Who is Emma Navarro? The rising US tennis star who beat Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff at Wimbledon
The American pulled off another upset at the All England Club facilities by emerging victorious in an all-American clash against Coco Gauff.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys were among the favorite US players to go far or even win the trophy at Wimbledon 2024, but another unexpected name has stood out in the most prestigious tennis tournament. And that’s Emma Navarro.
The 23-year-old is living the best moment of her career. She reached her first quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event after upsetting fellow countrywoman Coco Gauff in straight sets.
The American had shown great potential in previous tournaments this year, but her breakthrough moment arrived in the season’s third major. She sent a warning message to the rest of the players when she defeated Naomi Osaka and against Gauff she proved she has the skills to make it to the final and even win it.
Navarro, now three victories away from lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish, will take on the talented Jasmine Paolini next.
Who is Wimbledon 2024′s sensation Emma Navarro?
Navarro was born in New York City in 2001 but attended Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, getting really focused on tennis in fourth grade.
“I would get up at around 5.45 a.m. and go play tennis for about an hour before school. Although I’m pretty sure I drove Mrs. Tonks crazy with my tardiness every morning, that was when I started to understand the sacrifices I was going to have to make to achieve my goals in tennis”, she said during an interview.
She debuted in the WTA tour in 2019 at the Charleston Open, after receiving a wild card. The player got international praise when she won the junior French Open doubles title that year and finished as the singles tournament’s runner-up.
Navarro played collegiately at Virginia from 2020-2022, becoming the 2021 NCAA singles champion, which qualified her for the U.S. Open, her first major.
When did Emma Navarro start to shine?
Although 2024 has been her best year, Navarro started proving she was a star in the making in 2023.
She started going far in different tournaments, picking up several wins in challengers but also a victory at the 2023 French Open. She lifted her first pro title in the WTA tour at the 2024 Hobart International after getting the better of Elise Mertens in three hard-fought sets. Navarro hasn’t stopped improving since then.
She got to the French Open fourth round this year after she beat Madison Keys, but she ended up losing to favorite Aryna Sabalenka after that. Now she has reached the quarterfinal round on Wimbledon’s grass and has a golden chance of making history and getting to a major’s semifinal.
Emma Navarro, the daughter of a US billionaire
Some players have become millionaires by becoming good tennis players, others have made their fortunes from being among the very best, and then there’s Emma Navarro.
The world No. 17 is billionaire Ben Navarro’s daughter, founder and chief executive officer of Sherman Financial Group, the company behind Credit One, which has distributed 18 million credit cards to date.
He’s also the former vice-president of Citigroup, with a net worth of US$1.5 billion, according to Forbes. Moreover, Ben Navarro also has investments in tennis and owns the Charleston Open and the Cincinnati Open.