Ramsey Smith - Head Coach - Men's Tennis Coaches

Ramsey Smith

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
rgs7@duke.edu

Career Overall Record: 309-155 (.666)
Career ACC Record: 127-60 (.671)
ACC Coach of the Year (2023)
ITA Carolina Region Coach of the Year (2010, 2012)

Former Duke men’s tennis standout, Ramsey Smith, was named the 11th head coach in Duke history in June 2008.

Smith returned to his alma mater prior to the 2005-06 season and served on the Blue Devils’ coaching staff for three years as an assistant and associate head coach before accepting the head coaching position.

In 17 seasons at the helm of the Duke program, Smith has compiled an overall record of 309-155 (.666) and a 127-60 (.671) Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) ledger with eight 20-win seasons. He has taken the Blue Devils to the NCAA Team Championship in 13 of his 15 seasons, winning the first-round match 10 times and advancing to the Round of 16 on seven different occasions. Smith has also guided Duke to a top-25 final ITA Team National Ranking 11 times, including a career-high mark of No. 7 in 2013.

Under his watch, Smith has mentored four doubles All-Americas and five singles All-Americas, as well as two-time ACC Player of the Year Henrique Cunha. In addition, he has coached two ITA National Doubles Teams of the Year, one ITA National Rookie of the Year, three ITA Regional Senior Players of the Year, three ITA Regional and ACC Rookies of the Year, four ITA Regional II Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership award winners and one national recipient, 24 All-ACC selections (38 awards) and 33 Academic All-ACC honorees (64 awards). Smith was named the 2023 ACC Coach of the Year, while also earning ITA Regional Coach of the Year accolades twice in 2010 and 2012.

Last season, Smith guided the Blue Devils to a 19-9 overall record, including nine ACC victories. He led Duke to a No. 18 finish in the final ITA rankings and a fifth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance, where the Blue Devils advanced to the second round. Under his leadership, Duke also returned to the semifinals of the ACC Championship for the third straight year. Smith coached the doubles tandem of Cooper Williams and Theo Winegar to a No. 3 final ITA ranking, earning them All-America honors. The duo went on to win the inaugural title at the 2025 American Collegiate Wild Card Playoff, securing an automatic berth in the US Open main doubles draw—the first Blue Devils to do so. Smith also led three Blue Devils to CSC Academic All-District recognition and three to All-ACC honors. Throughout the dual match season, he guided Duke to victories over nine ranked opponents, including a 5-2 win against fifth-ranked Virginia and a 4-3 triumph over fifth-ranked NC State.

In 2024, Smith guided Duke to a 20-10 record, including a 9-3 mark in ACC play, as the Blue Devils ended the year ranked No. 14. Duke posted seven wins against top-25 teams with a 4-1 victory against No. 5 Southern California as the Blue Devils’ highest-ranked win since topping No. 5 Pepperdine on February 17, 2013. Duke reached a high ranking of No. 12 in the spring and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Championships, downing UNC Asheville 4-0 and
No. 20 Alabama 4-0 before falling at No. 4 TCU in the NCAA Championships Super Regional. Smith also guided the Blue Devils to the semifinals of the ACC Championship for the second consecutive year.

Smith helped four Blue Devils reach 10-plus dual singles wins and four pairs to six-plus dual doubles victories. Duke’s lineup was anchored by All-ACC honorees Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas, who earned All-America accolades in doubles and finished the season as the No. 2 doubles pair. Johns went 14-5 in the No. 1 singles spot with Johns and Rodenas going 17-4 in dual action on the top court. Rodenas finished 18-10 in dual singles competition en route to Second Team All-ACC recognition. Johns capped the year ranked No. 29 in singles with Rodenas at No. 41.

During the 2023 season, Smith led Duke to a 22-7 overall ledger and a program record 11 ACC victories. He helped guide the Blue Devils to their seventh 20-win season and their 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In ACC play, Duke finished second in the conference and made the ACC Championship finals, while at the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 2015. Duke had a challenging slate during the season, facing 21 nationally ranked foes and finishing with a 15-6 (.714) ledger. Nine of those wins came during a season-high nine-match winning-streak, including four over top-20 competition. Six of the Blue Devils' seven losses came to top-25 programs with three coming by a 4-3 decision. For its effort during the regular season, Duke earned the right to serve as one of 16 hosts sites for the first and second round play of the NCAA Tournament, marking the first time since 2015.

