by Emma Navarro recovered from a 5-1 deficit in the second set to win 6-2, 7-5 against Spaniard Paula Badosa in the quarter-final of the US Open on Tuesday.
Navarro advances to Thursday’s semifinal, the deepest run the 13th-seeded American has ever made at a Grand Slam tournament. There, she will face No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), who beat No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen (China), 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Navarro is the first of two Americans to advance to the semifinals on Tuesday. No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz defeated No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev on Tuesday afternoon to book his ticket to the semifinals.
Navarro took control of the match early, breaking Badosa on the first serve of the first set. She then broke Badosa again to win the set, 6-2.
The match seemed destined for a third set after Badosa took control early in the second. Badosa broke Navarro’s first serve of the set, then broke it again en route to a 5-1 lead. But with the New York crowd firmly behind Navarro at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Navarro dominated the rest of the game.
She beat Badosa to cut her deficit to 5-3 en route to winning the final six games of the match, stunning the Spaniard to end her US Open run. Navarro won 24 of the final 28 points to secure the victory.
Navarro said after the match that she maintained her confidence even after building a 5-1 gap in the second set.
“After we got back to 5-2, I kind of had the idea that it could be two sets,” Navarro told ESPN after the match. “I just wanted to stay really tough and stay there. Even though I lost the second set, I wanted to kind of set the tone for the third set.”
Navarro is now two wins away from a US Open title after being knocked out in the first round each of the previous two years. It was her second straight victory against a top seed after beating reigning US Open champion and No. 3 seed Coco Gauff of the United States in the fourth round on Sunday.
Navarro and Fritz are the first of four Americans hoping to advance to the semifinals. No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe followed suit Tuesday night, beating No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria). Tiafoe will now face Fritz in an all-American semi-final, ensuring an American will play in a Grand Slam final for the first time since 2009.
On Wednesday, No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula will face No. 1 seed and 2022 US Open champion Iga Świątek (Poland).
