Women’s Tennis: Emma Navarro awarded wild card into Indian Wells main draw

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia women’s tennis sophomore Emma Navarro has been awarded a wildcard entry into the main draw of the singles championship at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open, taking place March 7-20 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif.

Navarro, who has a career-high No. 200 world ranking, will face fellow American Amanda Anisimova in the first round. Anisimova is currently ranked No. 43.

This is the second WTA tournament that Navarro has played in this year. She competed at the 250-level Abierto GNP Seguros last week in Monterrey, Mexico. She lost in the first round in a three-set showdown with Marcela Zacarias. Navarro has twice advanced to the second round at WTA 250-level events and made the quarterfinals at the WTA 125 LTP Women’s Open in Charleston, S.C. in July of last year. She also competed in the main draw of singles and doubles at the 2021 US Open.

The tournament is a WTA 1000 mandatory level event that is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slams and is often referred to as the “fifth Grand Slam.” Ten of the top 12 players in the world rankings are competing in the singles draw.