It may seem as if American Emma Navarro has burst onto the scene at the 2024 U.S. Open, but those who watch tennis all year long will tell you that this isn’t some Cinderella run. 

After a strong close to the 2023 campaign, Navarro made a statement out of the gates in 2024 by winning the first tournament of the season in Tasmania.

The New York native followed that with a respectable showing at the Australian Open and continued a gradual ascent through the first half of the year. 

Things really started to click for the former Virginia Cavalier in the spring, when Navarro was a runner-up in Paris, made it to the Round of 16 at the French Open and then scampered to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

By this point, the 23-year-old had cracked the top-15 in the world and had the look of a viable dark horse for the U.S. Open.

The only thing that cooled the hype on Navarro was a tough draw that saw her face Marta Kostyuk, Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa to get to a semifinal against World No. 2 and 2023 U.S. Open runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, who is riding a 10-match winning streak during which she’s dropped just one set. 

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It’s hard to go against Sabalenka when she’s just bullied her way through the North American hard-court season, but Navarro’s form —and the fact that she’ll have a massive crowd behind her against a mercurial player — make her worth backing in some form.

THE PLAY: Navarro +1.5 sets (+100, DraftKings).