Pepperdine University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
ITF W50 Berkeley
Women’s Tennis Begins Fall Season at ITA All-American Championships
9/18/2026 1:33:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine women's tennis is set to begin the fall season next week, sending three athletes to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (TIA) All-American Championships in Cary, N.C.
The annual fall tournament will be held from Sept. 19-27 at Cary Tennis Park and features the top NCAA Division I players from across the country.
Živa Falkner and Anastasiia Grechkina are set for the singles main draw, with Chantal Sauvant in the singles qualifying draw. Grechkina and Suavant will contest the doubles main draw.
"We're excited to see what Chanti, Ziva, and Nastia can accomplish at All-Americans," said head coach Tassilo Schmid. "This is a great opportunity for them to compete against some of the top players in the country and earn a place at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. We look forward to seeing them embrace the challenge, compete at the highest level, and represent the team."
Duru Soke will be in action next week as well at a pro event, playing the ITF W50 Berkeley from Sept. 21-27 in Berkeley, Calif.
"This is a great opportunity for Duru, she has trained really well," noted Schmid. "We want our girls to have pro opportunities and improve their pro rankings."
Competition in Cary begins with two days of pre-qualifying action on Saturday and Sunday, followed by qualifying rounds Monday and Tuesday. The main draw is scheduled to begin Wednesday and run through Sunday.
The ITA Women's All-American Championships also serve as one of the qualifying pathways for the 2026 NCAA Singles & Doubles Championship. Ten singles players will earn NCAA Singles Championship berths through the event, with all eight main-draw quarterfinalists and both feed-in consolation finalists qualifying. Five doubles teams will also punch their tickets to the NCAA Doubles Championship, featuring the four main-draw semifinalists and the consolation champion.
Draws and match times will be available here through the ITA, with competition beginning at 9 a.m. ET each day. The singles qualifying draw will be live Sunday night with the main draw set to be published Tuesday night. Select matches will have streaming available through playsight here.
Falkner is set to compete in the main singles draw at the All-American Championships, coming off a 2025-26 season which saw her earn WCC Co-Player of the Year. Falkner enters the fall ranked No. 20 in the ITA preseason singles rankings. She posted an 11-7 singles mark last season at the No. 1 position for the Waves, including four wins over top-40 ranked opponents.
Grechkina is set to contest both the singles and doubles main draw at the All-American Championships. She enters play ranked No. 16 in the ITA singles rankings following a 2025-26 campaign that saw her earn All-WCC singles first team honors with a 10-8 record. Grechkina was the lone Pepperdine qualifier for the NCAA Singles Championship this past fall after winning the singles title at the ITA Southwest Regionals.
Sauvant will be the first Wave in action at the All-American Championships, playing in the singles qualifying draw beginning Monday. Sauvant enters ranked No. 70 in the ITA singles rankings, after debuting with the Waves this spring with a 16-4 singles record. She earned All-WCC singles second team honors while closing the season on a 12-match winning streak.
Sauvant and Grechkina are set for the doubles main draw beginning Wednesday as well. The duo came in at No. 31 in the ITA preseason doubles rankings and were recognized as an All-WCC doubles first team pairing this past spring. They went 12-4 as a pairing this past season, including a pair of top-40 wins in NCAA Round of 16 and Quarterfinal.
Söke is set to compete in the singles draw at the ITF W50 Berkeley beginning Monday in Berkeley, Calif. Söke was an All-WCC Singles second team member in the spring, after posting a 13-2 overall record for the Waves. She enters the fall season ranked No. 83 in the ITA singles rankings.
The quartet joins fellow returners Alexia Harmon, Shihomi Leong and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva as the Waves maintain their entire lineup from the 2025-26 season. Zhiyenbayeva will also be in action next week, representing Kazakhstan at the Billie Jean King Cup from Sept. 22-27 in Shenzhen, China.
ITA All-American Championships (Cary, N.C.)
Pre-Qualifying: Sept. 19-20
Qualifying: Sept. 21-22
Main Draw: Sept. 23-27
ITF W50 Berkeley (Berkeley, Calif.)
Sept. 21-27
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.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's tennis news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWTEN.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
