This has been the year for Emma Navarro. The 23-year-old never went past the first round at the US Open in her previous two main draw appearances at the Flushing Meadows - 2021 and 2023. But on Monday, she cracked into the quarterfinals for the second consecutive Grand Slam tournament after she took down defending champion Coco Gauff at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

“I believe that I can play tennis with the best players in the world. I deserve to be on this stage,” Navarro said. “I belong in these rounds of Grand Slams. I can make deep runs.”

On Tuesday, Navarro will take on Paula Badosa at the same iconic venue, hoping to reach her maiden Slam semifinal, and third on the WTA tour overall.

Who is Emma Navarro?

The 23-year-old was born in New York, but grew up in South Carolina. She played college tennis at the University of Virginia and won an NCAA singles championship as a freshman in 2021 and later became the first women's singles NCAA winner to make the US Open quarters.

“When I first left college, my coach and I kind of made a two-year contract that I would fully commit myself to playing professional tennis for two years and then kind of just reassess after that,” said Navarro, who will face Paula Badosa of Spain on Tuesday. “I think I hit the two-year mark this June, and we didn’t even acknowledge it or talk about it. So definitely have surpassed my expectations, for sure. I hope to just keep getting better.”

Navarro is the daughter of the billionaire founder and CEO of Sherman Financial Group, Ben, who owns the WTA Tour event in Charleston and tried to buy NFL’s Carolina Panthers in 2018. Her grandfather, Frank, was a former American football player and coach.

How has Emma Navarro performed so far in her career?

After finishing as the runner-up in the junior French Open and claiming back-to-back doubles title, in Australian Open and Roland Garros, in 2019, she made her first main draw appearance at the Charleston Open that same year after receiving a wildcard.

Navarro has been rising through the rankings since 2022, going from 143 in the world that year to a career-best 12 before the 2024 US Open. And irrespective of her result on Tuesday against Badosa, she will crack into the top 10 for the first time in her career, come Monday.

This year has been her breakthrough season, having claimed a 49-19 result on the tour so far, which includes her maiden title at the Hobart International, which uses the same surface as the US Open.

“In the past, I’ve seen choices on court — like taking the ball on the rise or moving forward to hit a forehand as opposed to moving back, stuff like that. Those have been choices in the past. Now I see those types of situations as less of a choice and more of, like: I have to take this on in this way,” explained Navarro, who rarely shows much emotion during a match. “Partially because the players I’m playing against, they’ll shut it down if I don’t make that more confident, aggressive choice. And, also, just because I think I have more belief in myself to be able to actually execute those types of shots.”

Earlier this summer, Navarro had reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Wimbledon, where she beat four-time major champion Naomi Osaka in the second round, before defeating Gauff in the round of 16, both in straight sets. She later represented her country in the Paris Olympics as well.

“It’s pretty insane just to talk about winning a Grand Slam or winning a tournament like the U.S. Open. A few months ago, even I wouldn’t have said that,” Navarro said. “So it’s pretty crazy to be sitting here now and have the quarterfinals ahead of me and feel like I’m playing good enough to keep it going.”

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