Emma Navarro has continued her dream run at Wimbledon, with the American storming into the quarter-finals.
The 19th seed already pulled off a shock result with her second round win over Naomi Osaka, who she beat 6-4, 6-1.
But Navarro clinched another upset, and a much bigger one, by beating second seed Coco Gauff in the fourth round, with the latter having spoken highly of the former before their meeting.
And it was Navarro who emerged victorious 6-4, 6-3 on Centre Court, securing a Wimbledon quarter-final meeting with Jasmine Paolini.
The 23-year-old has dropped just one set on her superb run at the All England Club, which came in her third round win over Diana Shnaider.
Emma Navarro explains her relationship with Danielle Collins
But Navarro isn’t the only American to have shone at Wimbledon, with seven players from the nation making the fourth round stage, the highest tally in 20 years.
Danielle Collins is among that group, with Navarro now revealing her relationship with her compatriot on the WTA Tour.
“She is definitely a role model of mine,” Navarro said in her fourth round press conference. “We are probably polar opposites on court, just in terms of how we express ourselves.
“But what I think is so cool about Danielle is how she doesn’t care what anybody thinks of her and she will be herself no matter what.
“Maybe that gets her some negative feedback but she doesn’t care, she will do it. And she is going to express herself how she wants to. I think that attitude and mindset is really cool.”
The duo both text each other after their wins, with Collins quick to message Navarro after she knocked out fellow American Gauff.
How far can Emma Navarro go at Wimbledon?
The year started in superb fashion for Navarro, who secured the first WTA Tour title of her career at the Hobart International.
The 23-year-old overcame two-time champion Elise Mertens 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, signalling her intent for the months to come.
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The American is also growing in Grand Slams, with her Australian Open third round finish followed by a fourth round finish at the French Open.
That gradual progression has now continued into Wimbledon, although Navarro will not want her dream journey to end at this stage.
It will, however, be a very tough task to make it past Paolini at the All England Club, with the Italian bang in form after her run to the French Open final.
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