Rivalry made in the USA

Navarro steps up, Pegula hangs tough!

Jessica the miracle survivor up against Navarro’s heroics!A great match on the cards, and I see it being tighter than the odds suggest.

The top-10 player got away with it against Emma Raducanu, who missed three match points in the second set and basically handed over a 9–11 tiebreak. Hammer blow: the Brit completely let the third set go. Same story against the Ukrainian Kostyuk, where Jessica had to battle through three sets again.

It’s hot, heavy, and humid, and in those conditions Navarro is way more comfortable. She proved it by pushing the Polish queen to her limits, forcing regular errors. In the third set, Emma got in her head and handed her a sweet bagel! True to her brand, she was awesome defensively while staying locked in against an aggressive opponent. But beyond the result, it’s her composure that impressed me most.

So we’ve got a matchup between a Pegula who’s been surviving since the BJK Cup, spending more time on court than she should and scraping out wins… and a fired-up young American chasing a big title, physically fresh and boosted by a win over a top-2 player. With only 12 winners against Iga, Emma still has plenty of room to grow. The semi is hers for the taking.