The backswing became an upswing.

The Ironton Fighting Tigers tennis team went 2-1 last week and climbed over the .500 mark with a 7-6 record on the season.

The Fighting Tigers beat Portsmouth East and Rose Hill but lost to Portsmouth.

Lavelle Medcalf remained unbeaten as he ran his record to 13-0. Britt Roach won and is now 9-4 while A.J. Lutz improved to 7-3.

Skylar Small, Alisa Carter, Shante' Lewis, Arisa Filgrove and Chelsea Cleary all won their first matches of the season.

Ironton plays at Gallipolis on Wednesday, then hosts Raceland, Ky., at 4 p.m. Thursday. The Fighting Tigers close out the regular season at Lucasville Valley Monday and visit Portsmouth West on next Wednesday.

The sectional tournament is scheduled May 13-14 at Mound Park in Portsmouth.