Charleston’s Emma Navarro captured the Internationaux de Strasbourg championship on May 23, defeating No. 1 seed Victoria Mboko 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. This marks Navarro’s first clay court title and her third WTA Tour championship overall.
A Strong Comeback on Clay
Navarro, an Ashley Hall graduate, ended a 15-month title drought with this victory. Her previous championships came at Hobart in 2024 and Merida in 2025, giving her a perfect 3-for-3 record in title matches.
The win also represents her seventh career victory over a top-10 opponent, this time over No. 9 Mboko, who had won nine consecutive three-set matches prior to the final.
The victory comes after Navarro missed several tournaments over a two-month period due to self-described health issues, causing her ranking to drop from No. 8 to No. 39.
She enters the French Open with momentum after a slow start to the season, in which she lost nine of 13 matches, including a four-match losing streak.
Tournament Performance
During the Strasbourg tournament, Navarro defeated Sara Beljek, No. 3 seed Iva Jovic, Shuai Zhang, Ann Li, and finally Victoria Mboko.
In the final, Navarro dominated the first set 6-0, taking advantage of Mboko’s 20 unforced errors while committing just three of her own. The second set was closely contested, with both players exchanging breaks.
Mboko rallied from 4-5 down to win the set 7-5. In the final set, Navarro regained control, capitalizing on consistency and Mboko’s errors to secure the 6-2 win, completing the match in two hours and 20 minutes.
Looking Ahead to the French Open
Navarro, who recently turned 25, is expected to rise to No. 25 in the world rankings following this tournament. She will open her French Open campaign on May 25 against Janice Tjen in the first round.
