Do you recall the third-round clash at Wimbledon 2025 between Emma Navarro and Barbora Krejcikova? Despite Krejcikova taking the opening set, it was the American tennis star who flipped the script, storming back to claim the second set 6-3 with commanding authority. Fair enough, her Czech opponent was hampered by injury, repeatedly bending between points, but Navarro seized the moment and made it count. Fast-forward to today—guess who turned that very pain into fuel to claim one of the biggest victories of her career?

Barbora Krejcikova certainly has a knack for restoring balance on her terms. The 29-year-old, who once again faced Emma Navarro in the third round of the US Open 2025, trailed the American in the opening set before flipping the match in her favor, sealing an emphatic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory to book her place in the round of 16 at the year’s final Grand Slam. And while Krejcikova’s clean racket swings and steely perseverance did the heavy lifting, she made sure not to overlook the raucous crowd support that helped her ride a wave of momentum when she needed it most. “First of all, thank you. I mean, it was a huge match for me,” began the 2x Grand Slam champion in the post-game interview.

“I definitely enjoyed it very much and victory for the last game; the crowd, the cheering, and all that, it buzz me up. So thank you guys, even though it wasn’t for me, that’s okay. Yeah, I mean, I definitely enjoyed playing this evening, and it was very, very difficult,” concluded the former ranked world No. 2 in singles and world No. 1 in doubles by the WTA.

Yep, it’s true. Krejcikova overcame certain challenges to secure this one. Initially, it was Navarro who took charge of the reign, storming ahead to a commanding 5-1 lead in the first set. Although Krejcikova managed to claw back with two breaks to close the gap to 5-4, Navarro steadied herself and sealed the opener 6-4 when the Czech star’s approach shot on set point failed to clear the net.

But momentum was already starting to shift. In a reversal of their Wimbledon third-round clash back in July — which Navarro won in three sets — Krejcikova flipped the narrative. The right-handed Czech star jumped out fast, surging to a 4-0 lead in the second set. Even though Navarro fought back, breaking serve to narrow it to 5-4, Krejcikova held firm to level the match 6-4 and push things to a decider.

The final set had more twists. Emma Navarro once again came out firing, breaking early to move ahead 3-0. But Krejcikova dug in, reeling off five straight games to seize a 5-3 lead. While the American briefly stopped the slide by holding serve for 5-4, the Czech stayed composed and served it out to seal the deal and march towards the fourth round of the US Open.

Little does this victory reflect Krejcikova’s hard work in prevailing against Moyuka Uchijima and Victoria Mboko in the second and first rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, for Emma Navarro, it marks the end of her US Open journey, despite entering this match on the back of dominant wins over Caty McNally in the second round and Wang Yafan in the opener. Then again, the silver lining is that she surely knows how to console herself.

The year of ‘learning’ comes to an end for Emma Navarro!

Let’s sum up the year 2025 for Emma Navarro for a moment. Having made the Australian Open quarterfinals—not to mention her best run in Melbourne— she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon. Yet, the 24-year-old arrived at the US Open without much momentum. That’s because the latter skipped mixed doubles to gain extra matches in Mexico, yet after a first-round bye there, she lost her very next match.

She certainly hasn’t been at her best, something which the American herself didn’t shy from admitting. “This year it’s been a learning process–learning how to manage having that belief in myself, because I think for basically my whole tennis life I really didn’t believe in myself.”

Then again, that isn’t stopping Navarro from turning things around. “It’s my nature, when things are challenging, to get really inward-facing and feel like I have to handle things on my own. I’m very independent. I like to face challenges head-on,” she added, admitting that even though it’s not in her nature to ask for help, Emma and her coach, Peter Ayers, are doing the best they can.

Regardless, that’s all it was for Emma Navarro. Hopefully, a lot to learn and reflect. Meanwhile, Barbora Krejcikova will go head-to-head against Taylor Townsend in the round of 16. To catch her and others still in contention for the US Open title, head to EssentiallySports’ live blog of the Slam.