The Arizona men’s tennis team has made a lot of history under head coach Clancy Shields over the last decade since he took over the program. That has included trips to the Sweet 16 in four of the past five seasons, as well as three straight years.
The one thing the Wildcats haven’t been able to do under Shields is make it to the Elite Eight, a feat they’ll look to accomplish on Saturday on the road in Charlottesville against No. 7 Virginia, a program that has won six national championships, including two of the last three years.
“They are the best team in the country down the stretch because it’s win a national championship or bust,” Shields said. “You go to Virginia to win national championships and they are really good in the end. They don’t get fazed by the moment.”
Arizona tennis head coach Clancy Shields talks to his team before the Wildcats faced Denver in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Tucson on May 2, 2025.
The Cavaliers are unique in that they play a lot of freshmen and overall younger players in big spots. In their second-round win over Princeton, the three doubles teams had three freshmen and one sophomore. In singles play, they had a total of three freshmen and one sophomore take four of the six courts.
One of the top matches, potentially in the entire tournament, will be on Court 1 in singles play when No. 4 Rafael Jodar of Virginia takes on No. 5 Colton Smith. The senior for Arizona has accomplished a lot during his time in Tucson, and he’ll look to end his time as a Wildcat on a high note before he embarks on his full-time professional tennis career.
The Wildcats cheer before facing Harvard in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Tucson on May 3, 2025.
“Some people are saying they have the best player in the country, and I know Colton’s ears perked up when they heard that,” Shields said. “... Maybe we’ll get a showdown with that but when you come down to the end, it’s the beauty and the journey and it’s so sweet.”
One of the biggest themes Shields has continuously talked about trying to work the program around is building the culture of both the players and coaches. It is on these road trips with the team where the bond between everyone who is part of the program becomes more clear.
“These road trips are so sweet because this is where these relationships get really built in these moments,” Shields said. “Going on a road trip, it makes bonds for the rest of their lives and I’m so happy we get to go on one more trip. Let’s see if we can extend this.”
Jay Friend and Eric Padgham celebrate after winning a round of doubles play against Harvard in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, on May 3, 2025.
Across Arizona’s three Sweet 16 appearances over the past four years, two of them came down to the wire in 4-3 losses against Tennessee and Columbia, along with a 4-2 loss at Ohio State where each of the final couple of singles matches also came down to close finishes.
“We’ve been here before and I’m looking forward to going a little farther this year,” Smith said. “I think this group of guys can definitely do that. I thought we had a shot last year, as well. I don’t want to leave this with any regrets. I know we can take it a little bit farther and it’s something I’m looking forward to, going to Virginia and really showing what we got again.”
Arizona and Virginia will square off on Saturday at 10 a.m. The winner will move on to the final location in Waco at the Baylor tennis courts for the Elite Eight, taking on either No. 2 TCU or No. 15 UCF.
