NEW YORK (AP) — Emma Navarro reached her first Grand Slam semifinal by beating Paula Badosa 6-2, 7-5 at the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
Navarro, the No. 13-seeded American who had never even won a match in the main draw of her home major before this year, advanced to face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka or seventh-seeded Zheng Qinwen in Thursday’s semis.
Navarro, who ousted defending champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round, ran through the first set in 29 minutes, but the No. 26-seeded Badosa opened a 5-1 lead in the second.
Navarro then took six straight games as Badosa’s game fell apart.
Two other Americans were hoping to earn semifinal spots on Tuesday. No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz followed Navarro onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium against No. 4 Alexander Zverev, the 2020 U.S. Open runner-up, with No. 20 Frances Tiafoe facing No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov at night.
