Oct. 7, 2017
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Fernanda Contreras is locked in and making Vanderbilt tennis history. The junior is the first Commodore to compete in the final of the most prestigious tournament of the fall, the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship.
Ranked No. 63 in the country, the Austin, Texas native has defeated three Oracle/ITA Top-25 opponents in two days, with two of those challengers sitting in the Top-5.
“I have no words for how I feel,” said Contreras. “I’m just in pure happiness and disbelief. I came into the match just wanting to give my all. My forehand and my serve definitely benefitted me in this particular matchup against (Gabriela) Talaba. I slapped every forehand she gave me and came in to net. Tomorrow I plan on just enjoying the moment and having fun.”
Saturday afternoon Contreras faced the second-ranked player in the country, Texas Tech’s Gabriela Talaba. The Commodore made quick work of the match, defeating the Red Raider’s first All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Tomorrow, two qualifiers square off in the All-American final. Fernanda faces Florida Atlantic’s No. 30 Aliona Bolsova, who defeated Florida International’s No. 29 Andrea Lazaro. This is the first time since 2008 that two unseeded student-athletes contend for the title. Match play is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
“It’s amazing to look back at my time at Vanderbilt so far,” continued Contreras. “From the final four my freshman year, to clinching the SEC tournament last year… I’m just super happy to be here. I’m also thankful for coach (Macdonald and Leaks (Tsoubanos) for pushing me and for my teammates for making practice fun and challenging.”