CNN
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Coco Gauff will not defend her US Open title as American Emma Navarro defeated her compatriot in the fourth round 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

It is Navarro’s second straight victory over the 20-year-old Gauff, and it comes at the same stage of a Grand Slam tournament: at Wimbledon in July, Navarro defeated Gauff in the fourth round 6-4, 6-3.

“I’ve lost in the first round the last two years. Now to get to the quarterfinals is pretty crazy,” Navarro said in her on-court interview. “This is the city where I was born and it feels so special to play here.

“Coco is a great player and I have a lot of respect for her. I know she will come back here one day and win this tournament again.”

In the quarterfinals, the 23-year-old Navarro will face another New York-born player: 26th-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain, who defeated Wang Yafan 6-1, 6-2 earlier on Sunday.

Navarro, ranked No. 13 and currently 12th in the world, did what she could to counter Gauff’s power, focusing her shots on Gauff’s forehand – not the strongest shot for the world No. 3.

Tennis legend Chris Evert, who analyzed the match for ESPN, called Navarro a “human board.”

Gauff, meanwhile, couldn’t get what she needed with her serve, with five double faults in the first set, including one at 15-40, allowing Navarro to take a 4-2 lead.

Navarro got the break in the seventh game of the second set, hitting a forehand down the line for a 4-3 lead. Navarro faltered, however, and held the door open, allowing Gauff to reel off three straight wins and force a final set.

But double faults continued to plague Gauff. In the third game of the third set, Gauff made three more crucial errors, including the last two points that gave Navarro the break and a 2-1 lead.

Gauff made 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors in the match, while there were only 14 winners.

“It was tough to lose the second set,” Navarro said. “I had chances. I was up 30-love, 4-3, and then I had a bit of a dip. But I was able to recover after the second set and I went into the third set with a fresh mindset. I wanted to play aggressive tennis and I think I was able to do that.”

Navarro now leads Gauff 2-1 in their head-to-head matches.

Navarro was once a standout collegiate tennis player at the University of Virginia, winning a national singles title in her freshman year in 2021. She has matched her best finish at a major, winning her first career title on the WTA Tour in January in Hobart.

Among the spectators at the match at Arthur Ashe Stadium was 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who was back at the venue where she played her final match before retiring in 2022.

“I love the variety in Emma’s game,” Williams said in an interview with ESPN during the first set. “I’ve never been a variety player, so when I see someone like her cutting the ball or getting a lot of spin on her forehand, I really admire that because it’s something I’ve never really done.

“She can come in and she has great hands. She just does everything so well and she sees the court. She has a huge tennis IQ, and I think that’s great.”

Williams also praised Gauff’s tennis IQ, serve and movement, as well as “her mental toughness and her mental strength.”

Williams was asked if Gauff should change anything about her serve or forehand.

“I think she’s got a good serve,” Williams said. “I think she can definitely do better, but I think she’s still so young. She’s got the rest of her career to improve.

“I wouldn’t change anything about her forehand. I’ve seen a lot of interesting forehands. And listen, if you just have confidence in what you’ve got, just keep going with it and just be confident. That’s literally all she has to do, just have confidence, whether she hits it with her wrist or her elbow. Just have confidence in doing it.”