The final match of Saturday's play at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open sent one clear message to fans -- leave Tennis Paradise early at your own risk.

Saturday 's action featured relentless competition around the grounds of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, but the match of the day – and perhaps the entire tournament – ended up being the final one of the day.

Emma Navarro and Sorana Cirstea battled late into the night on Stadium 2, and it was the Top 10 American ultimately prevailing in an instant classic.

Cirstea took the first set comfortably, with Navarro responding equally triumphantly in the second – but it was the third that produced a level of tennis that was well worth the admission price of the fans who stayed all the way until nearly 11:00pm to see the finish.

It looked like the Romanian was ready to put the wraps up on the match, serving at 5-3 in the third. But on Cirstea’s second match point at 40-30, Navarro turned a bit of net cord luck into a match point save of the year candidate.

The American would go on to solidify the break.

The pair then traded another set of service games to force a third-set tiebreak, and it was Navarro ultimately prevailing 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) in a slugfest that will go down as one of the best matches at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open.

“Honestly one of the best atmospheres I’ve played in,” Navarro said, addressing the raucous Stadium 2 crowd who stuck around to see her complete the comeback victory.

How she did it?

“Just trying to get the best out of myself on my worst day,” she continued.

Navarro, the No. 10 seed in Tennis Paradise, is looking to recreate the magic of her run to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells last year – her best WTA 1000 result at the time. Since that run, Navarro reached a quarterfinal at Wimbledon and semifinal at the US Open, earning her the 2024 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Award. She has started 2025 off on the right foot as well, reaching a quarterfinal in Melbourne at the Australian Open.

The 23-year-old American has often been praised for her cool, calm and collected demeanor on court – and she showed every bit of that on Saturday night.

She will meet No. 19 seed and Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic in Round 3 on Monday.