Julieta Pareja is a fantastic tennis player and exceedingly polite.
But showing deference to her elders when battling them for a tournament title?
Respect, yes.
Being intimidated, though, by those with more candles gracing their birthday cakes?
No way.
The unseeded Pareja, 15, defeated four older and much more decorated rivals en route to the SoCal Pro Series title last weekend at the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club.
The Carlsbad kid, if you will, eliminated players aged 36, 26, 18 and 21 to claim her first championship on the three-year-old tour created by USTA Southern California.
The seven summer events serve as a stepping stone to bigger tournaments for the players, and they are eligible to earn crucial ranking points on the men’s and women’s tours.
The final feather in Pareja’s cap came when she ousted Kimmi Hance, UCLA’s top singles player, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, in Sunday’s sun-splashed final.
The win came with plenty of hiccups after Pareja dropped the first set and squandered a 5-1 edge in the final set before finishing off the No. 7-seeded Hance, who’s headed into her senior season for the Bruins.
“I was thinking about staying positive,” Pareja said, when handling the match’s low points. “I wasn’t thinking too far ahead.”
The future looks bright for Pareja as she dips her toes into tennis’ deeper end.
The SoCal Pro Series is loaded with talented players, some wise ones with years of experience and others on the younger side with eternal dreams of what might be.
“When I go on the court I know they are older than me,” Pareja said. “But I’m not thinking much about what they have done, accomplished or how old they are. I’m thinking about how to play against them, how to match their game against mine.”
While Pareja is short on trips around the sun, she’s a bright light when leaning on her strategy. She has a powerful forehand that opens up the court, but her mind is never closed to contemplating outsmarting an opponent.
Pareja repeatedly proves that the most important six inches on any court is between a player’s ears.
“Every opponent is different, and it’s a game to problem-solve on the court,” she said.
If a player can do that consistently, at any age, look out.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” Hance said of Pareja. “If you’re good at the game, you’re good at the game.”
So, is Pareja good? Better take it up a notch, according to Hance.
“She’s a great player,” Hance said.
Pareja is off to a great summer, with a title on her resume, 15 Women’s Tennis Association ranking points in her bank, and $2,352 deposited into her ATM.
Not bad for a teenager landing a nearby summer job.
“It was great staying close to home, sleeping in my own bed and playing in such a high-level tournament,” she said.
Pareja did more than just play; she won en route to what might be her best summer ever.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected]Â and follow him @jparis_sports
