MIAMI — Emma Raducanu and Emma Navarro played their first match against each other at the Miami Open on Friday, almost four years after both debuted at the US Open in 2021. Since their US Open experiences, their careers have taken different trajectories.
Navarro, currently ranked No. 10 and a Merida champion this year, entered the match as the favorite. Raducanu, ranked No. 60 and recovering from injuries, aimed to gain momentum.
In a competitive match on Grandstand, Raducanu prevailed over eighth-seeded Navarro 7–6(6), 2–6, 7–6(3) to reach the third round.
This was a remarkable performance from both players.
Dating back to last year, Navarro leads the tour in both three-set matches played (35) and won (24). She is known for enjoying long, challenging matches. The 23-year-old American had won six out of seven matches that went to three sets this year. However, Great Britain’s Raducanu, displaying the confidence she had in 2021, secured the victory.
This victory marked Raducanu’s first career win on hard court against a Top 10 opponent, her third overall, which understandably brought out strong emotions from her.
This match was a true “Emma Fest”: It was the first time two players with the same first name have competed against each other at the Miami Open since…
The first set was captivating. Both players exchanged breaks of serve in the fifth and sixth games, making a tiebreak seem inevitable. Navarro earned two set points, but errors on a forehand and backhand brought the score to 6-all. Raducanu then secured a set point with a well-placed forehand, converting it when Navarro hit a backhand wide after 60 minutes.
Navarro responded strongly, serving effectively to win the second set easily. Following this set, Raducanu took a lengthy medical timeout for treatment on blisters on the balls of both feet with ice and bandages.
Despite the timeout, Navarro started the third set strong, winning the first eight points. Serving at 1-3, Raducanu managed to hold serve despite facing two break points and committing two double faults. In the sixth game, arguably the best of the match, Raducanu broke back when a Navarro backhand went long.
Raducanu then broke Navarro to take a 5-3 lead, highlighted by a beautiful, sharply angled forehand winner. However, Navarro broke back to level the score at 5-5. The decisive break occurred in the following game when Navarro made an impressive running forehand return, followed by Raducanu hitting a backhand volley into the net and then a double fault.
Ultimately, a stunning backhand return in the tiebreaker sealed the victory for Raducanu.
