Emma Navarro Opens up About What She Did to Oust Defending Champion Barbora Krejcikova

Emma Navarro crushed Barbora Krejcikova’s hopes of defending the Wimbledon Championship after the American star came from behind to beat the Czechia star. The 22-year-old is now the fourth top 10 seed to reach the fourth round of the tournament. After the victory, she revealed what she did to beat the former champion.

Navarro was certainly not a contender for Wimbledon heading into the tournament. She had not won consecutive matches since April, apart from her back-to-back wins at Bad Homburg. But after last week’s record upset, which saw six top 10 seeds crash out of the tournament early, she does have a chance at glory.

The 22-year-old opened her Wimbledon campaign with a win over two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and then followed it up with a victory over Veronika Kudermetova in the second round. She faced a tough test against Krejcikova and saw herself behind early in the match as the former champion dominated proceedings.

However, she found a way to regroup in the second set and pushed for a decider. In the third set, Krejcikova began to struggle with her game and while trailing 2-3 to Navarro, she even had her blood pressure checked. She continued with the match but couldn’t find her rhythm which gave Navarro an opportunity to punish her and win the tie 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in over two hours.

The win ensured Navarro became the second American to reach the fourth round of the Wimbledon Championship after Amanda Anisimova secured her place earlier. After the match, she revealed that she showed her stubborn nature on the court combined with her fighting spirit to beat the defending champion:

Naturally, I’m very stubborn, you could say. I try to use that stubbornness to my advantage. I’m also very hard on myself, and the combination makes me very difficult. I pride myself on fighting until the very last point no matter the circumstances. I couldn’t live with myself if I ever gave up; it’s not in my nature.

Navarro reached the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championship last year after knocking out her fellow compatriot and World No.2 Coco Gauff in the fourth round. She has an advantage in achieving so by beating Mirra Andreeva in the round of 16. Currently, Andreeva is the highest-ranked player in the bottom half of the draw, which means a win over the Russian star might give Navarro an easy walk to the semi-final or final of Wimbledon.

Barbora Krejcikova reveals why she checked her blood pressure during loss to Emma Navarro

Barbora Krejcikova left the Center Court in tears after losing to Emma Navarro at the Wimbledon Championship. She seems not to be in her best health as she had to check her blood pressure. The former French Open champion has been through a rough period due to her struggles with a back injury ahead of the tournament.