ORLANDO, Fla. — Senior Fernanda Contreras culminated her phenomenal Commodore career on Wednesday, falling to Duke’s Kelly Chen in the NCAA Singles Championship Round of 16 at the USTA Tennis Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Contreras dominated the court in the first set, earning a 4-1 lead over Chen. Holding Chen to four games, Contreras raced away to secure the first set, 6-4.
Earning three straight games against Chen, Contreras swiftly took the lead in the second set.
But the Duke sophomore stormed back to take the set over Contreras, earning a 7-5 victory to force a third set.
Contreras looked to bounce back in the final set. However, her comeback fell short with Chen holding Contreras to two games, securing her spot in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Wednesday’s match marked Contreras’ second consecutive NCAA Individual Sweet Sixteen appearance and her final match wearing the Star V.
"Fernanda Contreras has had an extraordinary four-year career at Vanderbilt University," said head coach Geoff Macdonald. "Coming in as a freshman, Fernanda was a very raw but talented player who was looking for guidance. In her four years, she has become Vanderbilt's all-time winningest player at singles, breaking Taka Bertrand's record set 10 years ago, and will leave Vanderbilt as one of the all-time greats in Vanderbilt's women's tennis history."Geoff Macdonald
During her remarkable career at Vanderbilt, Contreras competed in three NCAA Final Fours and an National Championship match, won two regular season SEC titles and two SEC Tournament titles and set the Vanderbilt record for most single-season wins (44) and career singles victories (136). She also became the first Commodore to win the Riviera All-American singles tournament, which she did as a junior.
Contreras concludes her time on West End as a three-time All-American, boasting an 136-31 career record.
