Emma Navarro on Olympic debate against Qinwen Zheng before possible clash

New York-born Emma Navarro played her way into the semifinals of the US Open on Thursday – and could lead to a rematch against China's Qinwen Zheng, who she had sharply beaten at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Zheng still has to get past second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

But if she does, it would lead to an exciting confrontation.

In July, Zheng defeated Navarro in the third round of the singles tournament in Paris with 6:7 (7), 7:6 (4), 6:1.

After the match, instead of the usual handshake, Navarro grabbed Zheng's hand, looked her in the face and engaged in a heated exchange.

She told her Chinese opponent that she “didn’t respect” her as a competitor.

Now that the 23-year-old Navarro is in her first Grand Slam semifinal – and in her hometown, of all places – she said it was not so much an emotional outburst but rather a feeling of disrespect that had been building up for years.

“I don't want to go into too much detail, but I think during the game and on the practice court and the last few times I've played against her — because we've been playing against each other since we were juniors — I felt a little disrespected by her,” Navarro said. “I don't want to go into too much detail, like I said, but yeah, I think she didn't necessarily treat me or the sport with respect. That's why I said what I said after the game. That's all.”

The two have not spoken since then, but there is a chance they could face each other again on Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I haven't spoken to her since. And no, I wasn't surprised. I felt that way the whole game. Even if I had won, I probably would have said the same thing,” Navarro said. “It wasn't an emotional thing in the moment. It was just how I felt. I think it got a lot more attention than I thought it would. Maybe it's just one person's opinion. It wasn't an emotional outburst. It was just how I felt in a matter-of-fact way.”

Navarro, seeded 13th, had high praise for Zheng's game, if not her personality.

“Yeah, she's a great player,” Navarro said. “I think she has a really good serve. I think she has really big groundstrokes. I think she's super powerful and covers the court well, puts a lot of pressure on you on returns and also on serves. I think, yeah, it's going to be a big challenge.”