American Stars shine at Australian Open: Emma Navarro survives tough battle, as Taylor Fritz shows unstoppable form

Emma Navarro and Taylor Fritz continue their runs at the Australian Open with contrasting challenges. World No. 4 Taylor Fritz delivered a commanding performance against qualifier Cristian Garin, winning 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 to maintain his strong form. Meanwhile, Emma Navarro once again had to dig deep to avoid defeat, edging past Xinyu Wang 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to advance to third round

Navarro joins Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula as the American women in the third round, while Fritz joins Tommy Paul on the men's side. Several other Americans remain in contention across both draws with hopes of advancing further.

Emma Navarro: Fighting spirit in a gruelling battle

Emma Navarro had to fight hard for the second time in her Australian Open campaign. The 8th seed staged another comeback, having rallied in her first-round match against Peyton Stearns and now against World No. 108 Wang Xinyu.

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The first set began with two exchanged breaks for each player, both showing weaknesses in their serves. In the 5th game, the Chinese player had another chance, but this time Navarro managed to hold her first service game and start to take control of the match. The American had a great 70% first serve, winning 68% of them, but was very vulnerable with her second serve (only 17% success), which Wang used to threaten Navarro. The American managed to break again in the 8th game and closed the set 6-3 in her favor.

The Chinese player began to hit harder in the second set, broke serve, and quickly took a 4-1 lead, putting Navarro in a tough spot. The Chinese player conceded her serve but quickly regained the advantage in the next game, then went on to win the set 6-3, being the more aggressive player despite committing 13 unforced errors.

The third set kept the Chinese player in the lead, taking a break in the first game and leading 2-0. Navarro recovered the break, but Wang broke back, regaining the lead at 4-2. It seemed like an imminent victory for Wang, as she only needed to hold her serve until the end of the match, but the world No. 8 made a comeback and, showing great energy, took the last four games consecutively, securing a hard-fought win 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. In the third round, she faces three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur.

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Dominant Fritz: Drops just three games to advance

It was an atypical match for Fritz, who faced a rival in freefall over the last few seasons and who was far from competitive against the world No. 4. Garin, a player who reached No. 17 just a few seasons ago, came into the match with confidence after qualifying and securing a solid first-round victory over Borna Coric. However, he was not up to the task and never seemed fully comfortable on court.

The first set began with both players defending their serves. In the third game, Fritz had a bad landing on his knee, showing clear signs of pain and raising concerns about his physical condition. However, it quickly passed, and Fritz experienced no further physical complications.

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The 2024 US Open runner-up broke in the fourth game and from there never took his foot off the accelerator. He maintained a 73% first-serve percentage, winning 69% of them, as well as winning 48% of return points, breaking twice in three opportunities and not conceding a single break point to the Chilean. He closed the set 6-2.

In the second set, the pattern continued, with Fritz securing two consecutive breaks and taking a 5-0 lead in just 20 minutes. Garin managed to hold serve once, but that was just a mirage, as Fritz then closed the set 6-1 with his serve, taking a two-set lead in less than an hour.

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The third set was more of the same, with Garin looking very discouraged at this stage of the match. Three more consecutive breaks for Fritz, combined with an impressive level of serving, led to a bagel to finish the match. The victory was 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 against the world No. 150, a clear sign that Fritz is coming into the tournament with high expectations.

Fritz enters the Round of 32 full of confidence after dropping just 8 games in his two matches (5 against Brooksby and 3 against Garin). In the third round, he will face Frenchman Gael Monfils, whom he defeated in their only meeting at the 2019 Australian Open.

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