41 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com BY COLIN MCCANDLESS Banner Year Emma Navarro named WTA Most Improved Player of 2024 Charleston’s Emma Navarro recorded the best season of her young and promising professional tennis career in 2024. All of which included achieving her greatest success in a major to date, reaching the US Open semifinals before losing a hard-fought match to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, 3-6, 6-7 (2). On Dec. 9, the WTA Tour presented the 23-year-old with its Most Improved Player award for 2024. Navarro finished 2023 ranked No. 38, then surged to No. 8 in the world by the end of 2024, earning her career-high ranking. She finished the season with a singles record of 54-24 and notched three wins against the world’s Top-5 players. “It’s a huge honor and I think it’s a testament to a lot of hard work this year,” said Navarro, who was born in New York City, but has lived in Charleston since age 3 outside of her years attending the University of Virginia. “It’s nice to kind of get that validation that a lot of hard work is paying off and doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s cool also because my main motivation on this journey is just to see how much I can improve myself and how good of a player I can be.” It was a season full of accomplishments for Navarro, Photo credit: Chanel Bell/FRWD Social
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