by Emma Navarro rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the second set to win 6-2, 7-5 over Paula Badosa of Spain in the US Open quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Navarro advances to Thursday’s semifinals, the 13th-seeded American’s longest run at a Grand Slam tournament. She will face No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who beat No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen of China 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday night.
Navarro is the first of two Americans to reach the semifinals on Tuesday. No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz beat No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev on Tuesday afternoon to book his place in the semifinals.
Navarro took control of the match early, breaking Badosa on the first serve of the first set. She then broke Badosa again to win the set, 6-2.
The match seemed destined for a third set after Badosa took control of the second set. Badosa broke Navarro’s first serve, then broke again, to lead 5-1. But with the New York crowd firmly behind Navarro at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Navarro dominated the rest of the match.
She broke Badosa to reduce her deficit to 5-3 and won the last six games of the match, surprising the Spaniard to end her US Open streak. Navarro won 24 of the last 28 points to secure the victory.
Navarro said after the match that she remained confident even after opening a 5-1 lead in the second set.
“After we got back to 5-2, I had a little feeling it might be two sets,” Navarro told ESPN after the match. “I just wanted to stay really strong and hold on. Even if I lost the second set, I wanted to set the tone for the third set.”
Navarro is now two wins away from a U.S. Open title after losing in the first round each of the previous two years. Tuesday was her second straight win over a seed after beating reigning U.S. Open champion and No. 3 seed Coco Gauff of the United States in the fourth round on Sunday.
Navarro and Fritz are the first of four Americans hoping to advance to the semifinals. No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe did the same Tuesday night, defeating No. 9 seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. Tiafoe will now face Fritz in an all-American semifinal, ensuring that an American will make the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2009.
On Wednesday, No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula will face No. 1 seed and 2022 US Open champion Iga Świątek (Poland).
