If you thought America’s Wimbledon dream was shattered after the unexpected upsets of Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys, think again. Two WTA stars are still battling it out with their sheer will and on-court prowess at the grass major. And now, they are emerging as strong contenders for the Venus Rosewater Dish. They may not have attracted much attention up until this point, but Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova have kept the home fans’ hopes alive. Even several former ATP icons believe in their wild, yet hopeful, predictions for these two.
On Saturday, Navarro bested last year’s Wimbledon champion, Czechia’s Barbora Krejčíková, in a three-setter. After trailing in the first set, she fought back hard and snagged the victory with a final score line of 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. On the other hand, Anisimova outperformed Hungary’s Dalma Gálfi in a decider as well. The American took the first set but lost the second one. However, she didn’t take long to come out on top and win the match with a final score line of 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. With that, both American ladies have now advanced to the fourth round at the All England Club this week.
Looking at their progress, former ATP players Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson had some interesting comments to make. Admiring Navarro’s performance against Krejčíková, in an episode of the Nothing Major podcast, Querrey said, “Emma just extended the points. I don’t think she played like lights out, but she did what she needed to do to win. And here she’s in the fourth round. And she’s on a side of the draw that she can honestly anywhere can go through.”
Image Credits: Amanda Anisimova/Instagram
Johnson agreed with him, saying, “Yeah, totally. Just the only thing that might be a downfall on the grass for Emma would be her serve. It’s just attackable. They had in the third set today, I think they had five breaks in a row until Emma finally held in the third set.”
Praising her stroke skills, he added, “her forehand looks good. I mean, the way she’s getting it, off the court making these women kind of run out outside the doubles alley, hooking it off the court is impressive. And she’s a competitor and we all know that. So I wouldn’t be surprised if she continues this fine form and hopefully gets to a late second week here.”
Coming onto Anisimova, Querrey pointed out that although she “didn’t play great,” she’s got “the game as we know that can win the tournament. She’s just quietly going through the draw.”
And then, the two made some interesting predictions for the fourth round. While Navarro will be up against Mirra Andreeva, Anisimova will take on Linda Noskova. So who’s going into the quarterfinals? Firstly, Querrey asked Steve to predict the winner between Navarro and the Russian teenage sensation. His response? “I’m going with Emma,” When asked regarding the other matchup, he replied, “Anisimova, yes.”
Surely the two female stars have got the potential to end America’s 9-year-old wait for a Wimbledon trophy.
Emma Navarro, Anisimova can replicate Serena Williams’ Wimbledon feat
For the uninitiated, 23-time slam queen Serena Williams was the last American woman to clinch the Wimbledon title. Back in 2016, she bested Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final battle with a score line of 7-5, 6-3. It was also her seventh championship victory at the All England Club. For the past 9 years, however, no other WTA player from her country has been able to mirror her achievement.
But now it seems Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova can make it happen. Their previous records at the grass major provide some hope. While Navarro has only appeared twice before, she’s managed to reach the quarterfinal stage. Last season, she bested compatriot Coco Gauff in the fourth round and entered the last eight.
Similarly, Anisimova has played just three Wimbledon campaigns so far. But she was still able to make it to the QF phase in 2022 – her last Wimbledon outing. That time, she beat France’s Harmony Tan in the third round to accomplish the feat. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if they can win their respective third round battles to repeat their previous best runs and go beyond.
Do you think Navarro and Anisimova can end up lifting the Wimbledon trophy? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t forget to stay on top of every twist and turn in the Championships with our Live Blog.
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