The No. 8 University of Arizona men’s tennis team continued their history run as they took the victory against No. 9 University of Oklahoma. They defeated the Sooners 4-3 during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, May 9. This is the first time in program history that the Wildcats will be heading to the Elite Eight. 

The weekend before, Arizona took the clean sweep victory 4-0 against NAU and followed the next day with a 4-2 win against Clemson University. These games were hosted at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center for the fourth consecutive year.

Oklahoma came out strong, taking victories in both doubles matches 6-4. The last match between Alejandro Arcila and Cole Stelse against Asahi Harazaki and Johan Rodriguez was left unfinished 5-3. 

Arizona immediately responded as they headed into the singles matches. The Wildcats dominated in the singles, especially senior Jay Friend, who led Arizona to victory. Friend is currently ranked No. 4 nationally in singles and was named Big 12 Co-Player of the year. In this Sweet 16 matchup, Friend took down Luis Alvarez in a three-set showdown. 

Throughout the afternoon, the Wildcats showed grit and determination to storm past Oklahoma, despite having a rocky start as they managed to pull themselves out of a deficit. 

Arizona will be looking to earn another title as they continue in the NCAA Tournament. They have already earned the Big 12 regular season title for the first time in program history with hopes to add on.

Looking forward 

Arizona will travel to Athens, Georgia, as they take on No. 1 Wake Forest University in the Elite Eight. As the Wildcats continue to cement their names in program history, they will be looking towards their upcoming match on Thursday, May 14.  

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