American tennis player Navarro, seeded 13th, reflected on her journey after her match, acknowledging a brief dip in performance but ultimately regrouping to approach the third set with renewed focus. Having previously struggled at the U.S. Open, this year’s results mark a significant turnaround for her.
Coco Gauff, who had been working diligently on her serve after recent matches, faced challenges on Sunday as well. She tied her career-high for double-faults, which included three double-faults in crucial games against Navarro. Notably, a total of 11 double-faults occurred in the final set, contributing to her overall score of 60 unforced errors, with a staggering 29 coming from her forehand side.
Navarro, who previously eliminated Gauff in the fourth round at Wimbledon in July, demonstrated more consistency with only 35 unforced errors. She praised Gauff’s talent, expressing confidence that Gauff will achieve victory in the future.
This match follows the unexpected third-round defeat of defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic, continuing the trend of players failing to secure consecutive titles at the U.S. Open. The last two-time women’s champion was Serena Williams from 2012-14, and the last man was Roger Federer from 2004-08.
Navarro’s win against Gauff, the 2021 NCAA singles champion from the University of Virginia, secured her spot in the quarterfinals, where she will face No. 26 Paula Badosa, who dominated her match against Wang Yafan.
Earlier in the day, Grigor Dimitrov, seeded ninth, overcame Andrey Rublev in a tightly contested match, advancing to the quarterfinals with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3. Rublev displayed visible frustration during the match, requiring medical attention for an injury sustained to his hand.
Dimitrov will meet either No. 20 Frances Tiafoe or No. 28 Alexei Popyrin, who made headlines after defeating Djokovic. Additionally, No. 12 Taylor Fritz secured his place in the quarterfinals by prevailing over Casper Ruud. Fritz is eager to progress further, having never reached a Grand Slam semifinal.