MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 7 seed West Alabama men's tennis team begins its postseason journey Thursday afternoon, squaring off against second-seeded West Florida in the first round of the 2025 Gulf South Conference Men's Tennis Championship Tournament.
First serve is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Lagoon Park and O'Connor Tennis Center in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Tigers (6-13, 2-6 GSC) enter the tournament looking to bounce back from a tough regular-season loss to the Argonauts, who swept the matchup 7-0 earlier this spring. West Florida (21-1, 7-1 GSC) has been dominant all season and comes into the tournament as one of the favorites, ranked nationally and riding an impressive stretch that includes a perfect 7-0 record in the sixth singles slot and 7-0 in conference play from standout Sebastian Sotelo.
West Alabama's strength this season has come from its doubles play, where the team holds a slight edge with a 28-27 overall record. The pairing of Federico Iturbe and Jacob Tapia has led the charge, boasting a 10-4 mark and three conference wins. In singles, Tapia has also found success individually with an 8-6 record and a five-match winning streak.
Veteran presence Tomas Almeida (8-10 overall) and Vilislav Bonev (7-7) will be key figures at the top of the lineup as the Tigers aim to pull off an upset. Almeida and Afonso Portugal also have valuable doubles experience, though they will look to rebound after recent struggles in tandem play.
The No. 1 ranked nationally Argonauts boast an .857 overall singles winning percentage (102-17), led by Sebastian Sotelo's stellar 17-2 record and unbeaten 7-0 mark in conference play. Miguel Cabrera (14-3) and Sebastian Rondon (14-2) have also delivered in crucial positions, combining for a 13-2 record in GSC action. Albin Ekenros (15-3) and Diego Duran (13-3) have proven their reliability in the middle of the lineup, with Ekenros going 12-2 at the No. 5 spot.
In doubles, West Florida owns a solid 39-23 record with a .739 winning percentage in conference play. The duo of Sotelo and Tomas Leston stands out at 13-2 overall, including a 5-1 GSC record and an impressive 7-0 run at No. 3 doubles. Duran and Rondon (13-7) are heating up as well, winning five straight heading into postseason.
Despite the previous loss to UWF, West Alabama has shown flashes of potential and hopes to channel that into a strong showing on Thursday. The winner of the matchup will advance to the GSC semifinals, keeping their championship hopes alive.
