Emma Navarro, Virginia Cavaliers women's tennis — Courtesy of Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics

Emma Navarro Turns Pro, Will Not Return to UVA

The former NCAA singles champion will pursue a professional tennis career

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Jun 26, 2022 12:22 PM EDT

Virginia women's tennis sophomore and former NCAA singles champion Emma Navarro will forgo her remaining years of eligibility and pursue a professional tennis career, she announced on Sunday.

“To the entire UVA family, thank you for making Charlottesville a home for me these past two years,” Navarro said. “To my coaches, thank you for your unconditional support on and off the court and for working so hard to make me a better tennis player and better person. To my teammates, thank you for pushing me every day and for being by my side through the ups and the downs. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of coaches, teammates, and support staff to have experienced college tennis with and for that, I will be forever grateful. Once a Hoo, always a Hoo.”

In two seasons as a Cavalier, Navarro turned in a record of 51-3 in singles matches, including a phenomenal run to the 2021 NCAA Singles Championship as a freshman. Navarro achieved the No. 1 ITA Singles ranking in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons and was ranked as high as No. 3 in doubles this spring along with teammate Hibah Shaikh. She became the first Cavalier in program history to win ACC Player of the Year and was also a two-time All-American in both singles and doubles.

“As much as we’ll miss her in Charlottesville, we couldn’t be happier or more excited for Emma,” said Virginia women's tennis head coach Sara O’Leary. “She has an incredible future ahead of her and we can’t wait to cheer her on and support her in any way we can. On behalf of our team, staff and the University of Virginia, I just want to thank Emma for entrusting us with this important stage of her development and the amazing impact she has had. Emma has left a lasting legacy and we’re so proud of the player, teammate and person she is and will continue to be.”

Navarro is set to make her professional debut this week in the LTP 100K ITF Women's Pro Circuit event in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina beginning June 27th.

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