Upcoming Event: Men's Tennis versus Elon on January 16, 2026 at 5 p.m.
/
5 p.m.
Men's Tennis
vs Elon
Tuesday, January 7
Manoa, HI
5 P.M.
Duke University
at
Hawaii
Blue Devils Start Dual Season in Hawaii
1/6/2020 1:24:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Match 1
Duke @ Hawaii
Tuesday, Jan. 7 | 3 p.m.
Match 2
Duke @ Hawaii
Wednesday, Jan. 8 | 3 p.m.
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DURHAM, N.C. – Duke men's tennis is set to begin its 2020 dual season on the road, traveling to Honolulu where the Blue Devils will play two matches against Hawaii at the UH Tennis Complex.
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HISTORY WITH RAINBOW WARRIORS
Tuesday's match will be the third meeting between the two programs as Duke leads the all-time series, 2-0. The last time the Blue Devils and Rainbow Warriors faced was the 2013 dual season opener where Duke cruised to a 9-0 victory. Duke's first contest against Hawaii resulted in a 7-0 win in 2011. All meetings with the Rainbow Warriors have been in Honolulu.
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SCOUTING HAWAII
Hawaii went 7-12 in 2019, going 1-4 in Big West Conference action. Head Coach Joël Kusnierz returns six players from the 2018-2019 squad while adding freshman Axel Labrunie from Paris, France. Kusnierz was elevated from assistant to head coach after John Nelson retired after 16 years at Hawaii. Sophomore Andre Ilagan, who went 10-7 at No. 1 singles, returns for the Rainbow Warriors as the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year.
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WHAT SMITH IS SAYING
"We are excited and grateful to be here in paradise to kick off our spring season in Hawaii," head coach Ramsey Smith said. "This is a special trip and tomorrow will be the first opportunity for most of our team to represent Duke in a dual match. We are looking forward to it!"
SEASON OPENER SUCCESS
Since Smith took over in 2008-09, the Blue Devils hold a 10-1 record in season openers. In its last 15 opening matches, Duke is 14-1 with its lone loss coming to Elon, 4-3, on Jan. 17, 2014.Â
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FRESH FACES
With 11 student-athletes on the roster heading into the spring, five freshmen and a transfer student are among the new faces for the Blue Devils. TennisRecruiting.net named Michael Heller, Garrett Johns, Omni Kumar, Samuel Rubell and Andrew Zhang as the No. 1 incoming freshman class for the 2019-20 campaign.
Junior Luca Keist joins the Blue Devils after two years at Charlotte where he was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2018 while earning First Team All-Conference honors both seasons.
RECAPPING 2019 FALL CAMPAIGN
Following a 13-5 stint in fall action, senior Nick Stachowiak and junior Sean Sculley broke into the ITA doubles rankings at No. 11. Zhang made a statement in the fall with a singles title at the Bonk Invitational and finishing at 12-3 for No. 117. Although Zhang and Heller only played one tournament together, the duo went 4-1 with a victory over a ranked team at the ITA Carolina Regional to claim the No. 42 spot in the doubles rankings.
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UP NEXT
Following the two matches on the road, the Blue Devils return home for 12 consecutive home matches, beginning with UNCW and North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Jan. 18.Â
#GoDuke
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Duke @ Hawaii
Tuesday, Jan. 7 | 3 p.m.
Match 2
Duke @ Hawaii
Wednesday, Jan. 8 | 3 p.m.
Â
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke men's tennis is set to begin its 2020 dual season on the road, traveling to Honolulu where the Blue Devils will play two matches against Hawaii at the UH Tennis Complex.
Â
HISTORY WITH RAINBOW WARRIORS
Tuesday's match will be the third meeting between the two programs as Duke leads the all-time series, 2-0. The last time the Blue Devils and Rainbow Warriors faced was the 2013 dual season opener where Duke cruised to a 9-0 victory. Duke's first contest against Hawaii resulted in a 7-0 win in 2011. All meetings with the Rainbow Warriors have been in Honolulu.
Â
SCOUTING HAWAII
Hawaii went 7-12 in 2019, going 1-4 in Big West Conference action. Head Coach Joël Kusnierz returns six players from the 2018-2019 squad while adding freshman Axel Labrunie from Paris, France. Kusnierz was elevated from assistant to head coach after John Nelson retired after 16 years at Hawaii. Sophomore Andre Ilagan, who went 10-7 at No. 1 singles, returns for the Rainbow Warriors as the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year.
Â
WHAT SMITH IS SAYING
"We are excited and grateful to be here in paradise to kick off our spring season in Hawaii," head coach Ramsey Smith said. "This is a special trip and tomorrow will be the first opportunity for most of our team to represent Duke in a dual match. We are looking forward to it!"
SEASON OPENER SUCCESS
Since Smith took over in 2008-09, the Blue Devils hold a 10-1 record in season openers. In its last 15 opening matches, Duke is 14-1 with its lone loss coming to Elon, 4-3, on Jan. 17, 2014.Â
Â
FRESH FACES
With 11 student-athletes on the roster heading into the spring, five freshmen and a transfer student are among the new faces for the Blue Devils. TennisRecruiting.net named Michael Heller, Garrett Johns, Omni Kumar, Samuel Rubell and Andrew Zhang as the No. 1 incoming freshman class for the 2019-20 campaign.
Junior Luca Keist joins the Blue Devils after two years at Charlotte where he was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2018 while earning First Team All-Conference honors both seasons.
RECAPPING 2019 FALL CAMPAIGN
Following a 13-5 stint in fall action, senior Nick Stachowiak and junior Sean Sculley broke into the ITA doubles rankings at No. 11. Zhang made a statement in the fall with a singles title at the Bonk Invitational and finishing at 12-3 for No. 117. Although Zhang and Heller only played one tournament together, the duo went 4-1 with a victory over a ranked team at the ITA Carolina Regional to claim the No. 42 spot in the doubles rankings.
Â
UP NEXT
Following the two matches on the road, the Blue Devils return home for 12 consecutive home matches, beginning with UNCW and North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Jan. 18.Â
#GoDuke
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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