No. 16 Arizona men's tennis completed its regular season with a 4-2 win over rival ASU Saturday night in Tempe. That, coupled with No. 21 Utah falling to No. 11 USC Saturday mean all three programs tied as co-champions of the Pac-12 — the second consecutive conference title for coach Clancy Shield's team.
Arizona will have one of the top three seeds in the upcoming Pac-12 Championship tournament in Ojai, California.
Arizona’s tandems of Jonas Ziverts/Jay Friend, ranked 49th nationally when playing together, and Gustaf Strom/Eric Padgham won 6-2 and 6-4, respectively, over their Sun Devil counterparts to secure the doubles point for the Wildcats.
In singles play, Ziverts and Herman Hoeyeraal fell to ASU’s Murphy Cassone (6-4, 6-2) and Jacob Bullard (6-3, 4-6, 6-4), respectively, but Strom, Colton Smith and Nick Lagaev had their backs.
Strom defeated Constantinos Koshis (6-4, 6-3); Smith ousted Max McKennon via a tight third-set tiebreak (3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7)); and Lagaev dispatched Spencer Brachman in another tight match, albeit ending in straight sets (7-6 (7-4), 7-5).
Friend and ASU’s Roi Ginat were tied at one set apiece and 5-5 in the third when Arizona clinched the team competition, leaving their match unfinished.
The Pac-12 Championship begins Wednesday at Ojai’s Libbey Park and will feature both the men's and women's tournaments. Some matches will be live-streamed via pac-12.com/live.
In a show of Wildcat solidarity, members of the Arizona football team were on hand March 31, 2023, as the No. 18 Arizona men's tennis team defeated UCLA at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center. Video courtesy Arizona Athletics (via Twitter)
The No. 12 Arizona men's tennis team celebrates with captain Nick Lagaev at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center after Lagaev's singles match victory clinched the team win for the Wildcats over No. 48 Oregon Friday, April 7, 2023 in Tucson. Video courtesy Arizona Athletics (via Twitter)
