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Emma Navarro continues rise to stardom with Wimbledon upset of Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff may have a new rival who could challenge her for years to come.
On Sunday, fellow American Emma Navarro stunned Gauff at Wimbledon, winning 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 14 minutes.
Emma Navarro wins the all American matchup on Centre Court
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2024
The No.19 seed defeats No.2 seed Coco Gauff in straight sets to move through into the quarter-finals #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/GlLznb6ywC
Navarro didn't look like a player making her first Round of 16 appearance at the All England Club. Per IBM SlamTracker, she won 100% of her net points and 75% of her break points.
The 20-year-old Gauff did hit more winners (12) than Navarro (10), but she seemed flustered throughout the match. The Athletic's Matthew Futterman passed along she kept telling coach Brad Gilbert to "tell [her] something."
"Definitely saw her a little bit, getting frustrated and looking at her box," Navarro said to ABC's Mary Joe Fernandez after the match, via Yahoo Sports Ian Casselberry. "In tough times, you'll use anything to give you a bit of momentum. Maybe seeing that helped me a little bit and gave me some confidence."
It appears Navarro – No. 17 in the world – is breaking out. Earlier this season, the 23-year-old made it to the Round of 16 at the French Open, captured her first WTA Tour title and earned two wins against opponents ranked in the top five.
First WTA Tour title
— wta (@WTA) July 7, 2024
First Grand Slam quarterfinal
First Top 5 win (x2)
Emma Navarro's breakout season keeps getting better!#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/mdOsNv4CnD
This may just be a bump in the road for Gauff, the world's No. 2 player, but she must improve her forehand or it will become a weakness opponents continue to exploit. According to the Associated Press' Howard Fendrich, 16 of her 25 unforced errors in Sunday's loss came on her forehand.
Navarro will face Italian Jasmine Paolini on Tuesday. If she wins this match and makes it to the final at Wimbledon, it would further her status as a rising star.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Jannik Sinner's incredible shot helps him move on at Wimbledon
- No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz reach Wimbledon quarters
- The 'Women's Wimbledon champions' quiz
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