Emma Navarro defeated Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 in the women’s quarter-final of the US Open. She is now advancing to her first-ever grand slam semi-final.
In a fierce match, the American won after one hour and twelve minutes. She went down a double break in the first set and had a mountain to climb in the second, but she remained composed and stunned Badosa the whole way.
After her victory, the athlete said: “After I got it back to 5-2 (in the second set) I kind of had a little bit of an inkling that it might be two sets… I just wanted to stay really tough and stick in there. And even if I did lose the second set I wanted to set the tone for the third set.”
She added: “Really happy with my performance today and crazy to be moving on to the semifinals. US Open, baby!… I can’t see the future but today maybe I could a little bit.”
Highlights of the game
When they arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium, both players had already surpassed their previous best grand slam performances. Badosa had last made it to the quarter-finals of a major tournament in 2021 at the French Open, while Navarro had made it to the last eight at Wimbledon earlier in the year.
Navarro took the early lead with a commanding victory in the first game, and after Badosa double failed on a break point, she quickly stole the momentum from her opponent to lead 2-0.
Badosa committed 16 unforced errors in the first set, compared to her opponent’s five, and five double faults put her at a disadvantage.
A blazing cross-court passing stroke set up Navarro with set point in a pivotal eighth game of the first set. She converted it at the third attempt after her opponent’s drop shot went wide to earn the double break.
But Badosa came out smashing in the opening game of the second set, breaking the American right away in the first and then again in the fifth to send her reeling. Navarro’s number of unintentional errors increased, but Badosa’s first serves landed more often.
To guarantee her spot in the next round and American presence in the women’s semi-final, Navarro broke Badosa for the fifth time. She will face either 2024 Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen or world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in her quest to advance to the final round.
Source: CNN