American women overcome lengthy rain delays and tough opponents at Charleston Open

Emma Navarro and Taylor Townsend overcame hours of rain and tough opponents to advance at the 2024 Charleston Open. Evening matches were postponed due to the delays and both Navarro and Townsend who were supposed to play during the day found themselves on court at night when the skies finally cleared.

Navarro continues to look poised and prepared to be a Top 20 player. She defeated fellow American Katie Volynets in straight sets. Volynets gave a valiant effort after playing the longest women's match of the year on Monday in a 3 hour 43 minute grind over Arantxa Rus. She had her upper leg wrapped and no doubt was still feeling the aftereffects of that Monday marathon.

Navarro is a Charleston native. She admitted that she relaxed at her home all day during the rain and had to get herself in match mode when it became apparent she would play. Navarro enjoyed having her parents, grandmother, and a brother at the match. She is embracing the media demands and notoriety that is accompanying her rise in the WTA rankings. Her game is fun to watch as she employs a lot of variety in her shots, coming to the net often with confidence which is not a characteristic of women's players in today's game.

In addition to Navarro, Taylor Townsend gets a big win

Taylor Townsend who has experienced more success in doubles than singles is changing that narrative in 2024. On Wednesday, she scored her biggest win of the year over Ekaterina Alexandrova who defeated Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula last week at the Miami Open.

Townsend defeated Alexandrova in straight sets and had command of the match from the first ball. She will need to employ aggressive tactics in the next round against hard-hitting Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka. The two have never played each other, but neither has lost a set so far in Charleston.

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