Sawt Falasteen - Scratchy Navarro dumps Jabeur out of Australian Open

The 23-year-old American eighth seed clawed through 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Margaret Court Arena to make the last 16 in Melbourne for the first time

She will play either Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina or Kazakh 24th seed Yulia Putintseva for a place in the quarter-finals.

But Navarro, the daughter of billionaire American businessman Ben Navarro, owner of Credit One Bank, again struggled to display the killer touch.

She only converted six from 14 break points and was herself broken six times.

It was the third match in a row she has needed three sets to progress.

No other WTA player has been through more three-setters than Navarro since the beginning of 2024, with the American going the distance 31 times.

"I love three sets," she joked afterwards.

Navarro's frailties were exposed in the first set when she raced 5-0 clear but then imploded, giving up the next four games, but hung on.

She was broken twice again early in set two and again at 5-3 with the Tunisian producing some astonishing drop shots to level the match.

But Jabeur fluffed her chance in set three, squandering three break points in the third game, with Navarro then breaking for 3-2 and rounding out the win

"I came out playing really well, but she had a really great four games (in set one)," said Navarro, a US Open semi-finalist last year.

"In the second set I just wanted to stick in there."

L.Hussein--SF-PST