MONTGOMERY, Ala. - In a contest that went down to the final singles flight, the University of West Alabama men's tennis team defeated No. 23 Auburn University at Montgomery 4-3 in the Gulf South Conference Championship quarterfinal round Saturday afternoon in Lagoon Park.
No. 6 West Alabama advances to 8-12 overall, while No. 3 Auburn Montgomery falls to 13-7.
In singles, No. 40 Lucas Hammond and Jacob Tapia (10-4) took down Agustin Martinez and Alex Verdasco 6-4 in the top flight.
The Warhawks bounced back in the No. 2 spot as Joao Guariente and Giuseppe Bonaiuti defeated Wilson Igbonovia and Eita Ishikawa 6-3.
Caden Goldammer and Nuuti Jokinen took Titouan Le Maout and Adrian Contreras to the wire in the No. 3 spot, but AUM clinched the doubles point in the tiebreak set 7-6.
No. 56 Hammond (8-11) and Igbinovia (9-7) took care of business in the top two singles flights as they downed both of their opponents in straight sets to take a 2-1 lead.
The Warhawks returned the favor in the No. 3 and 4 spots, with Jokinen and Ishikawa falling to Adrian Contreras and Titouan Le Maout in straight sets to give the No. 3 seed a 3-2 advantage headed into the final two flights.
Jacob Tapia (9-4) and Alex Verdasco traded blows in the No. 5 flight. After Vardasco won the first set 7-6, Tapia rallied in the second to tie the set at five game apiece. However, the UWA freshman won the last two games, to force the deciding third set.
In the last frame, both teams went back and forth with no team having more than a one-game advantage. Tapia would prevail by clinching the last two games to win the point and even the match at three.
Federico Iturbe (3-4) served as the hero of the day for UWA, despite losing the first set to Agustin Martinez. All tied up at five, the freshman snagged the last two games of the second set.
Iturbe used a fast start to win the final set 6-4 and advance West Alabama to its 13th semifinal round appearance in program history and the first since 2021.
The Tigers will face Valdosta State in the semifinal round on Sunday at Lagoon Park. The two-seeded Blazers shut out Montevallo in the quarterfinal round. The first serve is set for 10 a.m.
