It’s time for players to test their armory ahead of the Wimbledon Championships! America’s Emma Navarro is all set to lock horns with the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova in the first round of the Grass Court Championships in Berlin. Both the players have been in decent form this year; Navarro has showcased a fair bit of consistency this year at the singles event, while Siniakova’s best record this year has come in doubles.

Navarro has already won a title this year in Hobart, and she has reached one final, two SFs, and two QFs this year. On the other hand, Katerina Siniakova’s best record this season came at the WTA 125 Lleida, ES. She won the title but struggled in the rest of the tournaments she played. Can she overcome this American hurdle and kick-start her campaign at the main event with a win here?

Emma Navarro vs Katerina Siniakova: Preview

Navarro is entering this tournament after her fourth-round exit at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 French Open. Sabalenka defeated her 6-2, 6-3 in that match, and the 23-year-old American could hit just four aces against the Belarusian. She committed two double faults, and her first-serve and second-serve win percentages were 61% and 21%, respectively. Navarro didn’t get any chance to convert breakpoints in the matchup.

Taking a look at her numbers this season, she has hit 47 aces so far, but the number of double faults crept to 70. Emma Navarro needs to check her high double fault counts to bring out more fruitful results in the upcoming months. She has won 68.1% of her service games and just 41.6% of her return games this year.

Katerina Siniakova, on the other hand, is entering this contest after winning her previous two matches in the qualifiers. The 28-year-old Czech tennis star is yet to drop a set in this tournament, defeating Ukraine’s Yulia Starodubtsewa by 6-2, 6-2 in her previous match. Siniakova hit just a single ace in that match but didn’t commit any double fault. She won 83% of her first serve and 56% of her second serve against the Ukrainian. However, she could only manage to convert five out of her ten breakpoints in that match.

So far, Siniakova has recorded 39 aces and committed 117 double faults. The high number of double faults is surely going to play a role in her next match, and both will be looking forward to bringing more control in their serves. She has won 62.1% of her service games and 41.1% of her return games this year.

Navarro vs Siniakova: Head-to-Head

Emma Navarro has faced Katerina Siniakova three times in her career so far. Out of those three meetings, two have come in this year itself. Currently, the American tennis star leads the H2H with a 2-1 scoreline. However, it was Katerina Siniakova who had the last laugh in their first meeting at the 2023 Bad Homburg Open. In the next meeting, at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships, Navarro defeated the Czech in a three-set thriller. It took three sets once again for the American to defeat Siniakova in the R16 of the 2024 San Diego Open.

Navarro defeated Katerina Siniakova by 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in San Diego. Interestingly, Navarro failed to hit a single ace but didn’t commit any double faults either. However, Katerina Siniakova hit one ace and committed three double faults. Sh

After tasting her first WTA Tour title this season, Emma Navarro would surely be hungry for more. Can she grab one before Wimbledon this year? Time will tell, but she surely has the game to counter Katerina Siniakova’s aggressive style of play. Navarro’s game style is more compact, with some solid ground strokes in her armory. She loves going forward and finishing her points at the net, which can be an even bigger boon if her first serve fares well. Looking at the overall stats and their current form, Emma Navarro looks most likely to take the step forward after this epic faceoff!