Emma Navarro now believes she belongs in the latter stages of grand slams after finding a new-found confidence following her displays in last year's major tournaments. (Full Coverage | More Tennis News)
reached the quarter-finals of the A꧃ustralian Open on Monday, beating Daria Kasatkina 6-♉4 5-7 7-5 to set up a tie with Iga Swiatek in the final eight in Melbourne.
She is the second player🌞 in the Open Era to make the quarter-finals in women's singles at Melbourne Park with four three-setters in the first four rounds, after Jelena Dokic in 2009.
Prior to the 2024 campaign, the American's best run at a grand slam came at Roland-Garros in 2023, whꦅen she reached the s൲econd round in Paris.
Last year, she lost to eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka at the semi-final stage of the US Open,𒁃 while also managing to find her way to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon back in July.
A🦩nd speaking after her win over Kasatkina, Navarro revealed that she now feels mo🦹re prepared to deal with games later in major tournaments.
"I used to look at grand slams as,ꩵ I don't know, a bit more than they are, I guess, and never reꩲally felt comfortable at grand slams until probably the US Open," Navarro said.
"ꦚ;You know, I was kind of thinking after the match today that when I made the quarter-finals of the US Open, I felt, like, wow, this is pretty insane.
"But now, being in the quarter-finals here in Australia kind of feels lik♌e this is where I'm supposed to be, and I feelไ like this is what I prepared for and planned on.
"So, yeah, it's defiཧnitely different. Probably, ye🅺ah, I think I just go into grand slams with a bit more confidence than I used to."
But she faces a stern test in the next round against Swiatek, who cruised into the quarter-finals after beating lucky loser Eva Lys🐠 6-0 6-1 earlier on Monday.
However, Navar🐭ro has shown that she has what it takes to equal her best career run at a grand sla🃏m after a string of impressive displays in Melbourne so far.
No player has converted more break points in the women's singles draw at the💝 Australian Open this year than Navarr✅o (30).
She could also become the youngest American player to register seven wins from her first eight matches a🅷t the Australian Open women's singles event since Venus Williams in 1998-99.