At vastly different stages in their careers, Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins are both enjoying their most successful seasons on tour.
While Collins is waving goodbye to the sport at the end of the campaign, 23-year-old Navarro has been in red-hot form after a stellar breakthrough year.
As a result, they both find themselves inside the top eight in the race to the WTA Finals and in with a real shot at competing for the prestigious silverware in Riyadh.
However, while all of their fierce rivals are quietly preparing for the rush of the US Open that is just days away, Collins and Navarro headline the field in Monterrey, Mexico, in a move that could prove fruitful.
Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro have WTA Race on their minds
Despite reaching a career-high ranking of number seven in 2022, Danielle Collins has never contested the WTA Finals.
But, at the final time of asking, the 30-year-old has an opportunity to go out with a bang.
It’s already been a fairytale year for the American, who registered an imposing 22-3 win-loss record from March through to May, which included back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston.
Her impressive form has shot her into sixth in the Race, and she has elected to push on from this by entering the Monterrey event this week as the number one seed.
“We wonder why you would play in Mexico a week before the US Open, but here’s another incentive,” Jon Wertheim told Tennis Channel.
Emma Navarro joins her compatriot as the number two seed in Mexico after a red-hot rise has seen her establish a name for herself on the tour this year.
The next highest seed in the tournament is Ekaterina Alexandrova, who sits at number 30 in the rankings.
The decision by the two Americans to enter this draw, while their peers are choosing to prioritize practice in New York, highlights their ambitions of adding points to their tally as we close in on the season-ending finale.
Zheng Qinwen clinched the gold medal at the Olympics but, with no points coming from it, still sits outside of the top eight in the Race.
Will this affect Collins and Navarro’s US Open hopes?
There is a reason as to why Collins and Navarro are the only ones out of their rivals that have decided to enter the draw in Monterrey.
However, while reigning champion Coco Gauff and world number two Aryna Sabalenka hit the practice courts, the two Americans will be able to earn some valuable match practice on Mexican soil.
Having both fallen in the early stages last time out at Flushing Meadows, the pair will head into the tournament with a clean canvas.
And, depending on how far they progress in Mexico, the tactical move for Collins and Navarro to compete in the event might just be one of the smartest plays in 2024.
With 500 points up for grabs, the Americans could severely bolster their chances of joining the world’s best at the prestigious WTA Finals come November.
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