Upcoming Event: Men's Tennis versus ITA Regional Championship on October 16, 2025
Men's Tennis
vs ITA Regional Championship
Zhang Receives Arthur Ashe Leadership & Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Awards
6/6/2022 2:07:00 PM | Men's Tennis
DURHAM – Duke junior Andrew Zhang has been selected the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Carolina Region's recipient of the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship and Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Awards, as announced by the organization Monday.
Named for legendary tennis champion Arthur Ashe, Jr., the collegiate award's purpose is to honor Ashe and the vision he embodied of the importance of education, sportsmanship and leadership. The accolade is awarded to the player in each region who best demonstrates leadership qualities on the court and in the community, as well as the player who shows the highest level of sportsmanship in matches throughout the season.
The Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award is the ITA's longest-running award and goes to a Division I men's player who displays sportsmanship, character, excellent academics and has had outstanding tennis playing accomplishments. The award was established in 1969 in memory of Rafael Osuna, who was killed in a plane accident at the age of 30. Osuna is one of the all-time great collegiate tennis players, winning three NCAA doubles titles (1961-63) and the 1962 NCAA singles title as part of USC teams many consider to be the greatest of all-time.
A native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Zhang becomes the fifth Blue Devil to win the ITA Carolina Region Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, joining Duke head coach Ramsey Smith (2000 and 2001), Jonathan Stokke (2006), 2013 graduate Henrique Cunha (2013) and 2015 graduate Raphael Hemmeler (2014). He becomes Duke's first recipient of the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award.
Zhang compiled season records of 22-9 in singles, including a dual mark of 13-4, and 16-12 in doubles this past season. His 22 overall singles wins on the year were first on the team, while his 13 dual victories placed him second. Zhang finished third on team with two match-clinching victories, including one against No. 42 Memphis in the NCAA First Round. He added two wins over nationally-ranked opponents and won the ITA Carolina Regional Championship singles title this fall.
The 2021-22 team captain is a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete as well a two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection and a 2021 All-ACC Academic Team member. Zhang is pursuing a major in psychology with a minor in economics and currently holds a 3.822 cumulative GPA. Between his time on the court and in the classroom, Zhang is a member of the Duke Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, an ASA (Asian Student Association) member, a DukeLine Peer Coach anÂd is proficient in Chinese. He is a valued member of the Duke community and his work as a DukeLine Peer Coach has been truly influential in helping students navigate problems or stresses that are going on in their lives.
All regional award winners are eligible for the ITA national awards.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
Coach Ramsey win vs NCState ACC Tourney 4/18/25
Friday, April 18
Coach Ramsey Win vs UND ACC Tournament 4/17/25
Thursday, April 17
Duke vs. Virginia: Coach Smith Post-Match Interview
Saturday, March 01
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
