Box Score TULSA, Okla. – Portland senior Sema Pankin and sophomore Nikolas Tvedt earned a doubles victory before being knocked out of the Qualifying Doubles Draw at the ITA All-American Championships this week. Pankin also dropped a pair of matches to Top 60 opponents in the Qualify Singles Draw.

The duo defeated Troy's Nicolas Simkin and Christopher Tasker in a third set super tiebreaker. The Portland pair took the first set 6-1 before dropping the second set by a 6-4 margin. Pankin and Tvedt came up clutch with a 10-3 third set score to advance and take on Stanford's No. 59-ranked tandem of Alexandre Rosaert and Arthur Fery.

The Pilots came up short by a 6-4, 7-5 margin as the Stanford duo would go on to qualify for the main draw and have since reached the Round of 16.

Pankin was very competitive in his two singles matches against ranked opponents. He drew a tough draw with a first round match against the No. 2 seed in the bracket, 49th-ranked Toby Samuel of South Carolina. Pankin took the opening set, but Samuel would prevail by a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 margin.

Pankin then faced another South Carolina player in the consolation draw as No. 56-ranked James Story came away with a 6-3, 6-3 win.

Portland will next prepare for the ITA Northwest Regionals held October 13-17 in Eugene, Ore. at the Student Tennis Center on the University of Oregon campus.

2021 ITA All-American Championships
October 4-5
Tulsa, Okla. (Michael D. Case Tennis Center/Case Tennis Center at LaFortune Park)

Qualifying Singles Draw
126 #49 Toby Samuel (South Carolina, 2) def. Sema Pankin (Portland) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
C #56 James Story (South Carolina) def. Pankin (Portland) 6-3, 6-3

Qualifying Doubles Draw
64 Pankin/Tvedt (Portland) def. Simkin/Tasker (Troy) 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3)
32 #59 Rotsaert/Fery (Stanford, 9-16) def. Pankin/Tvedt (Portland) 6-4, 7-5