Mika Liu upsets medalist at Jones/Doherty Women's Amateur

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Mika Liu of Beverly Hills, Calif. was runner-up two years ago at the Jones/Doherty Women's Amateur. She's back now as a 15-year-old, and the fourth-ranked amateur in the world took a big-step on Thursday when she knocked out the medalist and No. 1 seed Samantha Smolen in the quarterfinals. RELATED: Quarterfinals set at Jones/Doherty Women's Amateur Liu, who won the 2014 Women's Western Amateur, defeated Smolen, a senior at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla, 2-and-1 and will move on to face Jamie Freedman in the semifinals. Freedman, a freshman at Nova Southeastern University, handed England's Sophie Lamb a 3-and-2 defeat to advance into the final four. Liu made it look easy in the first two rounds, securing a 9-and 7 win against Maria Kirby in the first round followed by a 6-and-4 victory over Julie Carmichael on Wednesday in the round-of-16. Tara Joy-Connelly of Massachusetts handedly defeated 15-year-old Julia Matzat 6-and-5 and will square off with former San Diego State golfer Gina Clark of Murrieta, California. Clark beat Rinko Mitsunaga 3-and-2 on Thursday. For a look at the current match play bracket, please click the link below. Match Play Bracket