Emma Navarro has described the experience of playing a semi-final at the US Open as ‘amazing’ after the American lost 6-3 7-6(2) to Aryna Sabalenka.
It was a first Grand Slam semi-final for Emma Navarro in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium at night as she fell short of reaching the final.
Nevertheless an incredible moment for Navarro who was born in New York and took advantage of home territory by pushing Sabalenka to two tight sets.
After her semi-final exit at the US Open, Navarro described the experience as ‘amazing’ with playing at night being a factor in the occasion, “Yeah, it was a pretty amazing atmosphere out there,” Navarro said in her post match press conference.
“Yeah, for sure, there was a different feeling walking out there tonight as opposed to the last few times I played. You know, part of it, it was the semifinals. Part of it it’s a night match, my first night match on Ashe. You know, I’m playing an opponent like I did play today.
“There was for sure a different feeling. But it’s definitely a feeling that, you know, maybe I didn’t deal with it 100% the way I wanted to throughout the match, but it’s a feeling that, yeah, I’ll definitely be seeking again. I think it’s something that I’ll only improve at handling.”
Despite the defeat Navarro is now a top ten player for the first time in her career as she will rise to a new career high ranking of eight in the world.
It’s been a positive tournament on home soil and Navarro said her latest achievement is a testament to how hard she has been working this season, “It’s pretty crazy, and I think it’s a testament to a lot of hard work. Definitely leaving with a lot of positives,” Navarro stated.
“You know, it’s crazy to have come into this tournament a week and a half, almost two weeks ago, and, you know, I was kind of joking a little bit with my team, but a little bit serious, as well, that I was looking to win one match at the US Open, and now to be leaving having made a run and gotten to the semifinals, and now I’m a top-10 player.
“I think something that, you know, I’ve been learning more and more is that there is, you know, pillars to my game. I think in the past some of those pillars have sort of been day-to-day dependent on how I feel with a certain shot or, you know, my confidence level with my game. I think I’m learning more and more that, you know, those pillars of my game are non-negotiables.
“You know, it’s how I play, and it’s who I am as a player. And accepting that if I can’t execute those parts of my game good enough on a given day, then, you know, I can’t win that day. But not, you know, sacrificing who I am as a player. I think in the long run that will give me the best chance, you know, to win matches and have the best results. So maybe, long story short, just getting more comfortable and confident in who I am as a player.”
Navarro will aim to continue her incredible run of form as the American is in with an outside shot of qualifying for the WTA Finals.
Currently Navarro is in seventh position in the WTA race with Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka already qualified for the season-ending event in Saudi Arabia.
