"Emma Navarro did everything she could to lose" - Fans blame Peyton Stearns for 'choking' in Australian Open 1R

Emma Navarro was not at her best during her first-round clash against compatriot Peyton Stearns at the 2025 Australian Open on Tuesday. Despite this, the World No. 8 came through the contest with a vital win. Most tennis fans though, suggested that Navarro's victory boiled down to an implosion from Stearns.

Navarro lost a tight first set 6-7(5), but won an equally tight second 7-6(5). In the third and decisive set, Stearns' level dropped when it mattered most, allowing the No. 8 to clinch it 7-5 on her compatriot's serve and wrap up the match in three hours and 20 minutes.

Several fans lambasted Emma Navarro's performance despite her win. At the same time, they also took aim at Peyton Stearns, suggesting that her erratic display at crucial moments handed the win to Navarro.

"Navarro did EVERYTHING she could to lose this match. She wins it. Stearns just imploded. Navarro played the sh**tiest tennis I’ve ever seen her play," a fan said.

"I could try to swallow a tennis ball and I still wouldn’t choke as hard as Peyton Stearns just did," another fan said.

"One thing about Stearns she WILL lose a tussle," one fan said.

Here are some more reactions to Stearns' 2025 Australian Open loss to Navarro.

"Stearns beat herself. She had her!! So disappointing," one fan said.

"Peyton has to learn how to finish things off," another fan said.

"How many matches has Stearns lost like this?" one fan said.

After the match, Navarro said that she drew confidence from the positive result against Stearns.

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"I'll definitely take some confidence from today going into my next round" - Emma Navarro after win over Peyton Stearns in Australian Open 1R

Emma Navarro (Credits: Getty)

During the postgame press conference, Sportskeeda asked Emma Navarro to share her thoughts on her first-round win over Peyton Stearns at the 2025 Australian Open. In response, the World No. 8 said that such matches allow her to understand her own game better, and are valuable to experience early on at tournaments.

"I think those are some of the most rewarding matches and some of the matches where you learn the most about yourself and about your game. So I think it's definitely super valuable to have those early in the tournament. Yeah, I'll definitely take some confidence from today going into my next round," Navarro said.

Up next for Emma Navarro at the 2025 Australian Open is Wang Xiyu in the second round. Navarro and Wang locked horns at last year's Australian Open, with the American defeating the Chinese 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5 in the first-round contest.