NEW YORK – It was a brilliant breakthrough season for Emma Navarro.
In January, the 23-year-old American won her first Hologic WTA Tour title in Hobart. She reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, her best Grand Slam result to date. Navarro has already won 40 matches, a total only surpassed by world number one Iga Swiatek.
US Open: Results | Pull | Playing order
After reaching the semifinals last week in Monterrey, she is ranked 12th in the PIF WTA rankings – a new record – and is one of five Americans in the top 14. Navarro is also ranked 8th in the PIF Race to WTA Finals rankings, giving her a good chance of qualifying for the tour’s crown jewel.
How far has she come? At this time last year she was ranked 57th. It was only in the spring that she took part in WTA 125 tournaments in Spain and France.
“I feel like I’m more comfortable on these stages, playing in bigger matches and getting further in tournaments,” Navarro said in Toronto. “Just a few months ago, I guess I felt a little overwhelmed playing in bigger tournaments and getting to later rounds.”
“It definitely feels much more comfortable now.”
On Monday, the first day of play at the US Open, Navarro achieved another success – her first win in the main draw of the last major of the year. Before that, she had won 0 out of 2. For a player born in New York, the convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory over Anna Blinkova had a special meaning.
After 59 minutes it was over.
“I didn’t really think about what the crowd was going to be like, but when I went out there and the stands were full, it was a pretty cool feeling because I’ve gone to outdoor courts before where the stands were empty,” Navarro said in her post-game interview. “I definitely felt the love out there. Yeah, it’s cool to do this in the city I was born in and the country I live in and I’m just really proud of where I come from.”
The win against Blinkova was another first – a victory over the 25-year-old world No. 81 after she lost her only previous match in Strasbourg last year. Blinkova is currently 0-7 in main draw matches at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
In near-perfect conditions on a packed Court 7, Blinkova lost the first three points but then fought back and played her best game of the entire match, breaking into the lead with a backhand serve winner to take a 1-0 lead.
Navarro won the next six games to take the set after winning eight games in a row. In fact, Blinkova did not manage to break her first service game until the 46th minute, leaving the second set 1-2.
As the one-sided scoreline suggests, Navarro played a cleaner game. Her forehand was in good form and she finished the match with 10 winners on that side, with just nine unforced errors in total. Her agility and fitness were also factors; Navarro won 16 of 22 points in rallies of five or more shots.
What Navarro is trying to do here is very difficult. This is her fifth tournament in as many weeks – she played at the Olympics in Paris, Toronto, Cincinnati and then Monterrey. Elina Switolina and Beatriz Haddad Maia are the only other top players taking on this challenge.
“I love just staying in match mode,” she explained. “I think on one hand it’s tiring to always be in the mode that I have to play a match tomorrow, but on the other hand I think you can grow a lot by constantly putting yourself in the arena. Every match is a learning experience.”
Navarro has defeated two players ranked No. 2 in the world this year. She defeated Coco Gauff in the round of 16 at Wimbledon and previously defeated then-No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in Indian Wells.
“It definitely boosted my confidence,” Navarro said. “I think it just made me realize that I can compete with the best players in the world. Of course, I have to play good tennis myself and play at a high level, but being able to beat players like that definitely motivated me to keep improving and play consistently at that level.”
Navarro will play a second-round match on Wednesday against Arantxa Rus, who beat Ana Bogdan 6-4, 7-6 (5). If the seeding holds, she would face 19th-seeded Marta Kostyuk in the third round and defending champion Gauff in the fourth round – for the third time this year.
““Number 12 is knocking on the door of the top 10,” Navarro said. “It’s pretty crazy to think about. When I zoom out, it feels pretty crazy. Then I zoom back in and the stuff I’m working on is the same or similar stuff I was working on a year ago, just maybe at a higher level.”
“I think it’s cool to be able to zoom out and kind of appreciate where I came from and where I am now, and then zoom back in and really focus on the details.”
