NEW YORK—Emma Navarro, the promising newcomer to the upper echelon of tennis, is a 23-year-old of uncommon poise and intelligence. But neither those virtues, nor her scampering and scrapping athleticism, were quite enough to see her through her semifinal clash with Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open semifinal Thursday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sabalenka, a finalist in Flushing Meadows last year and the No. 2 ranked player in the world, applied her bone-crushing power and physicality to end Navarro’s deep run, 6-3, 7-6 (2), the origin story of the native New Yorker coming full circle this fortnight in Gotham.
Earlier in the tournament Navarro spoke of how, having moved to Charleston, S.C. as a child, she had only practiced on the Ashe court one previous time, back when she was playing the juniors.
“I remember it just felt so big,” she said. “I was so dizzy, just like—out of sorts, being on Ashe. Then I stepped in there earlier this morning. You know, it was probably half the size as I remembered it being. . . I think it’s sort of a testament to how far I’ve come in this sport.”
