Emma Navarro win continues unprecedented run of parity in Wimbledon singles' ladies draw

The unprecedented run of parity in the Wimbledon ladies' singles draw extended on Saturday with Emma Navarro's 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 third-round win over 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova.

As a result, there will be nine ladies' singles champions in the past nine Wimbledons, a tournament record. As ESPN notes, Serena Williams was the last to win consecutive titles (2015-16). 

No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka (-120) is the favorite, according to ESPN BET, followed by No. 4 Iga Swiatek (+450). Mirra Andreeva, Navarro's fourth-round opponent, has the third-best odds of winning the tournament (+750).

Sabalenka, a three-time grand slam champion, is coming off consecutive runner-up finishes at the 2025 Australian and French Opens. She reached the semis at 2023 Wimbledon but withdrew from last year's tournament due to a shoulder injury.

Swiatek's previous best finish at All England Club was the quarterfinals, also in 2023. The five-time major champion is 14-5 all-time at Wimbledon. Her .737 win percentage at the grass-court tournament is the lowest among the four grand slams.

Andreeva, 18, is playing in her second fourth-round at Wimbledon and is also seeking her first grand slam championship. She won her lone previous match against Navarro in straight sets at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, 6-2, 6-2.

The parity has led to the most unpredictable era in Wimbledon history, but it's also given us a newfound appreciation for what Open era legends Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and sisters Venus and Serena Williams accomplished at the grand slam tournament.

They are the only women's tennis players to win consecutive Wimbledon titles and combined for two-thirds of the championships from 1968-2016. The quintet passed the proverbial torch to each other over the years, but no one in this generation has successfully kept the flame lit. With Navarro's win, it will be at least one more year before it's potentially reignited.

2025 Wimbledon runs through next Sunday, July 13. The ladies' singles final is Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.