After defeating Northern Arizona and Clemson last weekend, the Arizona men's tennis team has one final match at home at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center this season, with a trip to the Elite Eight is on the line.Â
The match, on Saturday at 1 p.m., will come against a familiar opponent in No. 9 seed Oklahoma, the team Arizona faced and lost to at the start of the season on the road 4-2.
The No. 8-seeded Wildcats won the doubles point to take an early lead before the Sooners won four singles matches to defend their home court.
"We beat ourselves (in that match)," senior Jay Friend said. "If we went in there with a chip on our shoulder like we did every other match, we would have been able to take that but we beat ourselves."
Jay Friend hits a forehand during a doubles match against NAU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center in Tucson on May 1, 2026.
Arizona head coach Clancy Shields said the loss to Oklahoma to open the season "exposed us."
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"They showed us where we need to get better," he said.
It was a slightly rocky start to the season for Arizona with losses to Oklahoma, LSU and San Diego early on.
It was around the start of conference play when the Wildcats turned a corner, ripping off 15 straight wins to end the regular season. Arizona won the regular-season title in the Big 12 and fell to TCU in the conference tournament championship.
Oklahoma went 20-6 overall on the season and 10-4 in conference play. The Sooners defeated Utah State and USC last weekend to reach this point and now head to Tucson to face the Wildcats in the Super Regional.
This is the fifth time in the past six years Arizona has reached this point of the NCAA Tournament, but it is the first time in program history UA will get to host, where it went 14-1 on the season.
"We've had to go on the road five times and we've lost heartbreakers," Shields said. "We've been this close and to be able to do it on our home court, and I hope we can have the same crowd that we had (last weekend)."
Cole Stelse, left, and Alejandro Arcila celebrate their doubles match win over NAU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center in Tucson on May 1, 2026.
Shields noted the home crowd at Oklahoma to open the season, calling it one of the loudest crowds he has ever been a part of. He challenged UA fans and the Tucson community to "return the favor" on Saturday.
"I want this to be the loudest place and to bring so much energy and to say 'You got us at your place and now you have to come into Tucson and we're going to be ready for you.'" he said.
"I hope we can bring that out because Tucson I know shows up."
Alexander Rozin, left, and Jay Friend smile after winning a game against NAU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center in Tucson on May 1, 2026.
The winner will move on to the University of Georgia campus, where the final three rounds of the tournament are held, starting with the Elite Eight. The winner of the UA-Oklahoma match will face either No. 1 Wake Forest or No. 16 UCF in the Elite Eight.
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