After a doubles victory, Colton Smith (left) celebrates with Inaki Cabrera-Bello on Jan. 25 at Robson Tennis Center. The Wildcats defeated the Trojans 2-1 in the Doubles stage.
The No. 10 University of Arizona men's tennis team (26-5, 6-2 Big 12) were bounced out of the NCAA tournament in the Sweet Sixteen by the No. 7 University of Virginia (23-7, 9-4 ACC) in Charlottesville, Va., on May 10. The Wildcat's fell in their third straight Sweet Sixteen appearance, losing to No. 3 Ohio State University in 2023 and No. 8 Columbia University in 2024.
Virginia advanced to the Sweet Sixteen by sweeping Bucknell University and Princeton University in the first two rounds. The Cavaliers and Wildcats' meeting was the first between both programs.
Arizona will be losing its star in Colton Smith this offseason. The No. 5 college player in the nation and No. 162 in the world will be turning his focus to the professional field. Smith has already dipped his toes in professional play, going 3-2 in his last five matches.
Arizona's doubles troubles were apparent as the winningest duo for Arizona, Jay Friend and Eric Padgham, fell 6-3 on court one to Virginia's Mans Dahlberg and Dylan Dietrich, who are the No. 31 duo in college. The Cavaliers secured the doubles point quickly as they would win court 3 with Arizona's Smith and Alexander Rozin falling 6-4 to Rafael Jodar and Roy Horovitz. Court 2 ended unfinished, with Casper Christensen and Filip Gustafsson unable to aid the Wildcats.
With the doubles point in hand, the Cavaliers had to win the next three courts in order to push them into the next round. It looked like it was going Virginia's way after claiming court 3 as Wildcat Zoran Ludoski fell 6-4, 6-2 to Keegan Rice. Additionally, Rozin was also defeated in two sets on court 4, 6-4, 7-5 to James Hopper.
Ludoksi's season might have come to an end in a disappointing outing, but the freshman has stunned on the court him entering the season as the No. 55 college player. While his number might have fallen since the start of the season, he proved himself crucial in Arizona's opening NCAA tournament match as they beat Denver University, with Ludoski winning court 3 swiftly 6-3, 6-1. He ends the season as the No. 103 player in the nation, looking to build on a bright future ahead of him.
Rozin found his place in the Wildcat rotation, going from an 11-10 record last season to 31-6 this season. Rozin found himself as the second most winningest Wildcat, only behind Friend. Rozin's future is promising, as he still has two years left of college eligibility.
Arizona battled back, winning courts 1 and 5, as Smith was able to capture a two-set 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) tiebreaking win over Virginia's Rafael Jodar, the No. 4 player in the nation. Then, Gustafsson secured dominance on court 5 in a three-set 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Virginia's Jangjun Kim. Unfortunately, the nail in the coffin for Arizona's electric comeback came as Virginia's Dylan Dietrich would rout Friend in a 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 three-match win on court 2 that would send the Wildcats packing.