MIAMI (Nov.4, 2017) –FIU senior
Andrea Lazaro made school history on Saturday afternoon, when she advanced to the 2017 Oracle ITA National Fall Championship Final at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Facility in Indian Wells, Calif.
FIU sophomore
Ulyana Grib and junior
Maryna Veksler fell to Northwestern's Alexandria Chatt and Lee Or in the doubles semifinal 6-1, 6-3, and 10-5.
Lazaro, a Barcelona native, defeated Vanderbilt's Fernanda Contreras 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 in the semifinal. Reaching the final is a career-first for Lazaro, as well as a historic first for any FIU tennis player.
This fall Lazaro reached the semifinals at the ITA All-American Championships and the second round in the ITA Oracle Masters. Only 64 athletes qualified for both prestigious tournaments nationwide.
"It feels amazing to be able to play the final of this tournament," said Lazaro after the match. "I feel happy, but the work is not done yet. I have been working hard during the fall and I knew this result would come."
Lazaro will play in the final on Sunday afternoon against Duke's Samantha Harris who beat Texas's Bianca Turati 6-4, 6-3.
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