Emma Navarro continues to impress: The up-and-coming American secured a place in the fourth round of the US Open with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Marta Kostyuk, where a showdown with Coco Gauff awaits.
Last time out, Navarro won one of her career-best victories at Wimbledon against Coco Gauff. The American has worked her way up the ranks in ITF and WTA 125k tournaments over the past year to reach the top 10.
Now, with her first US Open quarterfinal looming, it's time to build on her run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals last summer. That was her best Grand Slam result so far in her young career, but she's been extremely competitive since making her Major debut in 2022.
If she wins the next round, she will not only be in a major quarterfinal for the second time, but also in the top 10 of the WTA live rankings for the first time – there is a lot at stake.
It wasn't easy for her against Kostyuk. After losing the second set, the Ukrainian's performance was on the up. In the deciding set, she took a 3-1 lead and seemed to silence the crowd. But Navarro improved and won the last five games, resulting in a brilliant finale for a top player.
Navarro, who is not one for gossip unless it involves Qinwen Zheng, was excited to play Gauff next: “I'm really looking forward to playing against Coco again. I met her at the Olympics. She's a great girl. It's pretty cool to have two Americans playing against each other in the 4th round of a Grand Slam tournament.
But while Navarro was eliminated, the same cannot be said for her compatriot and another rising star, Peyton Stearns. However, the NCAA graduate did have to admit defeat to one of the best players currently, Donna Vekic.
It was a 7-5, 6-4 victory for the Olympic silver medallist, who is currently enjoying one of her best career phases, defeating the Texan who has thrived in New York for the past two years. Yafan Wang is also through, having defeated Victoria Azarenka in three sets, who has famously struggled with conditions and migration this week.
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