Emma Navarro stunned Iga Swiatek by ending her eight-match winning streak at the China Open.
It has been a mixed season for Navarro, who made unwanted history at Roland Garros earlier this year, but appears to have found her form again in Beijing.
Despite reaching the fourth round of the China Open, Navarro was still the big underdog against Swiatek, who had been closing the gap on Sabalenka.
Swiatek has been vocal against the busy tennis calendar recently, and it appears that both that and a tactic Navarro used contributed to her exit from the China Open.
The tactic Emma Navarro used to beat Iga Swiatek at the China Open
Swiatek had never lost at the China Open before, having won the title in 2023, and she missed the tournament last year.
The Pole had also never been beaten by Navarro before, and had actually never lost more than two games in a set against the American in their two previous meetings.
However, their latest meeting at the China Open was completely different, with Navarro beating Swiatek 6-4 4-6 6-0.
When commentating on the match for Sky Sports tennis, former British tennis player Pete Odgers spotted a tactic that Navarro used on return.
Navarro really stood in when returning Swiatek’s serve, and Odgers believes that more WTA players will now try and adopt this tactic.
“The return position from Navarro has definitely worked,” said Odgers. “I think everyone else across the world will be thinking ‘okay, I might adopt that strategy too, next time I face Iga Swiatek’.”
This tactic worked to great effect, particularly on second serve where Navarro won 58% of her points on return and was able to break Swiatek three times.
Another reason why Navarro was able to reach the China Open quarterfinals was as a result of the 70 unforced errors that Swiatek hit.
Emma Navarro makes WTA Tour history after beating Iga Swiatek
Not only has Navarro reached her third WTA 1000 quarterfinal and first at the China Open, but she has also done something that no other women’s tennis player can better.
Since her breakthrough to becoming one of the top players on the WTA Tour since the start of the 2024 season, Navarro has played 51 three set matches.
This is more than any other player on the WTA Tour, with Navarro winning 32 (62.7%) of them, which is also more than any other player in the same period.
Navarro will now look to reach her second WTA 1000 semifinal when she takes on either Jessica Pegula or Marta Kostyuk in Beijing.
While she would likely prefer to get the job done in straight sets, this record suggests that Navarro will not be afraid of going the distance.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
