Resurgent Spaniard, Paula Badosa takes on the gritty American, Emma Navarro in the QF of the 2024 US Open. Navarro is entering this contest after her massive win over the defending champion, Coco Gauff in the R16. After pulling an upset over Gauff, Navarro was heard saying. “I hope to have the American fans behind me.” She has already reached one QF at a major tournament this year. If she can handle the pressure well enough, then she could get an edge, else, it’d be a cakewalk for Badosa, who has been in superb form at the US hard court swing. Having already won a title in Washington, the Spaniard is looking to achieve something more extraordinary in New York.

Paula Badosa vs Emma Navarro: Preview

Paula Badosa started her campaign at the 2024 US Open with two comfortable two-set triumphs in her first two matches. However, in the R3, she took three sets to beat Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse. After that hard-fought victory, Badosa yet again displayed a dominating performance against China’s Wang Yafan. She defeated her by 6-1,6-2.

Emma Navarro, on the other hand, won a title right at the start of the season in Hobart. She has been one of the most consistent performers on the tour this year. However, despite playing a good brand of tennis, she has failed to win any big titles after that.

In this tournament, she started her campaign with a win over Russia’s Anna Blinkova. Then in the R2, she beat the Dutch tennis player Arantxa Rus by 6-1,6-1. However, her biggest battles came in the third and fourth rounds, where she took three sets to beat Marta Kostyuk and Coco Gauff, respectively.

Badosa vs Navarro: Head-to-Head

So far, these two players have met only once in their careers. Currently, Paula Badosa has a 1-0 edge over the American. Previously, they have never made such a long run in this tournament. So, this is what makes this match more intriguing. Both tennis stars will be keen to make it count this time.

• 2024 Italian Open R64: Badosa 1-6,6-4,6-2.

Prediction: Badosa to win in three sets yet again

Beating the in-form Paula Badosa on the American hard court swing has now become almost next to impossible. She has looked quite a different player on this surface. However, if anyone can decode the path to success on American soil, it’s surely going to be this mighty challenger from Charleston. Emma Navarro’s compact style of play along with her high tactical acumen can put up some hurdles on Badosa’s path to the semis. Currently, Navarro is ranked 12th in the world with a win-loss record of 45-19.

Paula Badosa, on the other hand, is ranked 29th in the world and she has a win-loss record of 30-15 in the 2024 season. Considering all these numbers and the home advantage, Navarro may slightly have the edge, but do not forget the former world number 2 powerful serves and venomous groundstrokes can put any opponent into some real trouble on any day. Badosa’s two-handed backhand is one of her lethal weapons, and she can also use her reverse forehand to generate extreme angles and hit winners from defensive positions.

Badosa’s incredible footwork along with her athletic counter-punching abilities helps her in covering all angles on the court. She can even disguise her opponent with her magical drop shots. Navarro, on the other hand, has struggled a bit with her serves throughout the season. She has so far hit 73 aces but has committed 126 double faults this season. Even against Gauff, she didn’t serve well enough.

So this could be a worrying sign in the American camp. However, talking about her strengths, she loves to bank on her solid groundstrokes to break her opponents. Will she be able to break Paula Badosa in this match? Well, seems a bit unlikely at the moment, but she’ll definitely give a tough fight.