WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s tennis head coach Raquel Atawo announced the hiring of Runhao (Leo) Hua as assistant coach.
“I’m very excited to name Runhao Hua as the Assistant Coach of Purdue Women’s Tennis," Atawo said. "As both a standout Big Ten player and a high level professional athlete, he has a great eye for development. Not only is he passionate about college tennis, but he also has a passion for helping student athletes thrive through this journey. I look forward to building a championship caliber program with him."
Hua, who spent the last two seasons at DePaul as a graduate assistant for the men’s program, helped the team win the 2024 Big East Conference title and was honored as a member of the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year. As graduate assistant, Hua managed the team training sessions, compliance and travel logistics for the squad.
Prior to DePaul, Hua spent the 2023 season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Virginia Tech men’s team. While with the Hokies, he played a key role in player development. In addition to supporting the team’s daily practices, he assisted with match preparation, scouting and Virginia Tech’s recruiting efforts.
Before transitioning to coaching, Hua retired from professional tennis in 2022. During his professional tenure, he captured five ITF doubles titles, including victories at the M25 Qujing in 2019 and the M25 Santo Domingo in 2022, while also tallying 16 quarterfinal and semifinal appearances across ITF singles and doubles competitions.
Highly successful during his collegiate career at Michigan, Hua was named an All-American his senior year in 2018 after earning All-Big Ten First Team accolades and qualifying for the NCAA Individuals Championships in both singles and doubles. He was the first male from China’s mainland to ever receive All-America status in singles.
While playing for Michigan in 2017, Hua captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Midwest Regional Singles Championship title and was runner-up in the doubles championship alongside Alex Knight. Nationally, he ranked as high as No. 16 in the ITA individuals rankings and No. 28 in doubles. During his time at Michigan, he amassed 75 singles victories and 75 doubles wins, including a 23-6 doubles record during his junior season. Meanwhile, as a sophomore, he led Michigan with a 7-1 Big Ten record.
Hua graduated from Michigan in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in international studies, concentrating in political science and economics. He received a Master of Education in educational leadership in physical education from DePaul in 2025.