop into a strong team at the second doubles line.
Additionally, Smith noted that senior Faris Khan played some of the best tennis of his career in both singles and doubles, especially at the tail end of the season.
Duke lost to Virginia in the ACC tournament for the second straight year, but positioned itself well to host an NCAA Regional once again. The Blue Devils breezed through their Regional, only losing one match in wins against UNC Asheville and Alabama.
However, Duke got swept by TCU 4-0 in a tough Round of 16 matchup. The Horned Frogs went on to win the National Championship, making that two straight champions to defeat the Blue Devils in the Sweet 16. Johns and Rodenas qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships as well, winning two matches before falling in the quarterfinals. - Ranjan Jindal
Results relative to expectations
It’s difficult to say if Duke amassed its lofty expectations — virtually no one expected the Blue Devils to be realistic contenders for a National Championship, yet it felt as if the squad did not make it to the third round, the year would be a disappointment. In terms of how far this talented roster went in the NCAA tournament, Duke fell right on par. However, there are no doubt some milestones that the Blue Devils wished to achieve.
The first and most notable missed opportunity was beating Virginia. The Cavaliers are a tennis powerhouse, and Duke has yet to crack their code. After dropping three matchups against Virginia last year, the Blue Devils lost both of their matches against the Cavaliers in 2024, including in the ACC tournament semifinals.
On an individual level, Johns excelled yet again on Duke’s first court, and Rodenas remained steady but did not take a leap as a sophomore on court two. As a pairing, the two formed Duke’s top doubles team that rose to as high as the top-ranked pairing nationally, far exceeding expectations. Zhang, the Blue Devils’ third singles player, notched victories in five of his last six finished matches.
In 2024, Duke gained valuable experience and played in countless high-stakes matches. Nonetheless, it failed to bypass the Round of 16 and capture a conference title. From that perspective the Blue Devils likely failed their own expectations, but overall, the season must be viewed as a success. - Garrett Spooner
Best win
When searching for this squad’s best win, it’s hard to look past its April 12 matchup at Wake Forest. Duke came into that afternoon on a five match winning streak, and the seventh-ranked Demon Deacons were the next victim to fall.
Heller and Zhang bested Wake Forest’s No. 2 doubles pairing of Matthew Thomas and Filippo Moroni to start off the matchup. Next, the then-No. 3 doubles pairing of Johns and Rodenas took down No. 1 pair Holden Koons and Suresh Ekambaram 7-6 to secure the doubles point for the Blue Devils. On the singles side, Johns grabbed one of his biggest victories of the season, taking down No. 29 Moroni 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and Rodenas added an impressive point himself, defeating No. 69 Ekambaram in straight sets. Freshman Alexander Visser notched another point on court five after defeating Koons in three sets. By the end, it was Duke who bested their counterparts from Winston-Salem 4-1.
The Blue Devils took down a slew of top-25 opponents in the regular season, so the win against Wake Forest may not have garnered much attention immediately; however, the Demon Deacons ended up playing their way to the Final Four before falling to Texas 4-2. Outside of Virginia, Wake Forest may have been Duke’s toughest test all year, and it responded with a decisive, resume-building victory. -Rodrigo Amare
MVP: Garrett Johns
Johns’ storied Duke career may have come to an end this season, but his time with the Blue Devils will not be soon forgotten. Playing on Court 1 and therefore each opponent's best players’ throughout the year, the Atlanta native excelled, finishing with a 16-7 overall record with wins over nine nationally ranked players. For the fourth consecutive year, Johns earned All-ACC Singles honors, fully cementing his legacy as one of the best singles players in Duke tennis history.
However, the two-time team captain was arguably even more impressive in doubles play. Johns and Rodenas formed one of the most dynamic duos in the entire country, earning 22 wins and only five losses throughout 2024. The pair steadily climbed up the ITA rankings before earning the No. 1 spot in the country April 16 and receiving the No. 1-seed in the NCAA Doubles Tournament. While Johns and Rodenas ultimately fell to Louisville in NCAA Quarterfinals, the two were still named ITA Men’s Tennis Doubles All-Americans to cement their status as a historic partnership. -Spooner
Accolades
The aforementioned Johns led the way for the Blue Devils in the trophy case, as he was named to the All-ACC Singles First Team, All-ACC Doubles First Team and as an ITA Men’s Tennis Doubles All-American. Johns’ partner Rodenas took home plenty of hardware of his own, as he was named to the All-ACC Singles Second Team, All-ACC Doubles First Team and also as an ITA Men’s Tennis Doubles All-American. The duo finished the season ranked No. 2 in the nation, and spent three weeks at No. 1. -Amare
Key departures
Johns is off to play professional tennis, and both Heller and Zhang have exhausted their eligibility. Khan and Andrew Dale, two seniors who saw important time in the singles lineups throughout their career, will also be moving on.
But Smith has already made some incredibly big splashes in the transfer portal — like top freshman Cooper Williams from Harvard — that should make next year a reloading season rather than a rebuilding one. -Jindal
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.
Rodrigo Amare is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.