Qualifiers Julieta Pareja and Raluka Serban both achieved significant victories in the opening round of the Copa Colsanitas Zurich on Tuesday.
American Pareja, 16, made history as the first player born in 2009 to compete in and win a WTA main draw match. She defeated Colombian wild card Maria Jose Sanchez Uribe, also 16 years old, with a score of 6-1, 6-1. This was both players` debut in a WTA main draw. It was the first WTA main-draw match between two players under 17 since 2009 in Prague.
Pareja, currently ranked No. 550, is also the highest-ranked player born in 2009 in the PIF WTA Rankings. Last year, she reached the final qualifying round of the US Open as a wild card and won her first ITF title at the Rancho Santa Fe W15.
This week in Bogota, Pareja qualified by defeating Carol Zhao and Eva Vedder in straight sets. Her next opponent is lucky loser Patricia Maria Tig, who defeated Emiliana Arango. A win against Tig would make Pareja the youngest WTA quarterfinalist since 15-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova in Charleston in 2021.
Earlier, Serban, ranked No. 204, became the first player from Cyprus to win a WTA tour-level match. She defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. This was Serban`s third WTA main draw appearance. Her best Grand Slam performance was reaching the final qualifying round at Roland Garros last year.
Serban, whose highest ranking was No. 152 in 2023, is the only Cypriot player to have been ranked in the Top 300 and one of only two currently holding a WTA ranking. Next, she will face No. 1 seed Marie Bouzkova, who narrowly won against qualifier Aleksandra Krunic.
Pareja and Serban were not the only players to achieve milestones in their Bogota openers. Hanna Chang secured her first WTA main-draw victory, winning against Varvara Lepchenko 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in an all-American match.
Defending champion and No. 2 seed Camila Osorio advanced with a 6-0, 6-1 win over wild card Mariana Isabel Higuita Barraza. Two-time Bogota winner Tatjana Maria won a long match against Chloe Paquet 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-4.
Iva Jovic, 17, became the second American teenager to reach the second round by defeating No. 3 seed Alycia Parks 6-1, 6-4. Jovic has won all her first-round matches at tour level so far. Her next match is against Julia Riera, who advanced after Francesca Jones retired due to cramps while trailing 6-2, 5-7, 5-3.
