However, after Madison Keys<\/a> joined the likes of Naomi Osaka<\/a> and Emma Raducanu by withdrawing from the BJK Cup Finals<\/a>, it meant that Navarro<\/a> stepped up to play as the second American player.<\/p>\n It had already been a disappointing week for American tennis, after the USA Davis Cup team were beaten,<\/a> and Navarro was hoping to make sure the same would not happen to the women in the BJK Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n The USA are record 18-time BJK Cup champions, but have not won the event for eight years now.<\/p>\n As they look to change that in Shenzhen this year, Navarro played the first match of USA\u2019s quarterfinal tie against Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n Navarro was taking on former top 20 player Yulia Putintseva, and it was a real battle from the first point.<\/p>\n Putintseva served for the first set, but Navarro managed to fight back, before the Kazakhstani levelled things up in the second.<\/p>\n There was nothing to separate the two players, with the match going to a deciding set tie-break, which Putintseva actually led 6-4 and had two match points.<\/p>\n However, Navarro was able to win four points in a row to turn things around and beat Putintseva, 7-5 2-6 7-6(6).<\/p>\n When reflecting on the match in her post-match press conference<\/a>, Navarro admitted that she did not have the right mindset for some portions of the match, before telling herself to refocus in the third set.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think for about a set and a half or so, I really lost my way, kind of felt like I didn\u2019t have a clear purpose and intention,\u201d said Navarro. \u201cI think it\u2019s definitely essential to have those things to be able to play my best.<\/p>\n \u201cIt got to be 2-0 in the third set. I kind of just told myself focus on my footwork. Probably the most basic thing in tennis is your footwork. Sometimes those elementary things are what get you through the tougher moments. Kind of just did that and took it from there. Yeah, it was really tough today. Just took a lot of toughness.\u201d<\/p>\n It was not just Navarro speaking to herself, with her teammates on the USA bench also offering her advice.<\/p>\n When Navarro managed to get herself a match point, she was told to \u2018trust\u2019 herself, something she suggested was helpful to her in not overthinking the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think tennis is a brutal sport and it will play tricks on your mind,\u201d said Navarro. \u201cIt can get you in really tough places mentally. As generic as I guess \u2018trust\u2019 sounds, it\u2019s a huge part of the game.<\/p>\n \u201cAt whatever, 6-All, 7-6, after you\u2019ve been out on the court for two and a half hours, you\u2019ve gained a lot of information about yourself, about your opponent, maybe you feel a certain way about a shot or two. In that moment you kind of just have to sometimes ignore the facts a little bit and just trust yourself, trust that it will work out in your favor. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn\u2019t. That\u2019s sport, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma Navarro says if she felt nervous ahead of the BJK Cup tie vs Kazakhstan <\/p>\n Tennis is often such an individual sport, with the BJK Cup one of the only opportunities players get to play as a team and represent their country.<\/p>\n This is just the second time that Navarro has represented USA in the BJK Cup, and she has now continued her 100% record in the event.<\/p>\n Despite winning both of her matches in the event so far, Navarro has admitted she felt more nervous than usual ahead of the match.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it\u2019s definitely different,\u201d added Navarro. \u201cI think it\u2019s one thing to be able to play for yourself, your immediate team. But to be able to play for your country, it\u2019s the highest of honors.<\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely creates more nerves than normal, and different nerves I guess, too. It\u2019s a different atmosphere, as well. It\u2019s a bit more rowdy. She had a little choir up there singing for her. I had people cheering for me. It\u2019s definitely different. You have to be adaptable, I guess. Yeah, it\u2019s incredible to be here and be playing, yeah, for the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n After Navarro won the first rubber of the tie against Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina<\/a> beat Jessica Pegula<\/a> to level things up.<\/p>\n![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2236027578-1024x655.jpg\")
Photo by Lintao Zhang\/Getty Images for Billie Jean King CupEmma Navarro explains what went wrong before comeback BJK Cup win<\/p>\n