Staff Reporter.
@USOpen.
American Emma Navarro moved into the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career by beating Paula Badosa in straight sets at the US Open.
Navarro, 23, was cheered on by the majority of fans in the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, with Spain’s Badosa struggling to cope in the partisan atmosphere as she lost 6-2 7-5.
Badosa produced two double-faults in her first service game to help Navarro take an early advantage, and also gifted two more double-faults in the eighth game as the American eased to the opening set.
However, Badosa, 26, fought back and looked in control at 5-1 – and a double-break – up in the second set.
She twice served for the set, but, at times looking on the verge of tears, the 26th seed’s game fell apart, with Navarro clinching six games in a row to progress.
‘Thanks dad for sending me on this journey’
In her post-match interview, Navarro, who was born in New York, thanked her family for their support and helping her become a professional.
She said: “I also want to say ‘thanks’ to my dad because he saw a vision from when I was really young.
“He knew maybe I was a little bit ADHD or something to be sat in a classroom or in a 9-5 and I think he saw something in me from a young age. Thanks dad for sending me on this journey.”
Navarro had only won one match at the main stage of a Grand Slam before this year, but has got better and better throughout her breakout year of 2024.
She reached the third round of the Australian Open, the last 16 at the French Open, the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and now the semi-finals of her home Slam.
“After I got it back to 5-2, I had a bit of an inkling that it might be two sets,” added Navarro. “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.
“Just really happy with my performance today. Crazy to be moving on to the semi-finals. US Open baby.”
Navarro beat 2023 champion and fellow American Coco Gauff 6-3 4-6 6-3 in the last 16 and, when asked what reaching the last four meant to her, she replied: “It means so much to me. My coach and I have been together since I was 14 or 15 so it’s been eight years now.
“We’ve done a lot of great work together. Thank you for everything you do, all your dedication and the time you put into this journey and making me into the player that I am.”
‘I was a complete disaster’
Badosa admitted she was a “complete disaster” after her second-set collapse left her feeling like “an ant”.
“I never had the momentum. It was 5-1, but I never felt myself,” said Badosa, playing in her first quarter-final in the city where she was born.
“I was a complete disaster. I didn’t feel well serving or from the baseline. Losing a set from 5-1 up, I never did that before. I lost 20 points almost in a row – it’s very weird.”
Three months ago, she was on the brink of retiring due to a persistent back injury which forced her to quit a number of matches and saw her ranking tumble outside of the top 100.
However, she clinched the Washington hard court title and arrived at the US Open with her world ranking restored to the top 30.
“When I started in Washington I would sign for all the results,” she added.
“But now I have to wait four months for the next Slam, so that sucks. When you feel so bad with such negative thoughts, you want to leave because in the end you become an ant.”
Sabalenka or Zheng next for Navarro
Navarro will play the winner of the next quarter-final between second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus or China’s seventh seed Zheng Qinwen, whose match starts at 00:00 BST on Wednesday.
“I’ve played both of them a couple of times,” said Navarro. “They are great players, I think we will have a great battle. But I’ll be up for the challenge of either of them.
“Both big servers, big hitters and I think they will come aggressively at me whichever one it is – but yeah, I’ll be ready.”