Smith mentored six to double-digit dual wins, including Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas, who both were tabbed All-America selections at the conclusion of the year. They each garnered All-ACC recognition in singles play and were named First Team All-ACC as a doubles pairing. Rodenas earned ACC Freshman of the Year nods as well after compiling a 26-2 dual match ledger, including an 11-1 mark in ACC play. Johns and Rodenas finished the season ranked in the top-40 at No. 18 and No. 39, respectively, while teammate Andrew Zhang secured the No. 119 spot. The Blue Devils also had two doubles teams listed in the final ITA rankings with Johns and Rodenas holding the No. 20 position and Michael Heller and Zhang at No. 49.

In 2022, Smith guided Duke to a 17-9 record, including an 8-4 mark in ACC play, and led the Blue Devils back to a top-25 final national ranking at No. 21. Duke posted seven wins against ranked teams with four of those coming during a season-high winning-streak of six consecutive victories, including a 5-2 triumph over rival and No. 17 ranked North Carolina. That win marked the Blue Devils’ first over the Tar Heels since April 20, 2014.

Smith helped guide five individuals to 10-plus dual singles wins and two pairs to six-plus dual doubles victories. Johns compiled a 13-7 dual record and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Singles championship. Playing on Duke’s top court in every match, Johns finished second on the team in match-clinching wins with five and was named a Second Team All-ACC honoree at the conclusion of the season. Zhang recorded a 13-4 dual mark at the Blue Devils’ second spot and an impressive 8-1 record in ACC play. Zhang had a solid fall season as well, winning the 2021 ITA Carolina Regional Championship singles title after defeating Wake Forest’s Taha Baadi. That victory handed Duke its first title since 2011 when Chris Mengel earned the honor.

In 2021, Smith led the Blue Devils to a No. 36 ranking in the final Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll after concluding the year with a 12-11 mark, including a 6-5 record in ACC play. Duke was limited to only a spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Blue Devils were able to string together a four-match win streak during the season with two wins over ranked opponents. Smith coached three players to All-ACC recognition, including Zhang who earned a 13-4 dual mark and an 8-1 record in ACC action.

Before the 2020 season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith’s squad held a 13-2 overall record as the team opened its spring campaign on a seven-match win streak. In their abbreviated season, the Blue Devils defeated No. 19 Illinois, 6-1, in Durham.

On February 23, 2019, Smith achieved his 200th career win against Coastal Carolina, joining former Duke head coach Jay Lapidus as the only two coaches in program history to earn 200-plus career wins. The 2019 campaign saw Nick Stachowiak earn Second Team All-ACC honors, while the team itself earned eight home wins, marking the third-straight season in which the Blue Devils registered at least eight-plus home victories.

The Blue Devils made their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Team Championship during 2018, when Smith guided them to a 16-14 record and 6-6 ACC ledger. Duke had a pair of All-ACC picks as Nicolas Alvarez was a first team honoree and sophomore Stachowiak a third team selection. Alvarez also became just the eighth Blue Devil in program history to receive three or more NCAA Singles Tournaments bids, and the first since Cunha did so from 2010-13. Smith oversaw Alvarez’s victory against William Blumberg of North Carolina, who was the No. 1 player in the country that season. Alvarez and doubles partner Catalin Mateas finished the year ranked No. 31 in the Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll and became the first Duke duo to win six consecutive matches against ranked foes since Cunha and Raphael Hemmeler won 13 consecutive from March 5 through May 16, 2013. The 2018 season also featured Smith guiding the Blue Devils to an ITA Kickoff Weekend championship in Fort Worth, Texas, as they qualified for the ITA Team Indoor Championship for the first time since 2015.

In 2017, Smith was without top player Alvarez for the entire spring campaign and fielded a lineup of just six student-athletes for more than a month due to injury and illness. But despite the small numbers, Smith guided the squad to a 16-10 record and a return trip to the NCAA Team Championship. The squad, which featured three freshmen, two sophomores and one senior in singles play, improved their ACC record from 4-8 in 2016 to 8-4 that year. Smith also mentored a trio of All-ACC selections, including TJ Pura, who finished 11-0 in ACC play.

