Oct. 7, 2016
Sharma to compete in VU’s first All-American semifinal
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Astra Sharma of the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team will be the first Commodore to ever compete in the semifinal round of the Riviera ITA All-American Championship singles tournament.
“This tournament so far has been a testament to Astra’s hard work,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald. “Is there a harder working player in college tennis? I give her credit for keeping an even keel and competing well to put herself in this position. Astra works so hard, and we’re all just really proud of her.”
Competing on one of the biggest stages in collegiate tennis, the junior out of Perth, Australia took down two opponents Saturday afternoon, to not only clinch a place in the All-American Final Four, but a spot at ITA National Indoors as well.
“I’m really pleased with my level of play and how I am handling adversity out here against some of the best players in college tennis,” said Sharma. “At this level everyone is good and deserves to be here, so it’s a tough match everyday. I was really happy with my fitness and mental toughness after five hours of tennis and still being able to keep focused and play long points. I think the off court cardio work with Paul Drake is paying off and all the things that I’m working with coach (Macdonald) and Boomer (Saia) on on court are tying in nicely to get me to a higher level of play.”
In her first match of the day, Sharma allowed North Carolina’s Sara Daavettila the opening set, 6-1, but battled her way back into the competition. Sharma edged out the Tar Heel in a dramatic second set tiebreaker, 7-6(4), to split sets.
The redshirt junior’s experience and athleticism paid off in the paramount final set, as she defeated the highly touted freshman, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, to clinch her place in tournament quarterfinals.
Competing just one hour later, Sharma relied on the coaching of interim assistant coach Boomer Saia as well as her conditioning to aid her through another demanding match.
As the California sun beamed down, Sharma faced Pepperdine’s Mayar Sherif Ahmed in quarterfinals. With both players having knocked off powerful tournament seeds in previous matches, the competition was fated to be one for the books.
In a back-and-forth matchup, Sharma and Ahmed found themselves in a first set tiebreaker. For the second time on Friday, the Commodore was able to stay composed throughout the breaker to take the set, 7-6(4). Sharma was nearly at five hours on court, but dug deep to limit her opponent to only three additional games. The Aussie took the quarterfinal match a with a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory.
“Astra has not only played some impressive tennis, but she has had an unbelievable attitude and mentality in each of her matches,” said Saia. “She has played some of the toughest players in the country out here and she has competed very well, especially in crucial situations. Astra has worked very hard in practice and it is great to see her hard work paying off. She will play a very talented freshman in Ena Shibahara tomorrow, so Astra will need to play at a high level to give her a chance for the final. Overall, she has gained a ton of experience out here and it will be exciting to watch her play tomorrow.”
“Roo” is slated to take on UCLA’s Ena Shibahara in Saturday’s semifinal at 12:00 pm CT. Shibahara has enjoyed a hot streak so far in her first collegiate tournament, having battled her way into the semis from pre-qualifying rounds (nine-straight matches).
June Stewart Invitational
While Sharma was competing in All-Americans the rest of the Commodore contingent began hosting the June Stewart invitational. With one round of doubles followed by one round of singles, Commodore fans got to experience their 2016-17 team for the first time at the Currey Tennis Center.
VU went 1-1 in doubles with Emma Kurtz and Christina Rosca picking up their first wins on their home court. The freshman duo defeated Auburn’s Griffin/Axon 8-6.
In singles play, three of the of the six competing Vanderbilt student-athletes advanced into the winners bracket, with Fernanda Contreras, Rosca and Emily Smith all picking up straight set victories.
Tournament play will continue Saturday morning at 9:30 am with two rounds of doubles followed by two rounds of singles matches.