Emma Navarro beat Paula Badosa to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final and afterwards thanked her father for realising his daughter wasn’t ready for the hard 9-to-5 grind.
“I want to thank my dad (billionaire financier Ben) because I think he saw the vision from when I was very young,” the No. 19 seed said. “He knew that maybe I had a little bit of ADHD or something from sitting in a classroom or a nine-to-five job. He saw something in me from a very young age. So thank you, Dad, for sending me on this journey.”
The 23-year-old, born right here in New York, comfortably took the first set, but it looked like we were heading for a decider against Arthur Ashe when Badosa took a 5-1 lead in the second.
But Navarro kept pressing and Badosa’s play worsened, losing six straight games to hand the 19th-seeded American a 6-2, 7-5 victory.
Navarro, a top college player for the Virginia Cavaliers and the 2021 NCAA champion, has adapted to the pro tour with remarkable fluidity. Excluding wild cards, her first tour match was in May of last year, and just over a year later, she is in the top four at a Grand Slam.
Emma Navarro celebrates after securing her place in her first Grand Slam semi-final
Paula Badosa had a hard time keeping up with the young American, born in New York
Navarro beat Coco Gauff to get here, as the defending champion produced an error-ridden performance with 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors.
After this match, especially Badosa’s collapse in the second set, a pattern is emerging: Navarro seems to have the invaluable habit of making her opponents play poorly.
He’s not going to knock anyone off the court, but Navarro’s complicated game, a kaleidoscopic mix of spins and cuts, is obviously uncomfortable to play against.
In reality, it was a battle between two New York-born women. The Navarros moved to Charleston when Emma was a child, but Badosa lived here until her Spanish parents moved to Barcelona when Paula was seven.
Navarro is now guaranteed to win $1,000,000 after reaching the final four of the tournament.
Navarro receives applause from the crowd after sealing victory in straight sets on Tuesday
Badosa, who had been struggling with a stress fracture in her back, was playing the kind of tennis that had taken her to world No. 2 in the second set until she suddenly began to falter.
Navarro, sensing the finish, raised his own level and won 24 of the final 28 points, delivering the coup de grace with a trademark drop shot.
“After I got up 5-2 (in the second set), I had a feeling we could win two sets,” Navarro said. “I just wanted to stay strong and keep going, even if I lost the second set, I wanted to set the tone for the third set.
“I’m really happy with my performance today and it’s crazy to be through to the semi-finals.”
