“I entered a flow state that I’ve never been in before,” Friend said.
Arizona senior Jay Friend high fives eager fans after winning his singles match against Oklahoma in Tucson at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, May 9, 2026.
Arizona continues to find different ways to make history under head coach Clancy Shields. This time, it’s advancing past the Sweet 16 and onto the final stage.
“This is like a celebration of tennis in Tucson,” Shields said. “I mean, you’re looking at everybody sticking around, and everybody who is here has played a small part in our journey to get here.
“They’re sticking around because we haven’t been able to get this far. We’ve been to the Sweet Sixteen, but we haven’t gotten any further and I think you saw that today. We got down 3-1 and I think the guys said this is our year. This is destiny.”
The Wildcats hold their trophy high after winning their Sweet 16 match against Oklahoma at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, May 9, 2026.
Arizona will take on top-seeded and defending national champion Wake Forest (33-3) in the Elite Eight on Thursday in Athens, Ga. The other quarterfinal matchups will be No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 5 Mississippi State, No. 3 TCU vs. No. 6 Stanford and No. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Baylor.
