Duke Signs Connor and Jake Krug for 2021

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke men's tennis head coach Ramsey Smith announced the 2021 signing class with twins Connor Krug and Jake Krug, who both signed a National Letter of Intent on Saturday afternoon.

"Connor and Jake have been on my radar for a very long time and it is an exciting day to officially welcome them to our Duke Tennis family," Smith said. "During the recruiting process, I was immediately drawn to their passion for the game, extraordinary work ethic and close-knit family. The twins align with our program values and standards, and they will immediately have a positive impact on Duke Tennis."

The 6'5" Blue Chip prospects from Lakewood Ranch, Fla., are featured in the top-20 of TennisRecruting.net Class of 2021 rankings as Connor ranks eighth while Jake is 19th. The duo attended Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota, Fla., for ninth grade before switching to online-based schooling through Laurel Springs for the reminder of high school.

While freshmen at Out-of-Door Academy, the Krugs helped their team to become Class 1A Florida High School State Champions for the first time in school history in 2018. The pair also teamed up to earn the title of USTA Gold Ball Boys Doubles Champions and were a part of the USTA National Spring Team Championship squad in 2017.

"Connor is a relentless competitor who loves the big moments," Smith said. "His serve is a weapon that keeps getting better and he can sting you with a backhand from anywhere on the court. Connor is getting more and more comfortable with his transition game, and you will see him at the net often while competing at Duke."

During his ninth-grade year, Connor was named his team's MVP while serving as a co-captain in 2018. He's won numerous international tennis championships over the past two years in both singles and doubles play, including a Grade 3 ITF singles title in Anguilla. Connor has reached as high as No. 130 in the junior ITF world rankings and holds a UTR rating of 12.85.

"I love lefties and Jake's huge serve as well as his aggressive game style is going to translate well on the singles and doubles courts in college," said Smith. "He has the ability to take time away with his backhand, open up the court with his serve and forehand, and finish at the net with strong volleys."

Jake was named the MVP of his varsity team in 2017 and co-captained the squad with his brother during the 2018 season. He's reached multiple semifinals at Grade 3 level for singles while appearing in a handful of quarterfinals at the Grade 1 level in doubles. Jake has reached as high as No. 175 in the ITF rankings and currently maintains a UTR rating of 12.17.

"Connor and Jake have been fortunate to work with Heath Turpin and Lance Luciani who have done an incredible job with fundamentals and developing their games for the highest level of college tennis," Smith said.

Connor and Jake, born on Nov. 9, 2002, are the sons of Thomas Krug and Sherri Vitale. Their parents were collegiate athletes at Notre Dame as their father, Thomas, played football (1993-1997) while their mother, Sherri, played tennis (1992-1996). Their maternal grandfather is longtime ESPN broadcaster, Dick Vitale.

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Duke Signs Connor and Jake Krug for 2021

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