Emma Navarro has been in superb form heading into Wimbledon.
The American star, who endured a tough start to her 2026 campaign, has finally found her footing and looks incredibly comfortable on the slick green surface.
On Tuesday, Navarro’s excellent form continued: she defeated German youngster Eva Lys 7-6 6-3 to book her place in the Bad Homburg Open second round.
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Navarro, a former world number eight, will play top-five ranked star Iga Swiatek in the second round.
With the likes of Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina all struggling to locate their best form, could Navarro capitalise?
Emma Navarro is a dark horse for the Wimbledon title after her recent performances
Emma Navarro has certainly picked up her form since falling to world number 39 on May 18 this year.
Her good form began on the clay in Strasbourg, where she defeated Sara Bejlek and Iva Jovic on her way to the final.
She then travelled west to Paris, where she was defeated in the second round by Jovic.
The American then switched clay for grass and travelled to the Netherlands.
There, her form dipped, losing in the first round to compatriot Caty McNally.
Navarro bounced back emphatically from this defeat, beating Anna Bondar, Yuliia Starodubtseva, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Ann Li on her way to the Nottingham Open final.
In the final, Marie Bouzkova defeated Navarro 7-6, 4-6, 6-2.
It seems this final loss failed to deter Navarro, as demonstrated by her defeat of Eva Lys in Eastbourne.
Emma Navarro’s grass-court campaign so far
- Libema Open: lost in the first round to Caty McNally
- Nottingham Open: reached the final before losing to Marie Bouzkova in three sets
- Eastbourne Open: advanced to the second round and will play Iga Swiatek next
It must be noted that good form at WTA 250 events does not tend to be indicative of future Grand Slam success.
However, the Wimbledon door is firmly ajar.
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina – the main contenders for the Wimbledon title – have all demonstrated inconsistent form over the past month.
Consequently, there are no obvious favourites for the Wimbledon title.
Could Navarro take advantage of the chaos and emerge victorious from the event on July 11?
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Emma Navarro’s record at Wimbledon
Navarro first competed at Wimbledon in 2023.
The American, then 22 years old, was defeated on her debut by 21st seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
A year later, Navarro enjoyed one of her best runs at a Grand Slam to date.
The 23-year-old defeated Wang Qiang, Naomi Osaka, Diana Shnaider and Coco Gauff on her way to the quarter-finals in south-west London.
In the last eight, Navarro was defeated by seventh seed Jasmine Paolini; who went on to reach the final.
Last year, Navarro advanced to the fourth round after beating Petra Kvitova, Veronika Kudermetova and Barbora Krejcikova.
The American was then defeated by seventh seed Mirra Andreeva.