Duke’s 2016 campaign was highlighted by Alvarez earning his second-straight First Team All-ACC accolade. Despite the team finishing with a record of 11-15, Smith moved into third place on the school’s all-time wins list during the season with the 160th victory of his career, a 5-2 triumph against Boston College.

Smith helped the 2015 Blue Devils to a 24-7 record and the team climbed to as high as No. 2 in the ITA poll during the season, the program’s highest ranking since 2000. Smith guided Duke to its sixth consecutive 20-win campaign and its 24th straight NCAA Team Championship bid as well as an appearance in the NCAA Round of 16. Duke reached the final 16 after winning both matches of the NCAA Durham Regional over South Carolina State (W, 5-0) and No. 23 Stanford (4-1). The Blue Devils concluded the year 16-0 inside Ambler Tennis Stadium. Smith also saw a trio of players reach 100 career singles wins in 2015, which tied for the most in a year in program history. Hemmeler, Mengel and Jason Tahir all reached the 100-win plateau. Hemmeler, Tahir and Alvarez represented Duke at the NCAA Singles Championship with Alvarez and Hemmeler teaming up for the NCAA Doubles Championship.

Duke posted an impressive 10 ACC victories in 2014, fueled by a nine-match win streak in conference play that began with a 4-3 upset of No. 9 Notre Dame and included a win over No. 8 North Carolina in the season finale. Under Smith’s direction, the squad finished the year 20-7 and made the program’s 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship tournament, falling in the second round to Tennessee. Fred Saba and Tahir both represented the Blue Devils in the NCAA Singles Championship, while Saba also eclipsed the 100-win milestone in singles during the spring and closed his career as the program record holder in ACC singles victories with 35. He was joined by Tahir, Hemmeler and Bruno Semenzato in earning All-ACC recognition. Hemmeler also received the ITA Regional Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award.

The Blue Devils finished the 2013 campaign 25-6 to match the 1999, 2000 and 2012 squads for the second most wins in program history. The team was ranked seventh in the final ITA rankings for the highest final team ranking since 2006. The Blue Devils advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship for the eighth time overall and the second consecutive season. Cunha, Saba and Michael Redlicki competed in the NCAA Singles Tournament, while Cunha and Hemmeler as well as Redlicki and Tahir participated in the doubles competition. Cunha and Hemmeler reached the semifinals of the competition to earn All-America honors and concluded the season as the nation’s top-ranked duo. The squad completed the regular season second in the ACC standings with a 9-1 ledger and finished with an undefeated 15-0 mark at home for the first time since the 2001 campaign. Cunha, Saba and Redlicki were selected to the All-ACC team, with Cunha earning ACC Player of the Year recognition for the second time in his four seasons. Cunha became the third Blue Devil in program history to win the ITA National Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award after Chris Pressley and Jonathan Stokke did so in 1994 and 2006, respectively.

In 2012, the Blue Devils finished the year 25-6 and ranked eighth in the final ITA poll. The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championship for the first time since 2001, while Cunha and Mengel also competed in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. Duke concluded ACC play with a 9-2 mark to finish second in the final regular season standings and played for the ACC Championship for the third straight year. Cunha and Mengel were selected to the All-ACC team and Saba paced the squad with a 10-1 ACC singles record.

Smith led the Blue Devils in 2011 to a 22-10 overall record, the school’s highest win total since 2006. Duke went 9-2 in ACC play to tie for second in the conference and made the ACC Championship finals. Smith also guided his squad to the round of 16 in the NCAA Championship and the semifinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. He coached three players to 30-win seasons in singles, marking just the third time it has happened in school history. Both Reid Carleton and Cunha received All-America honors in singles and doubles. The two players advanced to the quarterfinals in the NCAA doubles championships while Cunha also made the quarterfinals in singles and Carleton the Round of 64.

In 2010, Smith was named the ITA Carolina Region Coach of the Year after leading Duke to its best season since 2006. The Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 and made the finals of the ACC Championship for the first time since winning the title in 2006. Duke finished the season with a 20-9 record and was second in the ACC at 9-2. Smith coached Cunha to one of the best seasons in school history, as Cunha earned ITA National Rookie of the Year and ACC Player of the Year honors, while receiving the No. 1 seed in both singles and doubles at the NCAA Championship. Cunha made the semifinals in singles and teamed with Carleton to earn All-America status by reaching the quarterfinals in doubles. The duo was named the ITA National Doubles Team of the Year after ranking No. 1 in each of the final five polls.

