Emma Navarro beats two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-2 in their first head-to-head match to reach her fourth quarter final this season and the first at the WTA 1000 level. Navarro leads the WTA Tour with 18 wins.
Navarro won two deuce games on her serve to take a 4-3 lead. The US player broke Sabalenka and held serve to close out the first set 6-3.
Sabalenka broke serve once in the fourth game of the second set to clinch the second set 6-3.
Navarro and Sabalenka traded three consecutive breaks in the second, third and fourth games. Navarro saved a break point in the fifth game to open up a 4-1 lead and closed out the win with a break on her second match point.
Navarro ended the match with 22 winners to 14 unforced errors. The US player converted four of her break points, while Sabalenka transformed two of her six chances.
Navarro made her WTA main draw debut. The US player won the NCAA title as a freshman at the University of Virginia. She turned professional in 2022 and made her top 100 debut and finished last year’s season at number 38. She claimed her first WTA title in Hobart last January and achieved her best result at Grand Slam level, when she reached the third round at the 2024 Australian Open.
Navarro has become the first US player to beat a top 2 opponent in Indian Wells since Serena Williams in 2001 against Lindsey Davenport in the quarter finals.
“When I acknowledge my ranking right now compared to a year ago, it’s really crazy and seems really fast, but when I go out and hit or play a match, it does not feel like anything has happened so fast. There is a lot of slow and methodical progression to my game. It’s like if a grandparent sees their kid once a year, they are like: ‘You have gotten so big’, but the kid does not that much bigger than last time. That’s a little bit how I feel”, said Navarro.
Navarro set up a quarter final match against Maria Sakkari, who beat Diane Parry 6-2 3-6 6-3.
