WTA Bad Homburg: Emma Navarro vs Caroline Wozniacki; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

America’s rising star in the tennis world, Emma Navarro is all set to take on the former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Bad Homburg Open. Navarro had an incredible start to her season this year and has already won a title in Hobart. Apart from that, she has also reached one final, two SFs, and two QFs. However, she faced an early exit in her previous tournament in Berlin. Now, it will be interesting to see if she can outclass the experienced campaigner and move into the semis here.

Caroline Wozniacki, a former world number one and Grand Slam champion, has already proven herself. Emma Navarro, on the other hand, has a lot to prove in the bigger stages of the game. The American tennis star will be hungry for more as she has got the taste of winning her maiden WTA title this year. Wozniacki hasn’t been in good form recently; her best record this year was reaching the QF of the Indian Wells Masters earlier this year. In fact, this is the first time since that tournament that she has won consecutive matches.

Emma Navarro vs Caroline Wozniacki: Preview

Emma Navarro defeated her compatriot Peyton Stearns by 6-4,6-1 in her previous match. In that match, she hit four aces and committed just a single double fault. Her first serve win percentage was 73% but it increased to 87% on the second serve. The 23-year-old American tennis star converted four out of her seven breakpoints against Stearns.

Looking at her stats from this season, Navarro has hit 47 aces and committed 71 double faults. She has won 67.9% of her service games and 41% of her return games. How well has her Danish opponent performed so far?

Caroline Wozniacki is eager to reclaim her past glorious days! She defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova quite comfortably in her R16 match. Wozniacki hit three aces and committed just one double fault against the Russian. She won 68% of her first serve and 82% of her second serve, but she could only convert four out of her six breakpoints in that match.

So far this season, she has managed to hit 19 aces and has committed 30 double faults. She has won 62.9% of her service games and 42.7% of her return games this year.

Navarro vs Wozniacki: Head-to-Head

Currently, their H2H scoreline is at 0-0; they haven’t yet faced each other on the tour. Caroline Wozniacki has a lot of experience playing at the bigger stages of the game, while Emma Navarro is now full of confidence. Wozniacki tasted her first grass-court match win since 2019 in this tournament, now she’ll be hungry for more.

Navarro, on the other hand, reached the SF of this tournament last year. Therefore, she is not likely to give her opponent an easy match here. She ranks 19th in the world, while the former world number one has now dropped to the 112th spot in the women’s singles ranking. Are these the only deciding factors in this epic contest?

Prediction: Navarro to win in three sets

No, if there’s anything that is keeping the American ahead of the Danish superstar then it’d surely be her form in the 2024 season. Emma Navarro has recorded 28 wins and 13 losses so far this season. On the other hand, the 33-year-old Caroline Wozniacki has recorded just 7-8. There is an age difference of almost ten years between them that can be a deciding factor if this match goes a little deeper than expected.

However, Wozniacki is known for her incredible resilience, footwork, and outstanding defensive abilities. She is a defensive baseliner who possesses a counter-punching style of play. Her greatest weapon is her two-handed backhand; she can swiftly turn defense into offense but her biggest weak point is her forehand. While her opponent, Emma Navarro has more of a compact style of play, dominated by her textbook movement across the courts and solid groundstrokes. She loves to finish the points at the nets. Can she win the match in a similar style on Thursday (June 27)? It looks quite likely at the moment!