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Meet Emma Navarro, Who Destroyed Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon

Posted on by angelo

Emma Navarro made it look easy Wednesday afternoon.

The 23-year-old crushed Naomi Osaka in less than an hour in three sets, 6-4, 6-1, on Centre Court to qualify for the third round of Wimbledon.

Ranked 19th in the world, Navarro has not dropped a set in her two matches in the tournament.

“It’s an atmosphere that could have easily overwhelmed me, or any player, and I spent a lot of time mentally preparing myself for the emotions and the nerves that I was going to feel. Then, once I got on the court, I felt really comfortable,” Navarro told reporters after beating four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka.

American Emma Navarro returns against Japanese Naomi Osaka in their women’s singles second round tennis match. AFP via Getty Images

Now that she’s advanced to the third round, The Post takes a deeper look at Navarro’s journey as a rising tennis star.

What is Emma Navarro’s tennis career?

Born in New York in 2001, Navarro, who said she first became seriously interested in tennis in the fourth grade, was a highly regarded junior tennis star in South Carolina while attending Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina.

Emma Navarro, right, of the United States, is congratulated by Naomi Osaka. AP

She burst onto the scene in 2019, winning the French Open junior doubles title with Chloe Beck while finishing runner-up in the singles tournament.

With all her success as a junior, Navarro was the No. 1 recruit in the country, according to TennisRecruiting.net, and enrolled at the University of Virginia in the fall of 2020.

Navarro continued her large-scale success with the Cavaliers, becoming the 2021 NCAA singles champion, the second to do so in program history.

Emma Navarro of the United States celebrates her victory during her second round match against Naomi Osaka of Japan. REUTERS

In 2021, she also won her first WTA main draw singles match, defeating Renata Zarazua at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston in three sets before qualifying for the US Open as a wild card.

She concluded her college career as a sophomore during the 2021-22 season as an ITA singles and doubles All-American.

Navarro continued to flourish as a professional, winning her first WTA title in January when she captured the Hobart International crown while also reaching the third round of the Australian Open and the fourth at the French Open.

Who is Emma Navarro’s family??

She was born to Kelly and Ben Navarro, who is the billionaire founder and COO of Sherman Financial Group which runs Credit One.

Emma Navarro, father of American Ben Navarro, is seen in the stands during the second round match against Japan’s Naomi Osaka. REUTERS

Ben, who tried to buy the Carolina Panthers in 2018, bought the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament in Cincinnati in 2022 under Beemok Capital.

He is the son of former college football coach Frank Navarro, who served at Williams College, Columbia, Wabash College and Princeton.

“As a fan, a father and a business owner, tennis has given our family so much,” Ben told The Post and Courier in 2019. “Junior tennis has allowed our kids to learn a work ethic, develop friendships through shared struggles and learn how to deal with disappointment, defeat and sometimes even injustice.”

American Emma Navarro reacts after beating Naomi Osaka. AP

What’s next for Emma Navarro?

Navarro will face Russian-born Diana Shnaider, a product of NC State University, in the third round of Wimbledon on Friday.