American rising star Emma Navarro is set to face Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the second round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Tuesday, Jul. 22. The 2025 season has seen Navarro make multiple deep runs. She reached the quarterfinals at the Adelaide International, Australian Open, Charleston Open, and Internationaux de Strasbourg, capturing the title in Akron, and following it up with a solid run on grass.
The American began her grass-court campaign at the Queen’s Club Championships and finished as a quarterfinalist. She then turned her attention to the Berlin Tennis Open, where she fell in the second round to eighth seed Paula Badosa. Navarro carried that momentum into the Bad Homburg Open, again reaching the quarterfinals before losing to compatriot Jessica Pegula.
The 24-year-old made steady progress at the Wimbledon Championships, notably defeating defending champion Barbora Krejčíková in the third round. However, seventh seed Mirra Andreeva proved too strong, dismissing Navarro in straight sets in the fourth round.
However, the season has been notably challenging for Sakkari, who has struggled to find her rhythm. The Greek’s best result so far is a quarterfinal appearance at the Linz Open, along with fourth-round runs in Adelaide and Madrid. Her grass-court campaign proved equally underwhelming, with a second-round exit in Libema, an early loss in Berlin qualifiers, followed by second-round finishes at Bad Homburg and Wimbledon.
She had a strong start to the WTA 500 event in Washington with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Katie Boulter in the first round.
Maria Sakkari vs Emma Navarro Head-to-Head
Navarro and Sakkari have faced each other three times on tour, with the Greek holding a narrow 2-1 edge in their head-to-head. Their most recent meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open, where eighth seed Sakkari rallied for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Match Details
- Fixture: Maria Sakkari vs Emma Navarro
- Date: Jul. 22, 2025
- Tournament: Mubadala Citi DC Open
- Round: Round of 16
- Venue: William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, Washington, D.C
- Category: WTA 500
- Surface: Outdoor hard courts
- Live telecast: Tennis Channel, Fubo, ESPN+, Sky Sports
Maria Sakkari vs Emma Navarro Prediction
Although Sakkari has a head-to-head advantage over Navarro, her recent form might not be sufficient to oust the rapidly emerging American.
As noted, Navarro’s standout results in 2025 have come on hard courts, with deep runs in Adelaide and the Australian Open and a title in Akron. She enters Washington with a decent track record on the surface early in the season, and the conditions are likely to suit her game. The American also boasts a far stronger 24–17 win-loss record this season, in stark contrast to Sakkari’s 16–20, underscoring the Greek’s ongoing struggles.
The ‘Sakkattack’ is back 💥@mariasakkari returns to the second round in Washington.#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/TgXNO2L0Xm
— wta (@WTA) July 21, 2025
However, Sakkari’s experience and strong serve could pose a serious challenge for the young American. She has fired 82 aces in 2025, compared to Navarro’s 52, and boasts a slightly higher first-serve win percentage, 64% to Navarro’s 62%. Additionally, the Greek holds a marginally better win record on outdoor hard courts, with 58.89% compared to Navarro’s 58.62%.
Despite this, Navarro, buoyed by home support and armed with a superior break point conversion rate this season, could have the edge. Moreover, her position as a second seed adds to her advantage.
Pick: Navarro to win in three sets.
