Emma Navarro, who grew up playing tennis on Charleston`s Daniel Island courts, made her debut on the WTA main stage here as a wild card in 2019, and has participated in every Credit One Charleston Open since.
For the first time in her seventh attempt, the No. 4 seed and local favorite reached the quarterfinals. She achieved this byMounting a comeback from a set and a break down to defeat fellow American and No. 15 seed Ashlyn Krueger with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Navarro will compete against another American player, No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova. Anisimova progressed by defeating No. 10 seed Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-4.
Though Navarro and Anisimova, born in 2001, have been peers since childhood, their first match against each other was in 2022. Anisimova has won both of their previous encounters, with victories of 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of Indian Wells in 2022 and 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in the Toronto semifinals last year.
Navarro immediately faced pressure from Krueger, who has already secured five Top 20 wins in 2025. Krueger signaled her intent to add another win by aggressively returning serves, breaking serve in the very first game. The 20-year-old maintained a lead throughout the first set and then executed a series of well-placed backhands to take a 2-0 lead in the second set.
However, a double fault from Krueger allowed Navarro back into the match, and the US Open semifinalist seized the opportunity. Navarro responded with a powerful forehand to break back and then secured a clean return winner to move ahead 5-3 in the second set. From that point, she took control in the deciding set, repeatedly using drop shots to outmaneuver Krueger, whose unforced error count increased to 40, overshadowing her 17 winners.
In contrast, Navarro gradually increased her aggression to turn the match around. She played a controlled first set, making only five unforced errors compared to three winners. In the second and third sets, she hit 18 winners while still maintaining a positive ratio, with only 11 more unforced errors.
Earlier in the day, Anisimova delivered an outstanding performance to overcome Putintseva, improving her record against the player from Kazakhstan to 3-1 overall (and 2-0 in Charleston, having also defeated her 6-1, 6-2 in the 2022 second round). The match presented a compelling contrast in styles, with Anisimova consistently aiming to accelerate the pace of rallies, while Putintseva sought to slow them down. However, Anisimova demonstrated the confidence to handle extended rallies, patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike a decisive shot.
Putintseva`s typically precise touch faltered from the beginning: a drop shot was slightly too high, and a lob landed just beyond the baseline. Despite managing to keep both sets competitive, the 30-year-old was also undone by an unusually high count of 25 unforced errors.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth