Emma Navarro survives another thrilling encounter, beats Ons Jabeur to reach 4th round at Australian Open

Emma Navarro survives again to advance into the Australian Open fourth round, defeating 3-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The American showcased her consistency in Grand Slams, reaching the second week of a major for the 4th consecutive time.

This marks her third consecutive match where Navarro battled through a tough third set to secure victory. Jabeur was undone by 58 unforced errors, especially with her dropshots.

Navarro survives Jabeur's challenge

A particularly erratic start from Jabeur, who appeared well below the level set by the American in the opening stages. The world No. 8 won 15 of the first 16 points played, which translated into two break advantages, putting her 5-0 up in about 20 minutes.

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With the score at 5-3 in favor of the American, a disputed game unfolded, where she wasted a set point, and Jabeur broke back. Despite that, a couple of unforced errors from the world No. 43 at the net eventually handed the set to Navarro, as the match intensity kept rising.

In the second set, things turned around as Jabeur took complete control, securing two consecutive breaks to go 3-0 up. This time, Navarro found a way to recover the first break and close the gap. When Jabeur was 3-2, 0-40 up, the American had a great chance to level, but the Tunisian found her best form to hold on.

From that point on, the former world No. 2 gave her opponent no chances, and with a break towards the end of the set, she sealed it 6-3, after winning 63% of her service points and 59% of her return points.

By the third set, it seemed that Jabeur may have overused the dropshot, leading to several unforced errors. The Tunisian squandered three break points in the 4th game, and in the next game, she lost her service to Navarro, who was now ahead 3-2. In a contested game, Jabeur recovered the break after four opportunities, but Navarro broke back.

Both had their chances in a tense match finale, but ultimately, Navarro held strong with her serve and secured the victory 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, advancing to the fourth round of Australia for the first time. The 23-year-old now faces the winner between Daria Kasatkina (No. 10) and a determined Yulia Putintseva (No. 23).

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