Emma Navarro has stormed into the quarter-finals of the US Open after knocking out defending champion Coco Gauff.
Navarro respects Gauff, but was forced to put that admiration to one side for their US Open fourth round clash.
The former emerged victorious 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 against third seed Gauff, who won her first and only Grand Slam in New York last year.
Arthur Ashe Stadium hosted the all-American encounter, with the match representing Navarro’s first appearance at the venue.
Her fantastic year has now taken another impressive step, with Spaniard Paula Badosa now awaiting in the quarter-final.
Emma Navarro ‘surprised’ during her US Open clash vs Coco Gauff
The victory over Gauff continues the US Open shocks, with both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz having fallen early in the men’s singles.
Navarro has now summarised her experience of playing at Arthur Ashe, saying in her latest press conference: “It was pretty crazy. I was just talking to my team about it.
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“I have been out on big courts before where I felt totally overwhelmed, almost like it is an out-of-body experience. But I didn’t feel like that today.
“I felt comfortable from the time I stepped out onto the court, which I was a little bit surprised about. I had prepared myself for the worst in terms of feeling overwhelmed and nervous but I felt pretty good.
“I didn’t warm up on the court, the guys started at 12 before me, so I chose to warm up a bit later on the practice courts. But it’s a pretty crazy court, the energy in New York is unmatched, so just a pretty amazing experience.”
Emma Navarro has great chance to win the US Open
Navarro isn’t the only one to have been impressed by the city, with Alcaraz loving playing at the US Open.
He did, however, struggle to make it past the second round at Flushing Meadows, with defending champion Djokovic losing in the third round.
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The star duo were nowhere near their best in Queens, and that was also the case for Gauff against Navarro.
Navarro deserves huge credit for her fantastic display, but defending champion Gauff hit 19 doubles faults, including 11 in the third set.
Having lost in the first round in her previous two US Open appearances, Navarro now has a fantastic chance to go on and lift the trophy.
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