Just as folk were recovering from the loss of World No 1 Iga Swiatek on Saturday, Coco Gauff, the World No 2, suffered an upset at the hands of fellow American, Emma Navarro, on Sunday in the Ladies Singles at The Championships, and Jasmine Paolini advanced to the quarter-finals after Madison Keys retired injured in a close encounter.
“Emma NavarroQualifier Lulu Sun earlier made history for New Zealand with a three-set victory over Emma Raducanu, shattering home hopes of ending a 47-year wait for a British women’s champion after the 23-year-old, ranked at 123, triumphed, 6-2 5-7 6-2, over the 2021 US Open winner.
Sun hit 52 winners against Raducanu, who took a medical time-out in the third set to treat problems with her ankle and back.
“It was a great match against Emma. I really dug deep to get the win,” said Sun.
Sun will next face Croatia’s Donna Vekic, the World No 37, who clinched a 6-2 1-6 6-4 win over Spain’s Paula Badosa on the back of 33 winners, for a place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Swiatek admitted she was running on empty at Wimbledon after her shock 3rd-round defeat to Yulia Putintseva that brought the top seed’s 21-match winning streak to a stunning end on No 1 Court as the Russian-born Kazakh battled to a 3-6 6-1 6-2 victory.
Swiatek won a fourth French Open and fifth Grand Slam title last month, but she felt the strain of that clay-court triumph by the time she arrived at the All England Club.
“For sure, I felt like my energy level went down little bit in the second set,” she admitted. “I couldn’t really get back up. My tank of really pushing myself to the limits became suddenly empty. I was kind of surprised. But I know what I did wrong after Roland Garros. I didn’t really rest properly.
“I’m not going to make this mistake again. After such a tough clay court season, I really must have my recovery. I need to recover better after the clay court season, both physically and mentally. Maybe next year I’m going to take a vacation and literally just do nothing.”
Swiatek leaves to lick her wounds and prepare for Paris 2024 in a few weeks time in the knowledge that she will return to her favourite clay courts at Roland Garros where the Olympic Tennis Event begins on Saturday 27 July, and ends on Sunday 4 August.
Coco Gauff was left frustrated and out of answers against Emma Navarro and lost on Centre Court© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Her departure looked to be a bonus for Gauff, who many thought to be a shoe-in for the Wimbledon final, probably against World No 4 Elena Rybakina, but her surging American cohort, Navarro, clinched the biggest upset win of her career under the Centre Court roof, knocking out the No 2 seed, 6-4 6-3, in just 74 minutes.
“I think I played really aggressively,” said Navarro afterwards. “Coco’s an amazing player, and I have a ton of respect for her.”
It was a stunning performance form the 19th-seeded American, who is in the midst of a break-through season, and had already taken out former World No 1 Naomi Osaka on her way to a second consecutive Grand Slam second week.
Taking on the reigning US Open champion, Navarro rallied from an early break down to win against Gauff, who had made quick work of her draw through the first week, dropping a mere 10 games in 3 matches against Caroline Dolehide, Anca Todoni, and Britain’s Sonay Kartal.
In the latter, Gauff reeled off the final 8 games to reach the 4th round at the All England Club for the first time since her breakout run as a teenager in 2019.
The American famously fell in the 1st round of Wimbledon last year, spurring her into a career-best stretch that culminated with a maiden Major victory and a newfound consistency on the Grand Slam stage, reaching the semi-finals or better in her last 3 appearances.
Just 3 years older than Gauff, Navarro watched much of her countrywoman’s rise from the college ecosystem, winning the NCAA Singles Championship in 2021 playing for the University of Virginia.
Transitioning onto the pro circuit last year, she won 2 ITF 100K titles to finish the year ranked inside the Top 40, and has continued rising up the rankings, reaching her first WTA 1000 quarter-final with a win over then-No 2 Aryna Sabalenka at the BNP Paribas Open, and clinching a berth on the US Olympic team by reaching the 4th round of Roland Garros.
Playing in only her second Wimbledon main draw, Navarro came through a tricky field in the first week, taking out former No 12 Wang Qiang before defeating Osaka in straight sets, and then backing up the win by snapping Bad Homburg Open champion Diana Shnaider’s 7-match winning streak to book her second meeting with Gauff of the season.
Navarro, a 23-year-old New Yorker, lost in straight sets to her fellow American when they faced off at the ASB Classic in January, but she proved more adaptable to the indoor grass conditions as the 3rd match on Centre Court, emerging from an exchange of breaks with a lead she never let out of sight, breaking Gauff a 2nd time to clinch the opening set.
She won some key points with deft slicing, including on one of the two break points saved in a hold for 4-3, while she kept the momentum and converted her 2nd set point with a powerful forehand winner down the line.
Gauff grew increasingly frustrated as her more combustible forehand wing erred often in the second set, handing Navarro the chance to serve out the match.
Although Gauff saved 2 match points, Navarro held firm and forced one last forehand error from the 20-year-old, who exchanged a warm hug with her childhood friend at the net.
In the end, Navarro played far steadier tennis, striking 16 unforced errors to 25 from Gauff, who was serving at just 56% for the match.
“Feeling really good,” Navarro said in her post-match press conference. “Played some good tennis today, for sure. Faced a really tough opponent, a Grand Slam champ… I’m excited to keep playing.”
With the win, Navarro avenged her 6-3 6-1 loss to her Olympic teammate in this January’s Auckland semi-finals, which Gauff went on to win the title for the second straight year. Emma Navarro (L) and Coco Gauff shared a friendly hug after the Last 16 match on Sunday at the All England Club© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
“It was a tough match. She played well,” said Gauff later of Navarro. “Yeah, I think she played great tennis. There was moments in the first set that I had chances to capitalise on the break.
“I thought she did well staying on the baseline, which I know how she plays, just from playing her before, but she really did well timing my hardballs to her, which isn’t easy to do on grass.
“Also she hit a lot of, like, I think extra balls back, like, slices, mixing it up. Overall I think she played well. I think she returned well today, especially on my second serve.”
Gauff also questioned the input from her team in the player box, a team that includes former player Brad Gilbert and Jean-Christophe Faurel.
“We had a game plan going in,” she stated. “I felt that it wasn’t working. I don’t always ask for advice on the box. Today was one of those rare moments where I felt I didn’t have solutions.
“I don’t want to say I didn’t have any, because I think I’m a capable player of coming up with some. I think today, mentally, there was a lot going on. I felt like I wanted more direction from the box.”
Navarro and Gauff each had 6 backhand unforced errors…
