Coco Gauff vs. Emma Navarro
This is a matchup many U.S. tennis fans have been waiting to see. On one side is the country’s top-ranked player; on the other is its most pleasant surprise of 2024.
Gauff and Navarro have played once, at the start of the year in Auckland, and Gauff won 6-3, 6-1. That was at the start of Navarro’s rise, when she was showing how much her improved fitness had helped her game. In the six months since, the 23-year-old South Carolinian has come a lot further, from No. 50 last summer to a career-high No. 17 last month. Earlier this week, she showed a mass audience how good she can be when she whisked Naomi Osaka off Centre Court in under an hour.
Now she’ll try to take another step up against her Olympic teammate. For her part, Gauff says Navarro’s success hasn’t come as a surprise.
Read More: Emma Navarro eyes another step up against Coco Gauff at Wimbledon
“Just growing up with her, I always knew she was very talented and knew her game would translate well on tour,” Gauff said. “I think she has a very all-court game. Playing her is going to be a tough match.”
Together, the two will represent contrasting methods of tennis success. Gauff is the bigger, stronger, better athlete, and will win more points with her serve. Navarro is the smoother ball-striker, and can play a variety of ways. There should be something of a chess match quality to the encounter, as each woman tries to decide how much risk to take, particularly when returning second serves with their backhands.
Navarro is heading higher in the rankings. But I think Gauff will still have the important edges—in athleticism, physicality, and big-stage experience—on Sunday. Winner: Gauff
