Julia Riera secured her place in the semifinals of the WTA 125 tournament in Curitiba, Brazil, after overcoming fellow Argentine Solana Sierra 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a two-hour and six-minute quarterfinal on clay. Riera, ranked 140th in the world, dropped the opening set decisively before mounting a comeback against Sierra.

How Riera Fought Back After a Slow Start

The quarterfinal clash at the Graciosa Country Club began with a lopsided first set dominated by the 101st-ranked Sierra. Riera held serve in the opening game before Sierra rattled off six consecutive games, securing three breaks from eight opportunities. Sierra carried that momentum into the second set, building a 3-0 lead and pulling ahead 4-1. Riera then shifted the tactical momentum, winning five straight games to claim the second set 6-4 and force a decider.

In the final set, Riera surged to a 4-0 advantage. Sierra answered with a break to narrow the gap to 4-2 and eventually leveled the score at 5-5 as Riera served for the match. Riera immediately broke Sierra at love in the next game and successfully served out the match, sealing a victory in 2 hours and 6 minutes.

Next Opponent and Semifinal Schedule

Riera advances to face Austria’s Julia Grabher, the tournament’s second seed, who is ranked 122nd in the world. The semifinal match is scheduled for Saturday at 11.00 hours on the clay courts in southern Brazil. Riera enters the fixture seeking a spot in the championship match of the WTA 125 event. Prior to this quarterfinal meeting, the head-to-head record between Riera and Sierra showed absolute parity, with three victories for each across their six previous encounters.

Argentine Campaign and Quarterfinal Results

Sierra’s elimination coincided with the exit of compatriot Jazmin Ortenzi. Ranked 173rd, Ortenzi fell to France’s Alice Tubello (207th) with a scoreline of 6-2, 2-6, 3-6. Tubello advances to face Brazilian Nauhany Vitoria Leme Da Silva (609th) in the opposite semifinal.

The tournament also featured strong early runs from other Argentine players, including Luna Cinalli. The 18-year-old from Santa Fe made history earlier in the week by defeating Brazil’s Ana Candiotto 6-2, 6-3 to become the first South American player born in 2008 to win a main-draw match at a WTA 125 event, a result that secured her a live ranking jump of 92 positions to 575th. María Lourdes Carlé also participated in the WTA 125 tournament as part of the South American clay-court circuit, raising her level in the second set of her opening match without conceding further games.

Podoroska Advances in Querétaro

Meanwhile, Nadia Podoroska continued her campaign on the clay at the WTA 125 tournament in Querétaro, reaching the quarterfinals by decisively defeating Romanian Miriam Bulgaru 6-1, 6-1 in one hour and two minutes. The 29-year-old from Rosario, currently ranked 201st in the WTA rankings as she seeks to regain ground following a season disrupted by physical issues, advanced to face French player Leolia Jean Jean, who holds the 90th spot in the global rankings.