As the Canadian Open enters its latter stages, we are in for some thrilling action with some exciting battles coming up. Among them is the clash between the compatriots, Emma Navarro and Taylor Townsend. Both Navarro and Townsend have had a contrasting journey in the ongoing Canadian Open. Navarro, the eighth seed, received a bye in the opening round and had comfortable victories going into the quarterfinals. Townsend had to go through the qualifying rounds and caused massive upsets en route to the last eight encounter.

Emma Navarro vs Taylor Townsend: Preview

Although she faltered quickly in the Paris Olympics, Navarro has shown glimpses of her best form at the Canadian Open, ahead of the US Open coming up later this month. She had confident straight-set victories over Magda Linette and Marta Kostyuk in the earlier rounds in Toronto and now looks to achieve the same over Townsend.

Mar 13, 2024; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Emma Navarro (USA) acknowledges the crowd after she defeated Aryna Sabalenka (RUS) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsUnlike Navarro, Townsend has predominantly preferred the doubles circuit over her singles career. While she has won a couple of doubles titles this year, Townsend has struggled as far as her singles game is concerned. Moreover, she is yet to win a Grand Slam match this year in singles. Townsend’s Canadian Open run is the best we have seen out of her, and she would look to carry on the momentum when she takes on Navarro.

Navarro vs Townsend: Head-to-head

While Townsend has been an established player on the WTA Tour, it is still early days for Navarro in her career. As a result, the two haven’t found each other on opposite ends of the court often, with their only encounter coming at the W100 Charleston in the semifinal. Navarro, a wildcard entrant back then, lost tamely against Townsend in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. However, that encounter was played in 2019 and things have changed much since then, with Navarro clearly the favorite this time around.

Prediction: Navarro to level her h2h record against Townsend

“I don’t have a ton of words but just really grateful to be out here on Center Court at a tournament with so much history and tradition, that so many legends have played on before me,“ Navarro revealed after she defeated Coco Gauff on the Centre Court of the Wimbledon Championships. She is aiming to replicate the feats of the greats like Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams and has set her sights on the US Open trophy coming up later this month.

The American sensation has been in the form of her life lately, putting on consistent performances tournament after tournament. Additionally, she is one of the dark horses to win the tournament and expect her to be at her best today against Townsend in front of a packed stadium. Navarro applies heavy topspin to push her opponents to the baseline. Accompanied with a great backhand slice, she can control the pace of the game.

Townsend has a fantastic volley game, which can work well should Navarro use drop shots. Furthermore, Navarro has a weak serve at the moment, which saw no aces and 7 double faults against Kostyuk. Furthermore, she only landed 53% of first serves and only won 58% of those points. Should Townsend find the right technique, she can demolish Navarro on return.

However, despite the weapons in her arsenal, Navarro is predicted to win her match against Townsend in straight sets and enter the semifinals. Their match will take place on the Center Court later today.