Takeaways: Navarro gets physical to make third straight Slam quarterfinal

MELBOURNE -- No.8 seed Emma Navarro held off No.9 seed Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 in the Australian Open Round of 16 to book a spot in her third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. 

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Here are three takeaways from the American's resilient run in Melbourne

Navarro's grit on display again against Kasatkina

In a rare first-time meeting between two Top 10 players, Navarro fought off an uncharacteristically errant Kasatkina to post a deceptively straightforward scoreline. Playing in her first Australian Open Round of 16, Navarro jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Kasatkina was able to find any traction in the match. Kasatkina was able to get the set back on serve at 5-4, but three unforced errors in the next game gave Navarro the break and the set. 

Navarro kept grinding in the second set. This time, Kasatkina repeatedly built a break advantage only for Navarro to peg her back to level. Serving to stay in the set, Kasatkina saved three match points to hold to 5-5 before stealing the set to take Navarro into her fourth consecutive three-set match of the tournament.

The seesaw battle continued in the decider. Kasatkina saved seven break points in a monumental game to level at 4-4. Navarro responded with her own bit of gritty magic, saving a break point at 5-5 by winning the longest rally of the match, a 27-shot baseline exchange she finished with an acutely angled backhand winner. Backing herself with more aggressive swings in the final two games, Navarro broke Kasatkina for the ninth time to seal a 2-hour and 40-minute win.

Navarro did not let a slow start get her down

Faced with the prospect of backing up her breakout 2024 season, Navarro looked shaky as 2025 began. She came into the Australian Open with a 1-2 record through her first two events, losing in the first round of the Brisbane International to Australian wild card Kimberly Birrell and Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International. 

But Navarro never panicked. Instead, she tapped into the secret to her 2024 success by putting her head down, putting in the work, and keeping her eyes focused on the horizon.

"I trust myself," Navarro said earlier in the tournament. "I trust my coach and the rest of my team. Even if I have a few matches that don't go my way. Even after Adelaide, I was feeling super positive about the path I was on. Even though the results didn't show that, I felt like I was capable of playing the best tennis I've ever played. I still feel like that.

"I think I'm working myself towards that. So, yeah, no panic. Just everything is part of the journey."

That journey has taken her into her first Australian Open quarterfinal after a trio of tough three-set wins and victories over Ons Jabeur and Kasatkina. Her first-round duel against Peyton Stearns lasted 3 hours and 20 minutes and Navarro was far from her best. But her consistent success over the past 12 months has taught her if you stay the course and scrap to survive, you can buy yourself time to find your game. 

Navarro's stiff quarterfinal test

For the second consecutive Slam, Navarro will have to get past a Top 5 player and tournament favorite to make the semifinals. She succeeded at the US Open, where she knocked out defending champion Coco Gauff in the Round of 16. In Melbourne, she'll take on former No.1 Iga Swiatek, who has looked imperious through her four matches, dropping just 11 games. 

It will be their first match at any level in nearly seven years, with Swiatek winning their sole meeting on the green clay in 2018. It was a markedly different time in both their careers. Swiatek was ranked outside the Top 400, Navarro was ranked outside the Top 1000, and the Pole won 6-0, 6-2 at an ITF 80K in Charleston, South Carolina. It was a match that left a lasting impression on the American.

"When I look back at my tennis career, I feel like there were not too many times when I was totally blown off the court," Navarro said, "and I definitely was kind of blown off the court playing her. We played at my home club in Charleston. I was, like, Wow, this girl is pretty good.

"Circumstances are definitely different now. I feel like I'm pretty good, too. I'm ready for a good challenge."