Emma Navarro gets honest about joining Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula & Madison Keys in making American tennis 'thrive'
Emma Navarro has candidly shared her thoughts on being counted alongside Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys as part of the American resurgence on Tour. The World No. 11 also opened up about how they inspired one another to grow and improve.
After recording early exits at the Sunshine Double, Navarro has entered the Charleston Open as the fourth seed, aiming to win her second title of the season. Ahead of her campaign, the 23-year-old reflected on being one of the five Americans ranked in the WTA top 20, alongside Gauff, Pegula, Keys, and Amanda Anisimova.
Speaking to the press before her opening match at the WTA 500 event, Emma Navarro expressed her delight at being grouped alongside those players and being collectively responsible for how American tennis was "thriving." The World No. 11 also shared how enjoyable it was to cheer on Jessica Pegula during her recent run to the Miami Open final and to applaud Madison Keys on her Australian Open triumph, disclosing that they all pushed each other to improve.
"It’s awesome. Even just to be grouped in with those names is really cool. It’s really cool that American tennis is back, I guess you could say, and thriving. It’s fun to cheer Jess on when she’s playing in Miami, and Maddie, of course, starting the year off winning the Australian Open title. I think we push each other to always keep getting better," Emma Navarro said.
Emma Navarro herself had a disappointing campaign at the Miami Open, suffering a 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-7(3) loss to Emma Raducanu in the opening round. The World No. 11 will look to bounce back strongly at the Charleston Open, which is owned by her billionaire father, Ben Navarro.
Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula gear up for Charleston Open 2R; Madison Keys advances to 3R
Following a first-round bye, No. 4 seed Emma Navarro will take on Hailey Baptiste in the second round of the 2025 Charleston Open. If she wins, the 23-year-old will meet Ashlyn Krueger or Katie Volynets in the third round, followed by a potential quarterfinal showdown with Amanda Anisimova.
In the other half of the draw, top seed Jessica Pegula will lock horns with qualifier Iryna Shymanovich in her opening match at the WTA 500 event. Subsequently, the World No. 4 will meet the winner between Peyton Stearns and Ajla Tomljanovic, with Danielle Collins potentially looming as her quarterfinal opponent.
Meanwhile, No. 2 seed Madison Keys has made a strong start to her campaign in Charleston, beating Caroline Dolehide 6-3, 7-6(4) in the second round. The reigning Australian Open champion will next face Anna Kalinskaya or Caty McNally in the third round.
Coco Gauff, on the other hand, has chosen to enjoy some downtime with her family before commencing her clay season. The World No. 3 will be back in action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which commences on April 14.