"He totally rigged me" - Emma Navarro calls out Jessica Pegula-supporter for costing her crucial point during amusing interaction at Garden Cup
Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula headlined the women's exhibition match at the 2024 Garden Cup. Navarro emerged victorious by downing not only Pegula but also a particularly enthusiastic supporter of hers in the stands.
Emma Navarro, Jessica Pegula, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton participated in the 2024 Garden Cup held at the Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 4. The exhibition event returned to MSG after a six-year break with Navarro-Pegula kicking off the proceedings.
Navarro, who stitched her best Grand Slam run in New York a few weeks ago with a semifinal finish at the 2024 US Open, was on the front foot early. The World No. 8, with a bit of help from the crowd, was able to edge past Pegula in the first set via a tiebreaker. During the set changeover, Tennis Channel presenter Prakash Amritraj talked to both women in a fun joint interview and asked Navarro about her tactics.
While Navarro was seen interacting with fans in the middle of the first set, she did not heed too much to their advice after double-faulting on one point. The World No. 8 also pointed out one fan who was cheering for Pegula and hilariously accused him of rigging the match.
"He was cheering for Jess. He totally rigged me, which was a little cheap," Emma Navarro told Tennis Channel.
You can watch the entire interaction below:
Navarro maintained her level in the second set and defeated Pegula 7-6, 6-4 to win the women's singles contest at the Garden Cup. Alcaraz and Shelton then locked horns in the men's singles and the Spaniard took the win in the entertaining clash 4-6, 6-2, 1-0.
Emma Navarro ends 2024 season inside top 10 of WTA ranking
Emma Navarro came to the Garden Cup after making massive strides on the 2024 WTA Tour. The American ended a promising 2023 season at the World No. 32 spot on the rankings and continued her progress this year. She won her maiden tour-level title at the WTA 250 Hobart International in January 2024 after beating Elise Mertens in the final.
Her next big performance came at the Indian Wells Open, where she reached her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinals after beating reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. She then reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, her then-best Grand Slam showing.
Navarro kept bettering her Major record, with a quarterfinal finish at the Wimbledon Championships and a semifinal run at the US Open. After her semifinal finish at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open, Navarro broke into the top 10 of the WTA ranking for the first time in her career. She rose to the World No. 8 spot thanks to the campaign in New York.