Charleston Open Heats Up: Anisimova & Navarro secure exciting quarterfinal battle

Amanda Anisimova and Emma Navarro set up an exciting quarter-final clash after securing new victories at the WTA 500 Charleston Open. This will be their third meeting, with Anisimova winning both previous encounters.

The recent WTA 1000 Qatar Open champion eliminated 10th seed Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals, where she will face 4th seed Emma Navarro, who staged a remarkable comeback against Ashlyn Krueger, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

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Steady on serve, sharp in rallies: Anisimova beats Putintseva

World No. 16 Amanda Anisimova put on a strong display, winning 73% of her service points throughout the match—an impressive figure, especially on clay courts. The American struck first, securing a break in the third game after a shaky spell from World No. 23 Yulia Putintseva, during which Anisimova won eight consecutive points.

Putintseva showed resistance midway through the set, breaking back to level at 3-3. However, Anisimova quickly regained control with an immediate break and confidently served out the opener 6-4, boasting a 73% first-serve percentage and winning 78% of those points.

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The second set began evenly, with the Kazakh holding serve effectively to stay in contention. But once again, Anisimova raised her level midway through the set, breaking in the fifth game. From there, she remained rock-solid on serve, not facing a single break point, and sealed the victory 6-4, 6-4 against a tricky opponent.

Before this tournament, Anisimova had a modest 2-4 clay-court record in 2024. However, with this win, she has already matched that total in just her first event of the season on the surface. The 23-year-old continues to rack up valuable ranking points, and all signs suggest she will keep climbing in the coming weeks.

Navarro battles back to defeat Krueger

Emma Navarro (No. 11) faced a tough challenge from the rising star Krueger (No. 34). The first set began with both players breaking each other's serve, remaining evenly matched until that point. Krueger, showing a good adaptation to the clay courts, competed strongly from the start against the 4th seed.

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The concentration at a key moment made all the difference. By the 5th game, Navarro made errors on her first serve and fell behind 0-40, allowing Krueger to break and take the lead. After a few service games from both sides, Krueger surprised by taking the first set 6-4.

Things got worse for Navarro in the second set, as she started with a break down, trailing 2-0. However, the American didn't give up, fighting back with a good streak of points to recover the break and win three consecutive games. The former No. 8 managed a second break, taking the lead 5-3. In a set full of irregularities from both sides, Navarro took the second set 6-4 with three breaks—two in her favor and one for Krueger.

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In the third set, it became a battle of nerves, where concentration was key. Both players wasted several break opportunities at the start, while Navarro led 2-1 with her serve. Krueger struggled with her serve, managing only a 47% first serve percentage and winning just 56% of them. Navarro went on a solid run, winning four consecutive games to lead 5-1. Although Krueger showed resistance at the end, recovering one break, Navarro stepped on the accelerator to secure the victory in the all-American clash with a final score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

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