'I use that stubbornness to my advantage': Emma Navarro’s raw honesty after ousting defending champion Barbora Krejcikova

Emma Navarro sends a warning to her rivals at Wimbledon after eliminating defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the third round. The world No. 10 is one of the highest-ranked players remaining in contention, following the mass exodus of top-10 seeds in the early rounds.

The 22-year-old star was certainly not among the main contenders touted before the tournament. The American hadn't secured consecutive wins since early April until she competed in the Bad Homburg Open last week—with victories over Kostyuk and Osaka—falling in the quarterfinals to Jessica Pegula.

Upon her arrival at Wimbledon, Navarro quickly showed her comfort on grass courts. Last year, she reached the quarterfinals, losing to eventual finalist Jasmine Paolini, and having defeated rivals like Diana Shnaider and Coco Gauff along the way.

This time, Navarro secured straightforward victories against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and former world No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova. She then faced defending champion Krejcikova in the third round. The Czech put up a good fight, but physical problems eventually took their toll, and a tenacious Navarro claimed the victory in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The third set was a true rollercoaster, with both players combining for five consecutive breaks.

"Naturally, I'm very stubborn, you could say,” Navarro explained after the match. “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 faces a tough challenge in the fourth round, as she will encounter 7th seed Mirra Andreeva. It will be the first clash between top-10 players in the tournament, with them being the only ones still in contention besides Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1) and Iga Swiatek (No. 4).

Match Statistics Krejcikova vs. Navarro