Emma Navarro beats Elise Mertens to win Hobart International
HOBART, Australia (AP) — Second-seeded American Emma Navarro claimed her first WTA Tour title in her first final Saturday when she beat two-time champion, top-seeded Elise Mertens 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to win the Hobart International.
The 22-year-old Navarro outlasted Mertens of Belgium in a grueling final that lasted 2 hours, 48 minutes to continue her extraordinary rise over the past 12 months.
She is the second-straight American champion after Lauren Davis in 2023.
Navarro was ranked No. 149 this time last year but the New York born and based player now has risen to No. 31. She also made the semifinals in Auckland last week in an impressive start to 2024. She currently is 8-1 for the season.
Navarro is the 27th seeded player at next week’s major and will play Wang Xiyu of China in the first round in her Australian Open debut.
The 28-year-old Mertens will be be seeded 25th in Melbourne and will play Egypt’s Mayar Sherif in the first round. She reached the semifinals in Melbourne in 2018 after winning the Hobart title for the second time.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis