Emma Navarro defeated Coco Gauff in a surprising Wimbledon upset, marking her advancement to the quarterfinals for the first time in a Grand Slam tournament. Navarro, seeded 19th, triumphed with a score of 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round on Sunday.
Following her victory, Navarro expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to play on Centre Court, acknowledging the rich history and tradition of Wimbledon. “I don’t have a ton of words, but just really grateful to be out here on Centre Court, at a tournament with so much history and tradition that so many legends have played on before me. It’s a real honor,” she said.
The match saw both players targeting each other’s forehand strokes. Navarro particularly enjoyed the strategic aspect of the game. “I love matches like that where it feels like it’s not just a hitting or striking competition. There’s strategy involved and it feels like a chess match or something, so that was really enjoyable for me.”
This defeat continues a trend for Gauff, who has been eliminated in the fourth round of Wimbledon in each of her appearances, including in 2021 and 2019, when she was just 15 years old.
Navarro previously won against Naomi Osaka in the second round and is set to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the next round.
Gauff’s exit follows the departure of other top-seeded women from Wimbledon over the weekend, including No. 1-seeded Iga Swiatek and the reigning Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová, who lost last week.