MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women’s tennis will send a pair to the NCAA Singles Championships later this month, with Živa Falkner and Anastasiia Grechkina each earning berths this weekend.
Falkner secured qualification as one of the top-six singles players at the ITA West Sectionals in Los Angeles, while Grechkina was one of four singles qualifiers from ITA Conference Masters in Rome, Ga., after earning a semifinal berth.
The duo will head to Athens, Ga., for the 64-player championship set for Nov. 17-22. The full bracket will be revealed tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT by the NCAA.
It marks the second straight campaign for Grechkina qualifying for the tournament, as she advanced into the round of 32 at the 2025 Championships.
Grechkina collected three wins at ITA Conference Masters to earn the berth, as she entered the tournament as the West Coast Conference’s singles representative.
She began the week with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Binghamton’s Jessica McLean in the round of 32, before defeating Charleston Southern’s Carlota Farres Carreter in three sets in the round of 16.
With qualification on the line in the quarterfinals, Grechkina defeated the top-seed in the draw in Georgia’s Linea Bajraliu, 6-2, 7-6.
Falkner’s run at ITA Sectionals hosted at USC began with a decisive 6-2, 6-2 win over San Diego’s Hannah Read in the round of 32. She then took down Stanford’s Katerina Shabashkevich in the round of 16, dropping just three games in a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Falkner fell to the Trojans’ Daniela Borruel in the quarterfinals, setting up a playoff match for qualification against San Diego’s Emily Deming on Sunday morning. The first set went to a tiebreak, with Falkner battling back from a 1-4 deficit in the tiebreak, eventually saving a set point to claim the breaker 9-7. The second set also went to a tiebreak, with Falkner cruising to a 7-1 win to earn the berth to Athens.
Alexia Harmon and Chantal Sauvant each picked up round of 32 victories in the singles draw at Sectionals as well. Harmon took down USC’s Lily Fairclough in two sets while Sauvant earned a straight-set win over Saint Mary’s Sofia Daryaie. The duo each bowed out in the round of 16.
In the doubles draw, Falkner and Sauvant began the week with a thrilling 10-point tiebreaker win in the third set against San Diego, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 4-6, 6-2, 10-4 triumph. The Waves were then defeated by the Trojans in the subsequent round.
Full results for the week can be found below.
ITA CONFERENCE MASTERS
Round of 32
No. 16 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. Jessica McLean (BING): 7-5, 6-1
Round of 16
No. 16 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. Carlota Farres Carreter (CSU): 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
Quarterfinals
No. 16 Anastasiia Grechkina (PEPP) def. No. 80 Linea Bajraliu (UGA): 6-2, 7-6(4)
ITA SECTIONALS
Doubles
Round of 16
Živa Falkner/Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Vilma Krebs Hyllested/Hannah Read (USD): 4-6, 6-2, 10-4
Quarterfinals
No. 10 Lily Fairclough/Imogen Haddad (USC) def. Živa Falkner/Chantal Sauvant (PEPP): 6-3, 6-2
Singles
Round of 32
No. 20 Živa Falkner (PEPP) def. No. 74 Hannah Read (USD): 6-2, 6-2
Alexia Harmon (PEPP) def. Lily Fairclough (USC): 6-2, 6-3
No. 70 Chantal Sauvant (PEPP) def. Sofia Daryaie (SMC): 6-4, 7-5
Round of 16
No. 20 Živa Falkner (PEPP) def. No. 123 Katerina Shabashkevich (STAN): 6-2, 6-1
No. 118 Vilma Krebs Hyllested (USD) def. Alexia Harmon (PEPP): 6-4, 7-6(2)
No. 102 Katie Fakih (UCLA) def. No. 70 Chantal Sauvant (PEPP): 6-2, 6-0
Quarterfinals
Daniela Borruel (USC) def. No. 20 Živa Falkner (PEPP): 6-0, 6-2
Playoff
No. 20 Živa Falkner (PEPP) def. Emily Deming (USD): 7-6(7), 7-6(1)
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN’S TENNIS
Pepperdine women’s tennis has been a consistent powerhouse in the collegiate scene, reaching 41 NCAA Tournaments since 1982 including 29 straight appearances. Since 2018, the program has seen three national runner-ups between both singles and doubles while reaching an NCAA Super Regional as a team nine times in the past ten tournaments. The success at the conference level has been paramount with 34 WCC Championships including an active streak of 12 consecutive conference titles. With its 24 total All-Americans, the program has also consistently sent players to the pro circuit following their time in Malibu.
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