In what was the first major upset of Wimbledon 2024, Emma Navarro defeated Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday. Ms Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, was playing her first Wimbledon tournament in five years. Ms Navarro, currently world 17, defeated the former world number 1, in less than an hour at Centre Court.
Navarro has yet to lose a set in the tournament. She will face Diana Shnaider in the third round of Wimbledon on Friday.
Here are some facts about the rising tennis star:
1. Emma Navarro was born in New York City in 2001. Her passion for tennis started in early childhood and she decided to pursue the sport seriously by fourth grade. She attended Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, where she quickly made a name for herself as a junior tennis star. Her late grandfather, Frank Navarro, was a college football player and coach.
2. She is the daughter of Ben Navarro, an American billionaire and founder of Sherman Financial Group, which runs Credit One. According to Forbes, Ben Navarro's net worth is approximately $1.5 billion, surpassing the combined wealth of tennis legends Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Emma Navarro has also earned a significant $1,074,546 in prize money so far this year.
3. The 23-year-old's big breakthrough in tennis came in 2019 when she won the junior French Open doubles title alongside Chloe Beck. That same year, she also impressed in singles, finishing as the tournament's runner-up. Her outstanding performance earned her the top spot as the nation's no. 1 recruit, as ranked byTennisRecruiting.net.
4. In 2020, Ms Navarro enrolled at the University of Virginia, where she continued to excel in tennis. During her time with the Cavaliers, she became the 2021 NCAA singles champion, a feat only one other player in the program's history had achieved. She also secured her first main-draw WTA singles victory at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston by defeating Renata Zarazua in straight sets. Her impressive collegiate performance earned her a wild card entry into the US Open.
5. Emma Navarro turned pro in 2022, earning ITA singles and doubles All-American honours. She quickly made her mark in the professional circuit, capturing her first WTA title at the Hobart International in January. Ms Navarro's Grand Slam performances improved, reaching the third round of the Australian Open and the fourth round of the French Open. Now, two years later, Ms Navarro played her first Wimbledon as a seed. In the first round, she defeated China's Wang Qiang, a former US Open quarter-finalist, 6-0, 6-2, and defeated Naomi Osaka in the second round.