Takeaways: Navarro gets physical to make third straight Slam quarterfinal

MELBOURNE -- No.8 seed Emma Navarro
Australian Open: Scores | Schedule | Draws
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.
🤯🤯🤯
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2025
Emma NavarroView Profile comes up clutch! Staring down a crucial break of serve, she wins this point, the next and the one after to hold!
Now it's Daria KasatkinaView Profile 's turn to hold serve.@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/pP3lIBjA1O
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
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
That you are, Emma. That you are.
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2025
See you in the quarters!#AO2025 pic.twitter.com/pafbFZeAZo
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
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."