Completed Event: Men's Tennis versus #21 University of Southern California on May 1, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 4
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Final
Men's Tennis
2
vs #21 University of Southern California
4
Blue Devils Ink Vallabhaneni for 2020-21 Season
3/31/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke men's tennis head coach Ramsey Smith is thrilled to announce the signing of Niroop Vallabhaneni. Vallabhaneni is set to join the Blue Devils for the 2020-21 season.
"This is an exciting day for our program, and we are thrilled to welcome Niroop to our Duke tennis family," said Smith. "During the recruiting process, I loved Niroop's passion for the game, his commitment to being great and ability to handle adversity. These are all qualities that translate to success in college and beyond."
Vallabhaneni is a six-foot, blue chip recruit from Paradise Valley, Ariz. At the age of 16, he was ranked 150th by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and claimed a doubles title at the USTA 16s National Championship in Kalamazoo. Vallabhaneni was a U.S. Open participant in 2018 and ranked as high as fourth in the 2019 recruiting class.
"Niroop's game is built on consistency, but he has been adding weapons to create an all-court style," Smith said. "He has great feel to finish points at the net and has also had success on the doubles court."
Born in Colorado, Vallabhaneni moved to Arizona with his mom and began playing tennis at the age of seven. When he was 12, Vallabhaneni moved to Florida to work with his coach, Shariq Khan. He has also worked with Sebastien Grosjean who was No. 4 in the ATP singles rankings at the height of his career.
"I had offers from the best tennis schools as well as the best academic schools, but Duke's combination is what appealed to me," Vallabhaneni said. "The coaching staff is amazing. When I asked for advice during the recruiting process, my coaches and others had nothing but amazing things to say about Coach Ramsey and Coach Stokke. I couldn't be more excited to be a Blue Devil."
Battling back from a wrist injury, Vallabhaneni has posted a 7-3 record in 2020. ÂÂWhen asked about the best advice he's ever received, he said "trust the process."
The son of Raj Vallabhaneni and Bindu Chaparala, Niroop was born on May 28, 2002. He has one younger sibling, Siona, who is 13. Vallabhaneni attended Laurel Spring High School online – based out of Ojai, Calif., where he was an honor roll member all four years while earning Dean's List as a junior and senior.
For more information on Duke men's tennis, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#GoDuke
Â
"This is an exciting day for our program, and we are thrilled to welcome Niroop to our Duke tennis family," said Smith. "During the recruiting process, I loved Niroop's passion for the game, his commitment to being great and ability to handle adversity. These are all qualities that translate to success in college and beyond."
Vallabhaneni is a six-foot, blue chip recruit from Paradise Valley, Ariz. At the age of 16, he was ranked 150th by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and claimed a doubles title at the USTA 16s National Championship in Kalamazoo. Vallabhaneni was a U.S. Open participant in 2018 and ranked as high as fourth in the 2019 recruiting class.
"Niroop's game is built on consistency, but he has been adding weapons to create an all-court style," Smith said. "He has great feel to finish points at the net and has also had success on the doubles court."
Born in Colorado, Vallabhaneni moved to Arizona with his mom and began playing tennis at the age of seven. When he was 12, Vallabhaneni moved to Florida to work with his coach, Shariq Khan. He has also worked with Sebastien Grosjean who was No. 4 in the ATP singles rankings at the height of his career.
"I had offers from the best tennis schools as well as the best academic schools, but Duke's combination is what appealed to me," Vallabhaneni said. "The coaching staff is amazing. When I asked for advice during the recruiting process, my coaches and others had nothing but amazing things to say about Coach Ramsey and Coach Stokke. I couldn't be more excited to be a Blue Devil."
Battling back from a wrist injury, Vallabhaneni has posted a 7-3 record in 2020. ÂÂWhen asked about the best advice he's ever received, he said "trust the process."
The son of Raj Vallabhaneni and Bindu Chaparala, Niroop was born on May 28, 2002. He has one younger sibling, Siona, who is 13. Vallabhaneni attended Laurel Spring High School online – based out of Ojai, Calif., where he was an honor roll member all four years while earning Dean's List as a junior and senior.
For more information on Duke men's tennis, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#GoDuke
Â
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