HOBART, Australia -- Second-seeded American Emma Navarro claimed her first WTA Tour title in her first final Saturday when she beat two-time champion and top-seeded Elise Mertens 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to win the Hobart International.
The 22-year-old Navarro outlasted Mertens of Belgium in a grueling final that lasted 2 hours, 48 minutes to continue her extraordinary rise over the past 12 months.
She is the second straight American champion after Lauren Davis in 2023.
Navarro was ranked No. 149 this time last year, but the New York born and based player now has risen to No. 31. She also made the semifinals in Auckland last week in an impressive start to 2024 and is 8-1 for the season.
"I don't know if I could put words to the emotions, but it's been a lot of years in the making," Navarro said. "My coach and I have been together for eight years, I think. From where we started to now, it's really crazy to think about.
"Probably six, seven years ago, I was hoping to be a decent college player and that was going to be good enough for me. So to be here now, it's really crazy and I guess just a testament to the work we've both put in."
Navarro is the No. 27 seed at next week's Australian Open and will play Wang Xiyu of China in the first round in her tournament debut.
The 28-year-old Mertens is seeded 25th in Melbourne and will play Egypt's Mayar Sherif in the first round. She reached the semifinals in Melbourne in 2018 after winning the Hobart title for the second time.