In his first season as the Blue Devils’ head coach, Smith guided Duke to a 16-9 record and 7-4 mark in the ACC in 2009. Smith turned things around for the program, posting a .640 winning percentage after the team went 11-14 (.440) in 2008, its first losing season since 1970. The Blue Devils advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship tournament and finished the year ranked No. 23 nationally. Kiril Dimitrov was named to the All-ACC squad.

Prior to taking over the reins of the Blue Devil program, Smith served three seasons as an assistant coach, helping Duke to a 49-31 overall record and 23-10 mark in the ACC. Under his tutelage, Duke produced five All-Americans, eight All-ACC selections and one ACC Championship MVP. The Blue Devils made the NCAA Team Championship each year, advancing as far as the Round of 16 in 2006. That season, the Blue Devils captured the ACC Championship with a 4-3 win in the finals over Virginia after trailing 3-0.

During his time in Durham, Smith started the Royal Blue Club, which is a Duke tennis fan club that gives special promotions for men’s and women’s tennis matches. Smith has also helped the Blue Devils raise money for new indoor and outdoor courts and scoreboards as well as a new video system with cameras on all six indoor and outdoor courts.

A native of Hilton Head, S.C., Smith lettered four seasons at Duke from 1998-2001 and graduated as the program’s record holder in career singles victories with 118. He helped the Blue Devils to a four-year record of 96-11 and an undefeated 32-0 mark in conference regular season action. From 1998-2001 Duke claimed four ACC Championships, four top 10 national rankings and three NCAA Championship quarterfinal appearances. Smith finished his career with a 118-37 singles record and 103-47 doubles ledger. A staple in the ITA singles and doubles rankings, Smith was ranked as high as No. 5 in singles in 2001 and No. 5 in doubles in 2000 with teammate Doug Root. He was ranked in the top-10 in singles for four consecutive rankings during his senior season.

Smith was a two-time All-America selection, earning the honor in 2000 and 2001. He was a three-time All-ACC honoree in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and the ACC Tournament MVP in 2000 and 2001. In addition, he was a two-time recipient of the Tennis Magazine’s Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award and was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team in 2002.

After receiving his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Duke in 2001, Smith played one year of professional tennis, posting an ATP world ranking of 603 in singles and 723 in doubles before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury in September, 2002. He reached the semifinals at Futures Tournaments in Malibu, Calif.; Chetumal, Mexico; and Little Rock, Ark.

Following his professional career, Smith worked with the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy, where he served as a coach, camp organizer and academy secretary for three years. He also spent three summers (2003-05) as a full-time fly-fishing guide with Alaska West Sportfishing. Smith completed the USTA High Performance Coaching Program in Carson, Calif., in 2007 and is a USPTA certified Teaching Professional.

Born September 4, 1978, Smith and his wife, Kathy, reside in Durham with their daughter, Sofie, and son, Sandon.

Smith Year-By-Year

Year	School	Record	Conference	Record	Final National Rank	Final Regional Rank
2025	Duke	19-9	ACC	9-4	18	4
2024	Duke	20-10	ACC	9-3	14	2
2023	Duke	22-7	ACC	11-1	11	2
2022	Duke	17-9	ACC	8-4	21	5
2021	Duke	12-11*	ACC	6-5	36	5
2020	Duke	13-2*	ACC	1-1*	--	--
2019	Duke	11-14	ACC	4-8	53	5
2018	Duke	16-14	ACC	6-6	30	5
2017	Duke	16-10	ACC	8-4	35	4
2016	Duke	11-15	ACC	4-8	75	6
2015	Duke	24-7	ACC	8-4	10	1
2014	Duke	20-7	ACC	10-1	14	2
2013	Duke	25-6	ACC	9-1	7	1
2012	Duke	25-6	ACC	9-2	8	1
2011	Duke	22-10	ACC	9-2	12	1
2010	Duke	20-9	ACC	9-2	14	1
2009	Duke	16-9	ACC	7-4	23	4