Emma Navarro defeats her American compatriot Peyton Stearns at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia – No. 8 Emma Navarro had to play the longest WTA match of her career – 3 hours and 20 minutes – recovering from a 5-3 deficit in the third set to beat fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-0 hit. 7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday.

A semifinalist at last year’s US Open, Navarro was seeded in the top eight at a major for the first time and completed a string of Center Court appearances at Grand Slams with her first appearance at Rod Laver Arena.

So how did she feel after being pushed to the limit by the powerful Steans?

“Great,” she said, telling the audience that the duration of the game felt like time travel. “Crazy game today.

“I kept telling myself to make the most of what I had today. Maybe it wasn’t my best, but she fought really well. I’m really happy just to get the win.”

Her match was the first all-American women’s major match to go beyond 5-1 in all three sets since the 2005 French Open (Amy Frazier defeated Meghann Shaughnessy in the first round 7-5, 5-7, 7-7). 5).

“One of the more unique games I’ve played in a long time, I think,” Navarro said. “I definitely didn’t have my best today. I just relied heavily on my courage, my toughness and my fight.”

“She had a lot of moments there where maybe she could have ended it or run with it. I just tried to stay really tough.”

It is the longest women’s game of the tournament so far.

In contrast, sixth seed Elena Rybakina defeated 16-year-old Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-1 and No. 9 Daria Kasatkina advanced in straight sets.

For Emma Raducanu, winning the first round of the Australian Open was always more important than the way she achieved the result.

That was clear on Tuesday as the 2021 US Open champion celebrated her 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2) victory over No. 26 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova at No. 3, where a few British flags were in A light breeze blew on the third day in Melbourne Park.

In her first match since November, the 22-year-old British player made 15 double faults, made 30 unforced errors and won just 30% of the points on her second serve. But in the big moments, she was good enough with 22 winners and nine aces to force her way into the second round.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what I changed about my serve today. I think it had a mind of its own,” Raducanu said. “I made a lot of good first serves in the first set. I hit a few aces. At the same time I made a double mistake. I’ve totally accepted that, OK, I’ll at least try.”

“The heavier the balls got, the more difficult it became. With more and more balls coming, it wasn’t easy to regain my concentration, but I knew that even when I was down I could still achieve great results.”

Since she wasn’t competing, the biggest news for her at home was her mild back problem earlier this month and the fact that she refused treatment for ant bites last week – just to be on the safe side with medication. that could happen to her She violates the anti-doping regulations.

Alexandrova served in the first set, which featured eight breaks of serve, but Raducanu broke back immediately.

In the second set, Raducanu led 4-2 but then lost control of her serve again and had to save a set point before forcing another tiebreak, which she dominated.

Raducanu took a 6-0 lead at the break and held her nerve despite her lead being too big to secure her first win of 2025.

Since becoming the first player to win a Grand Slam title after qualifying, Raducanu has not progressed past the fourth round of a major. In Australia she reached the third round in each of the last three years.

She next plays Amanda Anisimova, who earned a 6-2, 6-3 win over Maria Carle.

“I know she is a strong striker,” Raducanu said. “I practiced with her a few times. She likes to dictate. So I think it will be a big challenge for me.”

Ninth seed Daria Kasatkina was the first to get through on the third day, losing the first game before winning the next seven games in a row to secure a 6-1, 6-3 win over Viktoriya Tomova.

ESPN Research, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.