Teenage qualifier Julieta Pareja continued her amazing run at the Copa Colsanitas Zurich on Friday, defeating Leolia Jeanjean in the quarterfinals 7-6(5), 6-3.
The 16-year-old American, ranked No. 550, is playing in her first ever WTA main draw. She is now the youngest player to reach a tour-level semifinal since 15-year-old Coco Gauff`s victory in Linz in 2019.
`I`m surprised by how well I`m doing in this tournament,` Pareja said after her win. `It`s a 250 event and I`m in the semifinals – it`s incredible! I believe I`m playing at a high level and I`m happy to show it.`
Pareja`s powerful and consistent groundstrokes, especially her forehand, were a stark contrast to Jeanjean`s varied spin and drop shots. The young player also demonstrated mental toughness during the match. In the first set, she recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win in a close tiebreak, overcoming an earlier missed set point at 5-4. In the second set, she quickly took a 4-0 lead and maintained composure even when Jeanjean narrowed the gap to 4-3. In the final game, Pareja confidently hit forehand winners to secure match point.
`I stayed focused and concentrated to prevent her from getting back into the match,` Pareja explained. The Californian, with Colombian roots, entered the tournament as a qualifying wild card and has won all five of her matches without dropping a set. She now aims to be the first player to reach a WTA final on their debut since Noma Noha Akugue at Hamburg 2023.
Pareja will compete against fellow qualifier Katarzyna Kawa in the semifinal. Kawa, ranked No. 223 from Poland, defeated No. 1 seed Marie Bouzkova 5-7, 6-1, 7-5. Kawa`s match was another long battle this week; the 32-year-old qualified by winning two lengthy matches and saved a match point in the second round against Laura Pigossi. Kawa has spent a total of 13 hours and 45 minutes on court in her five matches.
Kawa has reached her second WTA semifinal, her first since Jurmala in 2019, which was also her WTA main-draw debut.
In the other quarterfinal, No. 2 seed and defending champion Camila Osorio kept her hopes alive for a third home title, defeating No. 6 seed Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-3. Osorio will play against Argentina`s Julia Riera in a South American semifinal. Riera also reached her second tour-level semifinal, her first since Rabat 2023, also on her WTA main-draw debut.
