Emma Navarro would be a great person to have in the Situation Room when difficult decisions need to be made. The levelheadedness that she showed this morning (ET) was truly special, and it’s no wonder she is wearing that American flag on her chest.
What an unbelievable showing from Navarro on Outer Court six against the Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova. The grit, passion, and perseverance we saw from the former Virginia Cavaliers star from start to finish are the stuff of an American Hero.
There is being in the zone, and then there is whatever Emma Navarro is doing right now.
Game 6 Klay Thompson stuff going on here in Paris.
— Trey Kelleher (@treykelleher3) July 29, 2024
The first of three sets in this match, which lasted two and a half hours, was perhaps the most stressful of the three. Emma faced two early set points for Tomova and won both to force a tiebreaker at six games a piece.
Viktoryia took the early lead in that 2-0, 3-1, 4-3, and 5-4. Emma was fighting through it all until, eventually, she tried to hit a spinner into the left service box just behind the net to win the point and tie the tiebreaker at six. But that spinner and creative thought wound up in the net, and Tomova took the first set.
The second set was when Navarro brought out her special talent and decided to make her backhand unreturnable for Tomova. She was taking paint off the lines with her ball placement and putting Tomova on skates in the latter part of the second set. Emma broke Tomova twice in the second set and won 6-4, moving the match to a third-set winner-take-all.
The third set simply consisted of Navarro taking care of business. You can’t delay the inevitable, and Navarro proved to be too much for the Bulgarian, who did a lot of screaming towards Emma (not at) that may have been directed at the official she didn’t seem to agree with at times. Emma took this match to bed after two hours and 22 minutes, taking the third set 6-1.
𝐖𝐀𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐖𝐀!!!!!
Emma Navarro 🇺🇸 advances to the Round of 16 with a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-1 against Viktoriya Tomova 🇧🇬#OlympiansMadeHere | #Paris2024 | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/Yp0MAoGQnC— Virginia Women's Tennis (@UVAWomensTennis) July 29, 2024
Navarro will continue to represent the USA and UVA on Tuesday in the Round of 16 in the 2024 Paris Olympics as she faces China’s Qinwen Zheng. Go, Emma, Go America, and Go Hoos!
