© afp.com/CLIVE BRUNSKILL

Navarro stuns Sabalenka to reach Indian Wells quarter-finals

American Emma Navarro shocked second-seeded Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA and ATP Indian Wells Masters.

Navarro, ranked 23rd in the world, pushed Sabalenka hard on a breezy Stadium Court to notch her first career win over a top-five player.

The victory continues a strong season for 22-year-old Navarro, the 2021 US collegiate champion who won the WTA title in Hobart and reached the semi-finals in Auckland and San Diego.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, has found it frustrating going since her successful title defense at the year's first Grand Slam. The Belarusian's fourth-round exit follows her opening-match defeat in Dubai last month.

Navarro will face either ninth-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece or unseeded Diane Parry of France for a place in the semi-finals.
Source: AFP