Teenage qualifier Julieta Pareja continued her impressive 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 making her WTA main draw debut and has become 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 the tournament, not my level,` Pareja said after her victory. `It`s a 250 event, and I`m in the semifinals – it`s incredible! I believe my level is there, and I`m happy to show it.`
Pareja`s strong groundstrokes and powerful forehand created a compelling contrast against Jeanjean`s varied spins and clever drop shots. The teenager also demonstrated resilience under pressure. In the first set, she recovered from a 3-1 deficit to win a close tiebreak, overcoming an earlier missed set point at 5-4. She then surged to a 4-0 lead in the second set and maintained composure even as Jeanjean narrowed the gap to 4-3. In the final game, Pareja confidently hit consecutive 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 heritage, entered the tournament as a qualifying wild card and has not dropped a set in her five matches. Her next challenge is to become the first player to reach a WTA final on debut since Noma Noha Akugue in 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 path to the semifinal has been marked by lengthy matches this week. The 32-year-old qualified by defeating Gergana Topalova 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4, and Patricia Maria Tig 7-5, 6-7(2), 7-6(6). She also saved a match point in the second round against Laura Pigossi, winning 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-3. In total, Kawa has spent 13 hours and 45 minutes on the court over five matches.
Kawa has reached her second career tour-level semifinal, with her first being at the Jurmala final in 2019, also on her WTA main-draw debut.
In the other quarterfinal, No. 2 seed and defending champion Camila Osorio kept her hopes for a third home title alive by defeating No. 6 seed Tatjana Maria 6-1, 6-3. The Colombian player will now face Julia Riera of Argentina in an all-South American semifinal. Riera defeated qualifier Lea Boskovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to reach her second tour-level semifinal, her first since Rabat 2023, also on her WTA main-draw debut.
Rupert Caldwell