Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images

Why Emma Navarro’s early 2026 results are alarming fans

Originally posted on HITC | By Max Kilham | Last updated Feb 4, 2026 10:51 AM ET

After a disappointing finish to the 2025 WTA season, Emma Navarro supporters would have been hoping for a quick turnaround to start 2026.

Following Wimbledon, she suffered early exits at four of the seven tournaments she played in, including Washington, Cincinnati, Monterrey and Wuhan.

Navarro’s quarter-final run at the China Open was a bright spot, but it stood out amid several other poor showings.

Her ranking hasn’t dropped out of the top 20 just yet. But unless results pick up soon, that status could be in jeopardy.

So far in 2026 though, there hasn’t been any sign of improvement. And it’s starting to become more than just a small concern for her backers.

Emma Navarro’s slow start to the 2026 WTA season

Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images

The world number 17 opened her campaign at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she was seeded second.

She lost her first match of the year to British number three Francesca Jones, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

Around a week later, things seemed to pick up. Navarro made it to the Adelaide International quarter-finals with wins over Emerson Jones and Yulia Putintseva.

But she was then beaten by unseeded Diana Shnaider and headed into Melbourne looking for better results at the Australian Open.

After reaching the quarter-finals in 2025, what happened next wasn’t expected.

This time around, she was knocked out in the first round by Magda Linette, who came back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Navarro then travelled to Abu Dhabi for another shot at finding her rhythm. But again struggled out of the gates. On Tuesday night she fell in three sets to Hailey Baptiste—her third opening-round loss in four events this year so far.

Emma Navarro’s next tournament

After falling short in Abu Dhabi, Emma Navarro will stay in the region to take part in the 2026 Qatar Open.

The event is one of two WTA 1000 tournaments leading up to Indian Wells and runs from February 8th to the 14th. Amanda Anisimova took the title there last year, with Elena Rybakina finishing runner-up.

This year’s field looks just as strong, featuring names like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek.

Also entered are Emma Raducanu, Victoria Mboko, and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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