Emma Navarro picked up her third consecutive loss after losing 6-7 (6) 6-0 3-6 to world No. 56 Hailey Baptiste in an all-American matchup in Abu Dhabi.
Navarro, who was seeded at No. 4 at this year's WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi, fell down by an early break but recovered to force a tie-break. There, the 2024 US Open finalist had a good chance to take the first set after opening a 6-5 lead and having a serve to close out the opener. But then, the No. 4 seed blew it all by losing the next three points and the first set.
After dropping the first set in a heartbreaking way, Navarro impressively bounced back by taking the second set with a bagel.
With the all momentum on Navarro's side, one would think that the former world No. 8 would go on to complete a comeback win. However, that didn't happen as Baptiste stabilized on her serve in the decider – didn't face a single break point – and claimed the lone break of the set in the eighth game.
Navarro's slump continues
Navarro, who finished the 2025 season on a two-match losing streak, hasn't managed to turn things around at the start of 2026. Through her opening four tournaments of the year, the 24-year-old American stands at a 2-4 record, with her lone two wins of the year coming in Adelaide.
On the other side, Baptiste has been through to her first WTA 500 quarterfinal in Abu Dhabi. For a place in the Abu Dhabi semifinal, 24-year-old Baptiste will play against No. 5 seed Liudmila Samsonova.
#MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen | Hailey Baptiste is through to the last eight after an impressive 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3 victory over (4)Emma Navarro.
Baptiste, a quarter-finalist at WTA 500-level for the first time, faces (5)Liudmila Samsonova next.
📸 | Christopher Pike [Getty] pic.twitter.com/UmN4oxtIVJ
— Black Spin Global (@BlackSpinGlobal) February 3, 2026
