The 23-year-old entered the Merida Open and the top seed and unlike in Qatar where she struggled in two three-set matches, she has been ruthless in Mexico so far.

Navarro has now won her seventh WTA Tour match of the season and will hope to increase that tally over the remainder of the tournament.

Emma Navarro races into Merida Open semi-finals

Emma Navarro began her Merida Open campaign with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Petra Martić.

In the quarter-finals she took on Zeynep Sönmez, who entered the contest on a seven-match winning streak.

But Navarro brought that to an end as she broke her opponent’s serve seven times consecutively on the way to a 6-4, 6-2 win.

Navarro is into a semi-final for the first time this season and she did so without dropping a set. In the process she kept her hopes alive for a first title of the season and second championship of her career.

Who is Emma Navarro’s next opponent?

Standing between Navarro and a place in the Merida Open final is Armenia’s Elina Avanesyan.

This is the 22-year-old’s second semi-final of the season, and the first since the Hobart International in January.

This will be the second match between Navarro and Avanesyan, with the first meeting coming at the 2024 ASB Classic.

Navarro won their round of 16 contest 6-1, 6-2, and she will aim for a similar result in the Merida Open semi-finals.