Florida International University senior Andrea Lazaro recently defeated Duke's Samantha Harris 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to take the title at the 2017 Oracle ITA National Fall Tennis Championships at the Indian Wells Tennis Facility in Indian Wells, California.
Ranked No. 29 in the preseason Oracle/ITA National Rankings, Lazaro won her 13th match of the fall with her latest victory, ending the season with a 13-3 singles record.
The tournament was the first appearance in the ITA National Fall Championships for a member of the FIU women's tennis program, and Lazaro's win marked her first career championship title.
During the fall, Lazaro also successfully reached the semifinals at the ITA All-American Championships and the second round in the ITA Oracle Masters.
“I feel amazing and I still cannot believe I won,” said Lazaro after the final. “In today's match, I gave everything I had, I played with consistency, and I believed in myself.”
With the fall season now completed, the Panthers will not take the court again for competition until January 21 when they butt heads with Kansas State.