Emma Navarro, the surprise of American tennis, surprises again with her victory over Madison Keys – Open 6ème Sens – Tennis

Emma Navarro, it seems safe to say now, is good at surprising people. Or at least she’s good at surprising me.

When she started appearing in the main draws in early 2023, she didn’t seem like the proverbial next great American hope.

First, she’s 5-foot-7, in a women’s game that regularly crosses the 6-foot threshold these days.

Second, although she won an NCAA singles title at the University of Virginia, that accomplishment was never a guarantee of success at the professional level. For decades, the fact that a player went to college was considered a knock against him.

Third, no move, including her serve, seemed like a surefire weapon she could rely on.

Yet here we are a little over a year later, and Navarro is ranked 24th in the world, has a 35-12 record on the season and is advancing to the fourth round of a Grand Slam event for the first time, on a surface that has always tormented his countrymen and compatriots. On Saturday, the 23-year-old eliminated perhaps the best tennis player of any American entering the French Open, Madison Keys, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).