British teenager Mimi Xu is set to leave the pro tour behind, just months before her 19th birthday, for a very different kind of approach to her tennis career. Instead of continuing to chase ranking points on the WTA circuit, she is reportedly heading to Duke University to join it’s women’s tennis program.
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Xu would be joining a Duke team with real pedigree. The Blue Devis, coached by longtime head coach Jamie Ashworth, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference and have a national championship (2009) and multiple ACC titles in their history. The 2026 team finished 20-8 overall and 10-2 in conference play, placing fourth in the ACC before reaching the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championship only to fall 4-2 against Auburn.
The current roster includes Claire An, Irina Balus, Shavit Kimchi, Liv Hovde, Ava Krug, Aspen Schuman, and Eleana Yu. Xu would add real professional experience to that group, having recently competed at Wimbledon and on tour stops like Nottingham and Eastbourne.
The current roster of the team includes Claire An, Irina Balus, Shavit Kimchi, Liv Hovde, Ava Krug, Aspen Schuman, and Eleana Yu. Mimi’s inclusion strengthens the team significantly, and she also brings much-needed professional experience. Not to mention that the 18-year-old has even competed recently at Wimbledon, as well as other WTA tournaments like the Nottingham and Eastbourne Opens.
Her form on tour explains part of the move. Ranked as high as No. 9 in the world as a junior, Xu has struggled to find results as a pro this year. She lost in the first round of Australian Open qualifying to Darja Vidmanova, then won a qualifying match at Birmingham Classic over Mingge Xu before falling to Tereza Martincova in the next round. Kimberly Birrell beat her in Nottingham, Elsa Jacquemot beat her in Eastbourne, and Daria Kasatkina ended her Wimbledon run in the first round. It’s been a difficult season for a player considered one of Britain’s brightest prospects not long ago.
That struggle is also part of a broader conversation about how the LTA supports its players. The organization has faced criticism before, and Xu wouldn’t be the first talented British player to look elsewhere for development.
Arthur Fery had also joined a college in the US instead of training in Britain
Arthur Fery made the same call back in 2020, joining Stanford on a tennis scholarship instead of training in the UK. He played three seasons there, becoming the first Stanford player to reach No.1 in the NCAA singles since doubles legend Bob Bryan. He finished his college career with a 58-16 record.
Fery turned pro in 2023, debuting at Wimbledon on a wild card before breakout 2026 run tat took him all the way to the semifinals of the tournament. Ranked outside the top 100 coming in, he beat Damir Dzumhur, Otto Virtanen, Zizou Bergs, Grigor Dimitrov, and ninth seed Flavio Cobolli before finally running into eventual finalist Alexander Zverev. That run pushed him to a career-high ranking of No. 36, making him Britain’s highest-ranked man on tour.
If Xu’s move to Duke is confirmed, she will be following a path that’s already worked for at least one British player who left the LTA pipeline behind. The bigger test comes in January, when Duke’s dual-match season kicks off, the same window Aspen Schuman joined the Blue Devils under a similar arrangement last year.