Arizona men’s tennis coach Clancy Shields isn’t afraid to acknowledge that the Wildcats program lacks the talent of other teams that fill the sport’s upper echelon.
It’s true that Arizona has two of the top players in the country, and it’s also true that the UA is about to compete in its fourth Sweet 16 appearance in five years. Arizona’s run of postseason successes, however, doesn’t change Shields’ view that the Wildcats are an underdog when facing top teams like the Harvard squad they beat in the NCAA Championship Round of 32.
If Arizona is competing at a talent deficiency as Shields says, how is it then that the UA is set to play in the Super Regionals for a third consecutive year, this time against blue blood Virginia?
“We work really hard at this program, harder than I would say pretty much every program out there,” Shields said after Arizona’s win over Harvard on Saturday. “When people talk about Arizona tennis, they know that it’s a nightmare of hard work to be good.”
It would be tough to argue with Shields that any team works harder than Arizona given the program’s meteoric rise over the last nine years.
When Shields took the UA job in 2016, he inherited a program that was 1-37 in Pac-10/12 competition over the previous six seasons. In Shields’ first year, Arizona didn’t win a single conference match and finished 9-16.
That would be Shields’ last losing season.
Shields’ tenacious recruiting efforts brought in one talented class after another, and Arizona slowly built its rise.
By the time the old Pac-12 disbanded in 2024, the west coast’s perennial powers Stanford, USC and Cal were sick of facing Shields’ teams. Arizona won the last three Pac-12 regular season titles and the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament.
Arizona continued its league success in the Big 12 by winning the conference tournament last month. The tournament was held in Waco, Texas, the same place Arizona strives to reach next week if it can advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
As consistent as Arizona has been under Shields, the men’s tennis team can’t get past the Sweet 16. The Wildcats came gruelingly close a year ago, falling to Columbia 4-3.
Virginia, Arizona’s next opponent, is to men’s tennis’ as the Duke Blue Devils are to men’s basketball. The No. 7 seed Cavaliers host No. 10 Arizona at 10 a.m. PT on Saturday.
“They are the best team in the country down the stretch, because it’s win a national championship or bust,” Shields said. “They’re just really good at the end. They don’t get phased by the moment.”
Arizona’s 1-2 punch
If betting markets existed for college tennis, Virginia would be favored Saturday but not by much.
Arizona’s Colton Smith and Jay Friend are two of the top six ranked singles players in the country, giving the Wildcats as formidable a duo as college tennis will produce. It would be akin to Arizona men’s basketball having two All-Americans in the same starting rotation.
Smith is ranked No. 5 by ITA but in Shields’ words is the “best player in college tennis by a mile.”
Smith missed several matches this season competing on the ATP Tour and made it through qualifiers of Indian Wells before falling in the second round. As soon as Arizona’s season ends, Shields will turn his attention to French Open qualifiers at Roland Garros in Paris.
Smith will take on Virginia’s No. 4 Rafael Jodar on the top singles court in a much-anticipated match.
“Some people are saying (Jodar) is the best player in the country,” Shields said. “I know Colton’s ears perked up when he heard that. He was like, ‘No way dude, no way. It’s here.”
Smith’s demeanor on the court is confident but not brash. He knows he could already be off playing professionally but chose to see this season through.
Smith said bouncing between pro tournaments and collegiate tennis helped him mature in his senior year.
“I think it’s helped me become a little better leader, being able to try to lead from afar, and being able to trust a lot of the guys here, too,” Smith said.
“When you’re on the road, you’re not with them every day, and so you come back after a week or two from being gone, and you can see the growth that they’ve put in. And that’s something that’s super motivating for me to keep going out here and doing it as well.”
Smith’s absences meant that Friend took over on the top court for stretches of the season, proving he can also be the guy when called upon. Friend delivers time and again, and enters Saturday with a 23-1 singles record.
“He’s not gonna lose many matches at all,” Smith said. “I think that’s just the cool part, you can rely on him to get the point no matter what.”
Arizona’s big hitters are going to show up Saturday. Whether the Wildcats can get past Virginia will depend on which teams win the doubles point and who steps up on the remaining singles courts.
Freshman Zoran Ludoski is ranked No. 103 nationally, while sophomore Alexander Rozin has a 20-2 record. Rozin and senior Casper Christensen were part of the Arizona team that came up just short to Columbia a year ago.
“I’m looking forward to going a little farther this year, and I think this group of guys can definitely do that,” Smith said. “I thought that we had a shot last year as well. And so I don’t want to leave this with any regrets.”