“I entered a flow state that I’ve never been in before,” Friend said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Wildcats hold their trophy high after winning their Sweet 16 match against Oklahoma at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, May 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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