On Tuesday, Emma Navarro reached her first career Grand Slam semifinal by defeating Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 in the opening women’s quarterfinal at the US Open.
The American secured her victory in 1 hour and 12 minutes under the New York sunshine, in a match full of ups and downs. Despite facing a double break deficit in the second set, she mounted a comeback to stun Badosa, maintaining her composure throughout.
“After I got it back to 5-2 in the second set, I had a feeling it might go my way,” she said on court after the match. “I just wanted to stay tough and persevere. Even if I lost the second set, I wanted to keep fighting.”
“I’m really happy with my performance today and it’s crazy to be moving on to the semifinals. US Open, baby!” she exclaimed. “I can’t see the future, but today maybe I could a little bit.”
This was only the second career meeting between Navarro and Badosa, with Badosa having won their previous encounter.
Both players entered Arthur Ashe Stadium having already matched their best Grand Slam performances. Badosa had reached the quarterfinals only once before, at the 2021 French Open, while Navarro made the last eight for the first time at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Navarro hardly needed extra motivation, but American sporting royalty was in attendance—nine-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky was spotted on the broadcast, following the action from the stands.
Navarro set the tone early with a strong opening game and quickly capitalized on a double fault from Badosa to take a 2-0 lead. The first set was hard-hitting, with Navarro showcasing her impressive serve, which has been a key factor in her progress through the tournament. According to the US Open, she entered the match having won 64% of her serve points and achieved a 69% first-serve percentage in the first set against Badosa.
Badosa struggled with errors in the first set, hitting 16 unforced mistakes compared to Navarro’s five and serving five double faults, which put her at a disadvantage.
In a critical eighth game of the first set, Navarro set up a set point with a stunning cross-court passing shot, converting it on her third attempt when Badosa’s drop shot missed the line, securing a double break.
Badosa came out aggressively in the second set, breaking Navarro in the first and fifth games to take a 5-1 lead. Navarro’s error count increased, while Badosa’s first serves improved.
However, Navarro staged a remarkable comeback, winning six consecutive games to lead 6-5, visibly unsettling Badosa. Navarro broke Badosa for the fifth time to secure her spot in the semifinals and ensure American representation.
Navarro will face world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka next, who defeated No. 7 Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-2 in the Tuesday night session.