Emma Navarro advances to the second round at the WTA Volvo Car Open

Posted on Tuesday, Apr. 6, 2021, 10:15 pm

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Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia women’s tennis freshman Emma Navarro has advanced to the second round of the Volvo Car Open WTA tournament being held April 3-11 in Charleston, S.C.

Navarro topped World No. 147 Renata Zarazua of Mexico 6-4, 6-3 in a first-round match on Tuesday (April 6) on the Althea Gibson Court. It was the first WTA main draw win for Navarro, who had a wildcard entry into the tournament.

She will face 15-seed Veronika Kudermetova of Russia next for a spot in the round of 16. Kudermetova is currently ranked No. 38 in the world rankings.

Navarro, who began her collegiate career by winning her first 14 NCAA singles matches and has moved up to a No. 6 ITA ranking, holds a world WTA ranking of 479. The Charleston native finished 2019 ranked the No. 3 juniors player in the world, from a season that included a semifinals finish at the 2019 Junior Wimbledon Championships, a finals berth at the 2019 French Open Junior Championships and the singles title at the 2019 Adidas Easter Bowl. In 2018, Navarro won the 18 singles and doubles titles at the USTA National Clay Court Championships, which awarded her wild cards into the 2019 Volvo Car Open singles and doubles draws. The 2021 Volvo Car Open is her second time competing in the event.

As the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in North America, the Volvo Car Open draw annually features the best players in the game. The WTA 500 event’s 56-player draw is made up of 43 direct entries into the tournament, five wild cards and eight qualifiers. The field includes World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, two-time Grand Slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin among others. The tournament’s singles player field features seven Grand Slam champions, five past Charleston champions and three current/former World No. 1 ranked players.

The 2021 Volvo Car Open will be held without fans due to the ongoing pandemic. The Tennis Channel will be providing full coverage of the event.