NCAA men’s tennis: Arizona rallies to beat Oklahoma, advance to first Elite Eight
The most-anticipated college tennis match ever in Tucson was a hot ticket, so much so they had to print out more just to accommodate all the people who wanted to watch Arizona try and make history on Saturday afternoon. And after more than three hours, the Wildcats finally broke through. Arizona rallied from down 3-1 to beat Oklahoma 4-3 in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Sweet 16 at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.
The 8th-seeded Wildcats (24-4) will face top-seeded Wake Forest, the defending NCAA champions, in the quarterfinals Thursday in Athens, Ga. Arizona had lost in its previous four Sweet 16 appearances, including three in a row, but this was the first time it got to host. But with temperatures nearing triple digits, the UA found itself in a position where it needed to win every remaining singles match.
No. 9 Oklahoma (20-7) had taken the doubles point and won in straight sets at No. 2 and No.
4 singles, with Arizona’s lone win to that point by sophomore Glib Sekachov (6-2, 6-2) at No. 5 singles. “We got down 3-1 and I think the guys just said, you know what?
This is destiny,” UA coach Clancy Shields said. “It’s supposed to happen this year. We’ve been to the Sweet 16, but we haven’t gotten any further.