Malibu, Calif. – Vanderbilt senior Fernanda Contreras competed in the semifinals of singles play of the Oracle ITA Masters Saturday morning taking on No. 4 Estela Perez-Somarriba of Miami.
Contreras fell in the first set, 6-2, but stormed back in the second set to force the match into a set tie break. After a tough battle, Perez-Somarriba conquered the match, 7-6 (2) completing a straight-set win.
Despite the loss, Contreras said she is thankful for the opportunity to compete in the tournament and grow in her game.
“It’s one of the most prestigious events in the fall, so I’m just really grateful I got the opportunity to come,” Contreras said. “It’s my senior year Vanderbilt so it’s my last go-round, so I’m just really happy I got to come and experience it.”
Vanderbilt associate head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said she is proud of Contreras’ accomplishments during the weekend.
“Tough day for Fern,” Tsoubanos said. “She had some chances to even the match up in the second set and couldn’t quite convert on the big points. Credit to Estella who played very well and with very few errors. All told, it was a great few days of tennis and an experience to build on. Oracle put on a fantastic event with Pepperdine and the Malibu Racket Club.”
The rest of Vanderbilt’s women’s tennis team continued to dominate the courts at the Debbie Southern fall classic Saturday morning resulting in four Dores advancing to the championship round in their respective flights. Carolyn Campana, Summer Dvorak, Lauren Gish and Emily Smith all earned wins for the Dores and will compete for the title of champions Sunday morning.
“I am very proud of how the girls are performing in the classic so far,” said Vanderbilt head coach Geoff Macdonald. “This tournament is filled with so much talent and the competition is high so to have four girls headed to the championship round is a very big accomplishment. The team has learned a lot so far this weekend and have played very strongly so I am excited to see what tomorrow brings.”
To keep up with all the action on the final day of the Debbie Southern Fall Classic, follow @Vandywtennis on Twitter and Instagram.
