For the first time in her professional tennis career, Emma Navarro has advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open. For the third match in a row at this tournament, Navarro went the distance, but managed to pull out yet another three-set victory as the former UVA tennis star defeated Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the third round on Saturday in Melbourne. Navarro, who is the No. 8 seed in the 2025 Australian Open, will take on the tournament’s No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina (Russia) in the fourth round on Monday (time TBD) with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

Navarro is looking to carry the momentum from a breakout 2024 season into 2025. The former Virginia tennis standout, who won an NCAA singles title in 2021 with the Cavaliers, reached the round of 32 in her debut at the Australian Open last year, advanced to the round of 16 at the French Open, made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, and then went on an incredible run to the semifinals of the US Open. She was also selected to the U.S. Olympic Tennis Team and competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Now, Navarro is beginning the 2025 campaign with a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 8 in the world and is currently on her deepest run at the Australian Open, though it certainly hasn’t been easy. Navarro has been taken to three sets in each match, but held off fellow American Peyton Stearns in the first round 6-7, 7-6, 7-5 and then took down China’s Xiyu Wang 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round. Up next, Navarro will face No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina, a 27-year-old Russian who is currently ranked No. 10 in the world.

The other former Wahoo in the women’s singles draw at the Australian Open is No. 10 seed Danielle Collins, who made headlines on Thursday as she taunted the Australian crowd as they serenaded her with boos following her 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Australian native Destanee Aiava. The crowd, which naturally was raucous in its support of the native Aussie Aiava, was particularly boisterous in its heckling against Collins, who has long received criticism throughout her career for her feisty and competitive nature on the court. As Collins won the final point to dispatch Aiava, she immediately raised a hand to her ear and began repeating the phrase, “How about that?!” while giving a teasing grin and then blowing kisses to the Melbourne crowd.

Naturally, when Collins walked onto the court at Rod Laver Arena for her next match, those in attendance again showered her in boos. This time, though, there was no last laugh for Collins as she fell to fellow American and No. 19 seed Madison Keys 6-4, 6-4 to bring her time in Australia to a close.

As she left the court after the loss, there was no taunting gestures or words, but Collins did give a peace sign and a small smile to the crowd as she exited down the tunnel.

Collins, 31, had originally planned to retire at the end of the 2024 tennis season but reversed course and is extending her career into 2025. There were some off-the-court factors in that decision, but her return to the court was also no doubt encouraged by the fact that the 2024 season was by far the best of her career, winning back-to-back WTA titles at the Miami Open and Credit One Charleston Open, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team and returning to the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. Time will only tell how long retirement will be postponed for Collins, who won NCAA singles titles at Virginia in 2014 and 2016, but those who are fans of her fiery and competitive attitude and her talent on the court are hopeful that it will be some time before she puts the racket down.

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