LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama men's tennis team secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Auburn Montgomery on Tuesday afternoon at the Vaughan Tennis Complex.

With the win, the #31 Tigers improve to 6-3 overall on the season, while the #45 Warhawks fall to 4-9.

West Alabama jumped out to an early advantage by claiming the doubles point, winning two of the three matches. The duo of Federico Iturbe and Jacob Tapia delivered a dominant 6-1 victory at No. 2 doubles, while Afonso Portugal and Maksim Goncharov matched that effort with a 6-1 win at the No. 3 position. Auburn Montgomery picked up the lone doubles win at No. 1, but UWA's strong play in the other two flights proved decisive.

In singles action, the Tigers earned three key victories to clinch the match.

Gabriel Garay set the tone at the top of the lineup with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 straight-set win at No. 1 singles. Federico Iturbe followed with another strong performance at No. 5, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 victory to give UWA a crucial point.

The deciding match came at No. 4 singles, where Maksim Goncharov battled through a tightly contested contest. After edging the opening set in a tiebreak, Goncharov closed out the match with a 7-6, 7-5 victory to secure the fourth and final point for the Tigers.

Auburn Montgomery claimed wins at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6 singles to keep the match close, including a three-set battle at the No. 2 position.

Despite the pressure, West Alabama's depth and clutch performances proved to be the difference as the Tigers protected their home court in a tightly contested conference matchup.

UWA will look to carry the momentum forward as they head to Rome, Ga. for back-to-back matches, first taking on Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, March 21st at 1 PM and then North Georgia on Sunday, March 22nd at 1 PM..