“What I did best was what I do best,” the No. 5 seed said after her 7-6 (1), 6-3 win Monday evening.
Tennis fans are used to seeing millionaires play each other. But the third-round match between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro in Miami on Monday may have been the first to take it three zeroes farther. Both women are the daughters of sports-loving billionaires: Pegula’s father, Terry, owns the Buffalo Bills; Navarro’s father, Ben, recently bought the tournaments in Charleston and Cincinnati.
That’s not all they have in common. Pegula, 30, and Navarro, 22, are conspicuous for their laid-back personalities and lack of drama—as well as their love of ear piercings. They each seem quietly determined (a) not to be seen as entitled, and (b) to make a name for herself that has nothing to do with her dad. The result, tennis-wise, is that they both make the most of their natural talents and physical gifts.
As we could see from their first meeting, they do it in the same way, too: With a consistency from the baseline that can appear machine-like at times—in a good way. Pegula hits hard, heavy, flat, and somehow high-percentage at the same time. Navarro, smaller and quicker, has a greater variety of shots and spins and a better set of hands, yet steadiness may be her biggest strength as well. Their match was filled with fast-paced rallies, with both women hitting with depth and taking the ball on the rise.
Where they differ is their strengths: For Pegula, it’s the backhand, especially down the line; for Navarro, it’s her whippy topspin forehand, which she can take to either corner. The player who used her strength more was probably going to be the winner. For the first five games, that was Navarro. She broke Pegula with a brilliantly devised drop shot-passing shot combination, and went up 4-1.
