Two years ago, Emma Navarro (UTR Rating 12.68) was fresh off her second year of a standout college tennis career.
The former University of Virginia star finished 2022 ranked world No. 143, with a few WTA matches under her belt.
Fast forward to today, and the 23-year-old is sitting at a career-high of No. 13. Her strong play has produced her best season yet and is solidifying her as one of the WTA’s top players.
It also shows that the college tennis to professional tennis pathway that UTR Sports supports and elevates is stronger than ever.
READ & WATCH: How UTR Sports Supports, Elevates College Tennis
Navarro's climb to elite Top 20 status started as the calendar flipped to 2024. In just her second tournament of the year, she won the Hobart title in Australia to lift her maiden WTA trophy.
She has achieved a new career-high Grand Slam result at each one she’s played this season, starting with the third round at the Australian Open, fourth round at Roland Garros, and quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
At the All England Club, it was a win over Coco Gauff (UTR 12.77), ranked No. 2 at the time, that secured her first major final eight appearance.
Before this year, she had only competed in four Grand Slam main draws, and made the second round only once (at the 2023 French Open).
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One of the most impressive wins of her career so far is a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 triumph over then-world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka (UTR 12.95) to reach the WTA 1000 Indian Wells quarterfinals.
And recently, fresh off her first Olympic Games, where Navarro reached the third round, she made her first WTA 100 semifinal at Toronto.
This season hasn’t come out of nowhere for Navarro, who was born in New York City but raised in Charleston, S.C. Last year, she climbed over 100 spots to a high of No. 32, with a WTA 500 semifinal at San Diego her best result.
Her success on the pro tour comes following two seasons of college tennis at the University of Virginia, where she was an All-American in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.
Navarro captured the NCAA women’s singles title in 2021, becoming the school’s second player ever to accomplish the feat after Danielle Collins (UTR 12.84) – a Universal Tennis Foundation Hurd Award recipient – in 2014 and 2016.
Navarro's NCAA victory earned her a spot in the 2021 US Open main draw, her Grand Slam debut.
She also had a successful junior tennis career, advancing into both the 2019 Junior French Open final and Junior Wimbledon semifinals in 2019.
As the tennis world now turns its attention to the final Slam of the year, Navarro will be hoping for yet another career-best Slam performance at the US Open.
She has yet to advance past the first round of her home major, in the city where she was born.
This very well could be the year.
Learn more about UTR Sports, US Open, and College Tennis:
- College Tennis: How UTR Sports Supports, Elevates College Tennis
- College Tennis Players Steal PTT Spotlight
- UTR Sports, Atlanta Open Celebrate College Tennis
- Italy's Jasmine Paolini is WTA's Newest Top 10 Star
- Tennis Ratings: UTR Rating vs. WTN vs. NTRP
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- View College Tennis Ratings & Rankings