Emma Navarro didn't want to lose a close three-set match in her first Olympic Games. A 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4), 6-1 third-round defeat to China's Chen Qingwen on Tuesday ended her Paris 2024 singles tournament.
Instead of just doing the customary handshake between opponents after a match, Navarro took it a step further: The 23-year-old American shook Zheng's hand and locked eyes with him. There was a tense exchange with Zheng at the net, and as the players walked out to thank the chair umpire, Navarro shook his head in frustration.
When asked later about the conversation, Navarro didn't mince words.
“I just told her I don't respect her as a competitor,” Navarro said after the match. “I think she approaches things in a pretty ruthless way. There's not a lot of camaraderie in the locker room, so it's tough playing against someone you don't really respect. But she played some good tennis at the end. She played better than me. Congratulations.”
Navarro did not say why he made the remark or what it is about Chung that makes her “cold” in Americans' opinion. Chung did acknowledge that Navarro told her, “She doesn't know why I have so many fans.”
“It seems she is unhappy with my attitude,” Cheng said.
But Chung did not hit back with criticism, instead saying he did not consider Navarro's comments an “attack” because he lost the match.
“If she's not happy with my attitude, she can come and tell me,” Zheng said. “I want to correct it so I can become a better player and a better person.”
(Photo of Qin Wenzheng by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Tuesday's match was the second time Navarro and Zheng have played each other. In warm weather and a packed Court 7 at the French Open, Navarro was down 3-5 in the first set but stormed back to force a tiebreak. Zheng led 6-3 in the tiebreak, but Navarro fought back again, saving four set points to win 9-7.
In the second set, Navarro had a match point, leading 5-3 and serving for the match. A chance to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals was within Navarro's grasp. But Navarro made an unforced forehand error. Zheng took advantage and broke to survive. Zheng held serve in the next game, and the second set was suddenly tied at 5-5.
Zheng remained unfazed in the second-set tiebreaker. At 2-2, Zheng won three consecutive points to win the tiebreaker. On set point at 6-4, Zheng hit a forehand winner to force a deciding third set.
At this point, the Chinese fans in the stadium erupted in roars of support for Zheng. In the third set, Zheng recorded 13 service winners, had a 79% first serve success rate, and won every net point (4-4). Zheng broke Navarro three times. The American never faced a break point opportunity.
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Zheng praised the support of the Chinese crowd for leading her to victory.
“It's very special because I'm not fighting for myself,” Zheng said. “I'm fighting for China. There were so many spectators cheering for me. It was very encouraging.”
It's been a year of career achievement for both Zheng and Navarro. Zheng reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in January and reached a career-high world ranking of No. 7. Navarro, a University of Virginia product and 2021 NCAA singles champion, won her first WTA tournament at Hobart International and reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon.
More than three hours later, Zheng was leading 5-1 in the deciding set and had her fourth match point when Navarro sent a backhand wide, giving Zheng the victory.
Zheng threw his arms high, yelled and pumped his left fist, and Navarro acknowledged that emotion was spilling out on the court after playing for more than three hours without a match point being converted.
She will have to wait four years before she gets another chance to compete in the Olympics.
Zheng's dream of winning an Olympic medal continues as she faces three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber in her final professional tournament.
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(Photo by Tnani Badreddine/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
