Julieta Pareja is 16 and already competing in the U.S. Open: meet America’s new tennis prodigy
This California teen is breaking records and stepping onto the biggest stage in tennis. Here’s why she’s worth your attention.
Tasty volley. lovely smash. Sweet 16. But the story of Julieta Pareja doesn’t start with tennis academies or private courts. It begins in Carlsbad, California, where she learned the game alongside her sisters on public courts. Fast forward to today, and the 16-year-old is making history as the youngest female ever to play in the U.S. Open singles main draw.
Who is rising tennis star Julieta Pareja?
Pareja, born in February 2009, carries Colombian roots and a distinctly family-driven tennis upbringing. Her sisters Raquel and Antonia also compete – yes, I’m thinking of a movie-in-the-making, too – and Julieta’s early training was shaped as much by sibling rivalries as by formal coaching.
Her résumé is stacked for someone not yet old enough to drive alone at night. She has won junior events across Latin America and the U.S., including Medellín, Barranquilla, and Indian Wells. In 2024, she claimed a pro title at a $15,000 event in Rancho Santa Fe, the youngest champion in that tournament’s history. This past summer, she reached both the singles and doubles finals at Wimbledon juniors, then climbed to No. 1 in the world junior rankings.
“I’m just super excited, just being able to actually play against really high ranked players that I’ve watched on TV”
Julieta Pareja ahead of 2025 U.S. Open
The Coco comparison
Transitioning to the pro tour, Pareja made her mark at Bogotá’s Copa Colsanitas in April 2025, becoming the first player born in 2009 to reach a WTA main draw and surging all the way to the semifinals. She was the youngest to do so since Coco Gauff, which immediately set the comparison in motion.
Who is Julieta Pareja playing at the 2025 U.S. Open?
That brief story of her young life brings us right up to here, in New York. At 16 years and six months and a week, Pareja edges out Tracy Austin’s long-standing record of 16 years, 8 months, 28 days for youngest female entrant in the Open era. However, it’s not just the milestone that matters but the challenge. Her first-round draw is Elena Rybakina, world No. 9 and a proven Grand Slam champion.
It’s a tough ask but...
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