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WTA fans recently heaped rich praise on Emma Navarro's father Ben, a billionaire businessman who has organized the Credit One Charleston Open for the last six years.
The Charleston Open, a WTA 500 tournament held on green clay, kicked off on March 30. The event is considered by many to be North America's biggest women's-only tennis tournament since Navarro, the CEO of Credit One, bought the licenses for both the 500-level event and the stadium in late 2018.
In that context, the tennis community on X (formerly Twitter) hailed Emma Navarro's father for not only his organizational skills, but also how he has marketed the tournament to fans. Fans were out in hordes for local favorite Amanda Anisimova's first-round victory over Alize Cornet earlier on Monday (April 1).
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One fan praised the American businessman for ensuring great fanfare for a match this early in the tournament.
"I got to hand it to Mr. Navarro, he’s done a great job at upgrading the stadium and some of the outside courts. Crowds are also great for a R1 match. Charleston you’ll always be famous!" they wrote.
Another fan, meanwhile, claimed that Ben Navarro's handling of the Charleston Open was much superior to that of James Blake, who came under fire for poor arrangements in place during last week's Miami Open.
"We need to talk about the brilliant crowds in Charleston even on a Monday morning... that’s why it’s the best 500 and also ended Miami with ease," they wrote.
The above assertions were given credence by a fan, who said the Charleston Open deserved more respect as it was among the lead-up events to the French Open.
"Miami Open < Charleston Open and it is not even close. Charleston leads into a major and has a uniqueness to it," they wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from social media:
Emma Navarro opens her Charleston Open campaign against Katie Volynets on Wednesday
Ben Navarro's daughter Emma, meanwhile, has made quite a name for herself on the WTA Tour. The 20-year-old, who was mostly plying her trade at 125-level and ITF events last year, made her big-stage breakthrough earlier this year.
Navarro reached the semifinals of the ASB Classic in January, losing to eventual winner Coco Gauff, before winning her maiden WTA 250 title at the Hobart International. She has since recorded consistent results at the top-tier events, which include reaching the quarterfinals and the Round of 16 in Indian Wells and Miami, respectively.
Emma Navarro is seeded 10th at this week's Charleston Open and will play her first match against fellow American Katie Volynets on Wednesday (April 3). The World No. 20 will be eager to overturn a 0-1 head-to-head record against Volynets, who beat her at a W60 event in Macon, Georgia two years ago.
