MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Portland junior Jelena Lukic reached the Round of 16 with two impressive wins at the 43rd annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic this week. Lukic was knocked out of the tournament in a hard-fought three-setter against the top seed and No. 5-ranked Gabriela Knutson of Syracuse on Friday afternoon.

The No. 10 seed in the singles draw, Lukic opened with a 6-0, 6-0 win against highly-rated freshman Ava Markham of Wisconsin on Thursday. She then defeated San Diego's Daniela Morales in straight sets on Friday (6-4, 6-3) before battling Knutson in the afternoon.

After dropping the first set by a 6-2 margin, Lukic pulled out a second set tiebreaker to force a third and deciding set. Knutson held on for the 6-1 win to advance to the quarterfinals.

"This was one of the highest level fall tournaments in which we have played," Portland assistant coach Filip Zivkovic said. "Jelena had a great showing with two convincing wins against quality opponents. She then pushed the No. 5 player in the country to three sets and had opportunities to take control of the match early on in the third set, unfortunately a couple of no-add games didn't go her way and the tide turned. She has put a lot of time and effort into her tennis this summer and is has really showed in her game. She is ready to challenge the best players in the country and she will have another great opportunity next weekend at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. We are excited to put her in the position to play against the best in the country and show everyone her capabilities."

Portland senior Radina Dimitrova fought through an illness and dropped her opening round match in straight sets against Michigan State's Samantha Memije. Dimitrova lost a hard-fought three-setter to Gabrielle Dekkers of Utah State in the consolation bracket.

"Radina had a couple of tough matches against good opponents and there is lots of room for improvement for her," Zivkovic noted. "This was a good experience and she will continue to improve as the fall season progresses. She is the only senior on our team and knows what it takes to be successful, so we are excited to see her put it all together in her final season."

The two Pilots teamed up for doubles and dropped an 8-3 decision to the draw's No. 4 seeded team of Sofya Golubovskaya and Guzal Yusupova from Syracuse in the opening round.

The Milwaukee Tennis Classic is one of the top fall tournaments in the nation and the women's singles draw featured three players in the ITA Preseason Singles Rankings, including top-seeded Knutson of Syracuse (No. 5).

Lukic will compete at the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships hosted by Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. next week. Pre-Qualifying Singles begins on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Milwaukee Tennis Classic
Milwaukee, Wisc. (Western Racquet Club)
September 20-23, 2018

Singles
64 (10) Jelena Lukic (POR) def. Ava Markham (WISC) 6-0, 6-0
64 Samantha Memije (MSU) def. Radina Dimitrova (POR) 6-2, 6-2
32 (10) Jelena Lukic (POR) def. Daniela Morales (USD) 6-4, 6-3
16 (1) #5 Gabriela Knutson (SYR) def. (10) Jelena Lukic (POR) 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-1
C Gabrielle Dekkers (USU) def. Radina Dimitrova (POR) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (9)

Doubles
32 (4) Sofya Golubovskaya/Guzal Yusupova (SYR) def. Lukic/Dimitrova (POR) 8-3