Emma Navarro's mental notes help her beat former No. 1 Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon

LONDON (AP) — To be sure, Emma Navarro used clean tennis to defeat Naomi Osaka at Wimbledon on Wednesday: just five unforced errors compared to 16 winners; zero break points faced; a 4-for-4 success rate at the net.

What else helped Navarro reach the third round at the All England Club for the first time by eliminating Osaka — a four-time major champion and former No. 1 — 6-4, 6-1 in under an hour at Centre Court? Little reminders the 23-year-old American types into her cellphone's notes app before each match.

“That's an atmosphere that could easily overwhelm me, or overwhelm any player, and I spent just a good amount of time preparing myself mentally for the emotions and the nerves I was going to feel. Then once I got out there, I just felt really at home,” said Navarro, who won the 2021 NCAA singles title for the University of Virginia and is seeded 19th at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

“In the notes, I told myself to make the court my home and never be afraid to stay out there for as long as it takes," Navarro said. "I was able to do that today and it's pretty cool to come out on the other end of an experience when you're not sure how its going to go.”