Watch Serena Williams’ career and rise to dominance in new documentary
ESPN to release “In the Arena: Serena Williams,” a documentary examine the life and career of tennis’ greatest player.
There is a new American tennis star on the rise.
Emma Navarro is on her way to the Wimbledon quarterfinals after she pulled off a major upset in the fourth round, knocking off No. 2-ranked player in the world Coco Gauff in straight sets on Sunday night at centre court.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
It’s been a meteoric rise for Navarro, who started her professional career not too long ago. She had major college success, and 2024 has been a breakout year for her as she chases her first major tournament title as the No. 19 player in the world.
Before she makes her first major quarterfinal appearance, here’s what to know about Emma Navarro:
Navarro is from New York City, New York.
Navarro, born on May 18, 2001, is 23 years old.
Navarro’s dad is billionaire Ben Navarro, who is the founder and chief executive officer of Sherman Financial Group. He has investment in tennis; he owns the Charleston Open and in 2022, he became owner of the Cincinnati Open.
Navarro was a prized tennis recruit and she played collegiately at Virginia from 2020-2022. In her freshman season, she was the 2021 NCAA singles champion, which qualified her for the U.S. Open, her first major. She finished her career with the Cavaliers with a 51-3 singles record.
Navarro became a full-pro in 2022 but she really started picking up steam in 2023. She started getting deep into tournaments on the WTA Tour and had a win in the 2023 French Open. In January, she won her first title at the 2024 Hobart International and continued to rise up the world rankings.
She’s continued to progress at the 2024 majors. She made it to the third round of the 2024 Australian Open and at the 2024 French Open, she advanced to the fourth round of a major for the first time after she beat Madison Keys in the third round. She eventually lost to the No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka. Now, she’s in her first major quarterfinal at the 2024 Wimbledon.
Navarro will face Jasmine Paolini is the quaterfinals of the women’s singles.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
