May 23, 2017
Live Coverage | NCAA Singles Draw | NCAA Doubles Draw
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For her relentless dedication and talent on court throughout the season, Astra Sharma of the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team has been named the 2017 ITA Player to Watch.
Sharma, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, earned the Ohio Valley region’s Player to Watch honor for the second year in a row, now earning national recognition. The honor is given to a student-athlete who is thought to be a contender to win one of the many ITA or NCAA tournaments.
Throughout her redshirt-junior campaign, Sharma reached the semifinals of the 2016 Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships and the 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. She is now a three-time All-American (doubles; 2015, singles/doubles; 2017) and was instrumental in helping Vanderbilt win the SEC regular-season and tournament titles.
Sharma heads into the 2017 NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournament ranked No. 1 in the country in doubles with teammate Emily Smith, and ranked fourth in singles. In addition to her tremendous on-court results, Sharma is known for her superb sportsmanship.
The Perth, Australia native will continue the season competing in the final event of the year, the NCAA individual tournament. Sharma will begin tournament play tomorrow at 8 a.m. CT as the fourth-overall seed facing Miami’s Estela Perez-Somarriba. On Thursday the top-seeded duo of Sharma/Smith will take on Oklahoma State’s Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari.
Senior Sydney Campbell will also be vying for a tournament crown, as the 9-16 seeded Franklin, Tenn. native squares off against Georgia Tech’s Rasheeda McAdoo tomorrow at 3 p.m.
