Emma Raducanu Upsets Emma Navarro in Miami Open Thriller

One of Friday's most highly anticipated matchups delivered plenty of highlights and drama. The unseeded Emma Raducanu upset 8-seed Emma Navarro in a three-set thriller: 7–6(6), 2–6, 7–6(3).

For Navarro, it was an unexpectedly early exit at a WTA 1000 Masters. For Raducanu, it was one of the most important victories of her career.

It was only her third top-ten win ever and her first win on a hard against a top-ten-ranked opponent on a hard court.

Absolute class from Navarro! ✨#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/z2QsMbnX3r
— wta (@WTA) March 21, 2025

"I don't know what just happened, to be honest. It was a match filled with ups and downs and shifts in momentum. Emma is an incredibly tough opponent," said Raducanu.

Raducanu praised her opponent, "She's top ten. She makes so many balls. It was so physical. Yeah, it was difficult conditions. Credit to her, it was an unbelievable match. We were both fighting so hard."

Navarro is known for fighting hard through every match and grinding it out. However, this was some of the most resilience Raducanu has ever displayed. She was down 1-3 in the third set and broke Navarro when she was serving for the match at 6-5.

Remarkable from Raducanu‼️@EmmaRaducanu down 1-3 in the third set, storms back to defeat Navarro 7-6(6), 2-6, 7-6(3)!#MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/Yl6laOBBOg
— wta (@WTA) March 21, 2025

It looked like the match was getting away from Raducanu at times. After a wild first set, Navarro cruised through the second set. Before the decider, Raducanu was treated for blisters on her feet during a lengthy medical timeout.

Raducanu still showed room for improvement. She tallied three aces and eight double faults, winning the point of 62% of first serves and 53% of second serves. Meanwhile, Navarro hit three aces and two double faults. She won the point on 69% of first serves and 43% on second serves.

Throughout the topsy-turvy match, Raducanu was 4/5 on break points, and Navarro was 6/10. Raducanu won both break points.

"I'm so proud of myself to have come through that against such a tough player" 😁

Emma Raducanu spoke about her grueling three-set win over No.8 seed Navarro at the #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/NCOAeyxAW8
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 21, 2025

This is all against the backdrop of a tumultuous year for Raducanu (and it's only March). She dealt with the "fixated fan" in Dubai and then parted ways with her latest coach last week after a failed two-week trial following Indian Wells.

Raducanu is currently the WTA World No. 60 with a record of 5-6. She will face unseeded McCartney Kessler in the third round on Sunday, March 23. It is Raducanu's first time advancing to the third round since the Australian Open.

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