Carlsbad teen ranked No. 1 in the world takes run at Billie Jean King event

The world’s top-ranked junior girls tennis player is coming to the USTA Billie Jean King 18s and 16s national championships at the Barnes Center — just down the highway from her Carlsbad home.

The No. 1 spot in the ITF rankings belongs to 16-year-old Julieta Pareja, a North County native who ascended to the top spot after reaching the final of this year’s Wimbledon Juniors tourney.

“I didn’t even know about that until I was told after the final, I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Pareja said. “I’ve never really focused on rankings. It’s always been just going to every match, having the same goal or mentality. But being No. 1 is super amazing, and I’m super proud of all of my work.”

Pareja enters the USTA nationals not only as a hometown favorite but also a top contender for the 18s crown after claiming the consolation title a year ago.

The tournament starts Saturday and continues through Aug. 10.

Gaining the No. 1 ranking only added to a special time in England for Pareja, who hadn’t played on grass until this year. Starting with other tourneys, she won 11 straight matches on the surface leading into the Wimbledon final.

“It’s just Wimbledon has always been like a super unique tournament that you always hear about,” said Pareja, who also reached the doubles final with partner Thea Frodin, of Woodland Hills. “So being able to play on that stage, court one in the final, it’s an amazing atmosphere.”

Unseeded Mia Polanvoka prevailed, 6-3, 6-1, to become the second straight champion from Slovakia. To do so, she rebounded from a 3-1 first-set deficit.

“Mia played super well in the final, but I don’t think I did my best tennis,” said Pareja, seeded sixth. “After two weeks with a lot of matches, I wasn’t playing at my best. But it was still an amazing tournament.”

A month earlier, Pareja advanced to both the singles and doubles quarterfinals at the French Open Juniors.

Pareja, who turned 16 on Feb. 18, started a year of highlights by winning the J300 Copa Barranquilla juniors in Colombia and the J300 FILA juniors in Indian Wells. Then it was back to Colombia, the birthplace of both her father, Pablo, and mother, Adrianna.

This time, pro play awaited in the WTA 250 Copa Colsantas in Bogota.

After receiving a qualifying wild-card spot, Pareja became the first player born in 2009 to reach the main draw on the WTA Tour. She proceeded to reach the semifinals, becoming the youngest player to do so since Coco Gauff in 2019.

“To be honest, I didn’t really think I would get to the semifinals in a 250 (level tourney),” Pareja said. “But my game was there, and it was super special.”

Now comes her third appearance in the USTA Billie Jean King tournament.

In her tourney debut, Pareja reached the 16s semifinals and bowed to Christina Lyutova, the eventual champion. Pareja moved to the 18s last year, lost her second match in the round of 64, and then battled back to prevail for the consolation title, equivalent to fifth place.

“I played a lot of good matches against good players in consolation,” Pareja said. “That just helps you also a lot mentally, especially because usually in tournaments, you don’t play matches after you (first) lose.”

Pareja has been second in the USTA nationals behind third-year pro Aksaha Urhobo, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a semifinalist last year. The 18s champion receives a wild-card berth in the main draw of the U.S Open, and the other finalist gets a spot in qualifying.

Iva Jovic, then 16, took last year’s title and then became the youngest American since 2000 to win a match in the main draw. She has since turned pro and stands No. 91 in the rankings.

The path for Pareja, ranked 340th, is still to be determined.

“I have a good balance now, playing both juniors and pros,” she said. “Overall, my goal is just to keep working and getting better every day,”

USTA Billie Jean King Girls 18s and 16s National Championships

When: Saturday through Aug. 10.

Where: Barnes Tennis Center, Balboa Tennis Club and USD

Tickets: Admission and parking are free at all sites (Kroc Garage only at USD).

Brackets: Both divisions include 192 singles players and 96 doubles teams.

Locals watch: Carlsbad’s Julieta Pareja holds the world’s No. 1 juniors ranking after reaching this year’s Wimbledon Juniors final. She is seeded second. San Diego’s Alyssa Ahn returns to the 18s after reaching the round of 16 a year ago. Also back in the 18s is San Diego’s Carley Chen. Stepping up from the 16s are San Diego’s Elena Zhao ad Sophie Lau, and marking their tourney debuts in the 18s are San Diego’s Anqui Mei and Lylie Liu. San Diego’s Yilin Cheng bids again in the 16s after reaching the round of 32 last year. New to the 16s are Carlsbad’s Kianna Smith and San Diego’s Juny Huh, Lillian Yu and Kianna Huerta.

Noteworthy: The 18s top seed belongs to Akasha Urhobo, 18, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a third-year pro, who advanced to last year’s semifinals as the No. 2 seed. Keep an eye on 15-year-old Kristina Penickova, who played on the winning Wimbledon doubles team this year. Moving up to the 18s is reigning 16s champion Ishika Ashar. Last year’s 16s runner-up, Nicole Weng, 16, has also joined the 18s field. A wild-card entry has been granted to Mission Viejo’s Lani Chang, the daughter of Michael Chang, the 1989 French Open champion who grew up in Encinitas. Seeded first in the 16s field is Carlota Moreno.

Recent grads: Iva Jonic, then 16, went from winning last year’s 18s title to becoming the youngest American to prevail in the opening round at the U.S. Open since 2000. She is now No. 91 in the WTA rankings. Clervie Ngounoue, the 2023 tourney champion, ranks No. 221. She lost to Jovic in last year’s semifinals. Second-ranked Coco Gauff, who reached the 18s semifinals in 2018. added this year’s French Open title to the U.S. Open crown that she won two years ago.

Online: ustagirlsnationals.com

— GLAE THIEN