First top-10 victory for Emma Raducanu on hardcourts: Dispatches Emma Navarro in rollercoaster
WTA
Emma Raducanu secures one of the best victories of her career by defeating Emma Navarro 7-6[8-6], 2-6, 7-6[7-3] at the Miami Open. This marks her third win over a top-10 player, and her first that isn’t on grass courts. Raducanu advances to the third round of a WTA 1000 event for the first time since Indian Wells 2024.
The match was one of the highlights of the day in the women's draw, with the 2021 US Open champion taking on one of the top American players, world No. 10 Emma Navarro. The encounter lived up to expectations and was decided by small details in favor of Raducanu.
Raducanu edges Navarro in intense first set
The first set was slightly more inclined in favor of Navarro (No. 10), who went through her opening service games without problems and managed to at least pressure Raducanu (No. 60). They reached 2-2 without any breaks, at which point the Brit took the first break, but the American quickly broke back, restoring parity.
Both players managed to hold until the tiebreak without facing any new break points. Navarro showed better consistency with a 78% first serve percentage, winning 72% of them, while Raducanu trailed with just 52% first serve percentage, winning 64%.
When Navarro applied pressure at 5-4 and then 6-5, Raducanu responded well, pushing the match to a tiebreak. The tiebreak featured several errors from the former US Open champion. Navarro had two set points at 6-4 (one with her own serve). At 6-5, Navarro made a painful unforced error with the court wide open, which eventually cost her the set, as Raducanu rallied with 4 consecutive points, closing it 7-6[8-6].
Navarro bounces back in second set
Navarro had lost the first set despite being superior for most of the time. However, in key moments, it was her opponent who had been sharper. The world No. 10 didn’t lose heart this time and was the first to get a break, converting on her first chance. After going up 3-1, the American held onto her serve, this time with 92% first serve success, compared to just 57% from Raducanu.
Navarro focused on hitting cross-court backhands to take control of the points, a strategy that worked well against Raducanu’s occasional inconsistencies from the baseline. The American dominated the set and secured a second break, ultimately winning it comfortably 6-2.
After the set, Raducanu requested a medical timeout to tend to small injuries on both feet.
Raducanu comes from behind to seal victory
The third set featured some of the best tennis from both players in a rollercoaster of a set. Navarro broke early and quickly went 2-0 up. On the other hand, the world No. 60 didn’t lose motivation and fought hard for a break, taking advantage of Navarro’s struggles with first serves.
Raducanu put together a good streak of games, including two consecutive breaks, going from 1-3 (with a break point against her) to 5-3 in her favor, looking especially energized after recovering in the set. She had the chance to close out the match with her serve, but Navarro wasn’t done yet and managed to break back, giving hope to the local crowd.
After leveling at 5-5, Raducanu seemed set to take the lead after being 40-15 up. However, Navarro showed resistance, Raducanu made mistakes, and ended up giving away the game to her opponent with a double fault. This time, it was the American who faltered on serve, and everything came down to the tie-break. The advantage started with Raducanu, who held her service points, closing out the best match of the tournament so far, 7-6[8-6], 6-2, 7-6[7-3].
After one of the best victories of her career, at least in terms of her opponent's ranking, Raducanu advances to the Round of 32 for the first time in a WTA 1000 since Indian Wells 2024. Her next challenge will be against the winner of McCartney Kessler vs. Linda Noskova (30th seed).
Match Statistics Navarro vs. Raducanu
| Navarro | VS | Raducanu |
|---|---|---|
| Service | ||
| 3 | Aces | 3 |
| 2 | Double Faults | 8 |
| 70% (71/101) | 1st Service Percentage | 54% (59/109) |
| 70% (50/71) | 1st Service Points Won | 63% (37/59) |
| 42% (13/31) | 2nd Service Points Won | 44% (22/50) |
| 20% (1/5) | Break Points Saved | 40% (4/10) |
| 75% (12/16) | Service Games | 63% (10/16) |
| Return | ||
| 37% (22/59) | 1st Return Points Won | 30% (21/71) |
| 56% (28/50) | 2nd Return Points Won | 58% (18/31) |
| - | Break Points Saved | - |
| Other | ||
| 2h 50m | Match Duration | 2h 50m |
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