No. 13 Emma Navarro upset No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the US Open Round of 16 on Sunday. This was a continuation of Navarro’s breakout season.
“its pretty insane,” Navarro said after her win. “I lost in the first round the last two years, now to be making quarterfinals is pretty insane. This is the city I was born in and it feels so special to be playing here. Coco is an amazing player and I have a ton of respect for her. I know she is going to come back here and win this thing again one year.”
The 23-year-old reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this year, and she earned that ticket by also taking down Gauff in the Round of 16.
Gauff won the title at Flushing Meadows in 2023, but she has been struggling with her forehand and serve during this year’s tournament. Those struggles were quite visible early in the all-American match on Sunday.
The 20-year-old lost the first set with five double faults and 21 unforced errors. While that was happening, tennis legend Serena Williams was at Asher Ashe Stadium giving an interview for ESPN. The 23-time Grand Slam champion was discussing Gauff’s game and suggested, “Don’t think, just do,” and despite Gauff not being able to hear the advice, it seems like that’s what she started doing.
Gauff found a better rhythm in the second set. She was still making a lot of unforced errors, but she tied things up at 4-4 and used that momentum to get the crowd cheering louder for her. Navarro was making more unforced errors in this set, and Gauff eventually earned a third set.
Gauff won the first game, but just when it seemed she was taking control, Navarro fought back and got the job done. Gauff also continued to gift her opponent free points with 11 double faults, more than her first two sets combined. She finished the match with 59 unforced errors, while Navarro had 35.
Up next, Navarro will face No. 26 seed Paula Badosa in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round.
KVSP