By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Emma Navarro shocked Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 scoring her biggest career win and battling to her fourth quarterfinal of the season in Indian Wells.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Aryna Sabalenka’s shots were screaming.
Emma Navarro faced the fire without blinking.
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Dragging Sabalenka forward with a drop shot in the penultimate game of the match, Navarro slid a slick rainbow lob that settled inside the baseline.
Playing over Sabalenka’s head, Navarro shocked the second-seeded Belarusian 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 scoring her biggest career win and battling to her fourth quarterfinal of the season at the BNP Paribas Open.
It’s a massive moment for Navarro, the first American woman to beat a Top 2-ranked woman at Indian Wells since Serena Williams.
"Feeling excited. I've worked really hard over the years to kind of just get to this point and be able to play at a level that can compete with the best players in the world," Navarro told the media in Indian Wells. "I think that showed today. Yeah, just excited to get the win. I'm ready for the next one."
Australian Open champion Sabalenka summed up the defeat simply.
"I would say that I didn't play my best tennis," Sabalenka told the media in Indian Wells. "She played some great tennis."
It’s Navarro’s 18th win of the season—the most of any woman on the WTA Tour—vaults her to a career-high ranking of No. 20 in the live rankings and into her first career WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
The 2021 NCAA singles champion is no longer the best-kept secret in tennis, she's playing like one of the best players in the sport.
“Feeling really good—it’s never easy coming out and playing an opponent like that,” Navarro told Andrew Krasny afterward. “She’s so experienced and just so talented. She made it really tough on me today.
“I was able to play some good tennis in the big moments. I just want to say thanks to everyone for coming out and supporting me today.”
About the only thing Navarro did not do exceptionally well today was celebrate.
After the biggest win of her career, Navarro offered a smile, a small fist pump and brief wave to fans, but the lack of an extensive celebration may signal she’s eager to keep this amazing journey going.
If she can perform with the precision and persistence she showed today, don’t discount Hobart champion Navarro extending this Indian Wells run and adding more wins to her 18-5 record.
The pride of Charleston, South Carolina, Navarro will face either Frenchwoman Diane Parry or ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari for a semifinal spot. Navarro beat Sakkari in San Diego last year for her first career Top 10 win.
Resilience—Navarro saved four of six break points and rallied from love-30 down to hold in several service games—and her drive going the distance were keys for the American today. Navarro improved to 11-2 in three setters, scoring her third three-set win of this tournament after she defeated Lesia Tsurenko 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in her opener before edging Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the fourth round.
Hitting her forehand with depth and angle, Navarro played the pivotal points with clarity.
“I was able to stay aggressive on returns even though she has a really good serve,” Navarro said. “And I played some better service games in the third set and just was able to put a lot of pressure on her throughout and that’s what made the difference.”
Overcoming love-30 deficits in her first two service games, Navarro held for 2-1.
The Australian Open champion was holding more comfortably until the eighth game.
A sloppy Sabalenka double faulted then slapped a forehand into net to face double break point. Playing a low pass, Navarro handcuffed the Belarusian, who bunted a half-volley wide as the American broke for 5-3.
Throughout the set, Navarro played with clarity when playing catch up.
Serving for the set, Navarro was staring down a break point when she coaxed a backhand error to draw even at deuce.
Surprising Sabalenka with a slider second serve ace, Navarro earned set point.
The 23rd-ranked American took a one-set lead after 38 minutes on a Sabalenka error. Navarro was 11-0 when winning the opening set in this season.
Fifty-six minutes into the match, Sabalenka coaxed a netted backhand scoring her first break for 3-1.
Hitting powerful crosscourt combinations and sometimes slamming drives down the line, Sabalenka confirmed the break at love for 4-1.
The US Open finalist closed out the second set to force a decider.
Playing with more precision, Navarro broke twice in a row for a 3-1 lead in the decider.
The American saved a break point extending her lead to 4-1.
Serving at 4-2, Navarro showed her speed and court creativity, tossing up a high defensive lob to reset the point, dragging Sabalenka forward with a drop shot then playing over the Belarusian’s head with a rainbow lob.
That sequence gave Navarro game point and she tore her two-hander down the line holding for 5-2.
Striking with control on the run, Navarro spun an inside-out forehand behind Sabalenka on her second match point to seal her most monumental win in one hour, 56 minutes.
There's a reason Navarro looks so calm amid the third-set storm: that's how she feels she plays her best tennis.
"I think I feel the best when it's really quiet in my head. And things happen, and obviously I'll feel a certain way about them, but it's, like, a three-second emotion and then it's gone," Navarro said. "A lot of people have said it, but just having a short-term memory is so important in tennis.
"Yeah, I feel the best when things just don't get under my skin and I don't have too many highs or lows. I just kind of feel pretty steady throughout.
"That's what I felt today. That was good. Yeah, it's awesome to beat a player like that, but as I said, it's kind of, What's next? Yeah, I'm excited to play again."
Coco Gauff threw herself a birthday bash on court to celebrate her 20th birthday.
Reigning US Open champion Gauff streaked through eight straight games sparking a 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Elise Mertens, one round after the Belgian took down former No. 1 Naomi Osaka.
Gauff broke serve six times in a 66-minute win, her fourth victory in as many meetings with Mertents.
The third-ranked Gauff improves to 15-3 on the season and will face either 11th-seeded Daria Kasatkina or China's Yue Yuan for a semifinal spot.
Auckland champion Gauff and Navarro are both in the bottom half of the draw and could meet in the semifinals if both prevail in their quarterfinals.