The round of 16 has wrapped up the second half of the draw and the US audience is treated to two Americans advancing to the quarterfinals, as Emma Navarro knocked out Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff made short work of Elise Mertens.
Emma Navarro is having her breakthrough tournament in Indian Wells. The American defeated world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-2. Ranked 23 in the world entering the tournament, her career high, live rankings already have her up at 20.
The 22-year-old Navarro is still coming to terms with playing on the big stage. Asked about a shy wave to the crowd upon winning, the former college player told the media, “I would say it’s a little bit unnatural for me to be in the spotlight and be playing on a court like that with a ton of fans and TVs and, yeah, just eyes on me. It’s not my natural way.” She added, “I’m definitely getting more comfortable with it and just feeling like I can be myself even if there’s however many people watching.” Laughing, she asked the media to cut her some slack because “I think maybe that was my second or third fist pump ever.”
Sabalenka lauded her opponent, seeing Top 10 potential and analyzing what makes her so dangerous, “She just played different rhythm, more spin, really great forehand. Overall I would…
