“Everything about (her); the way she plays, the variation in her game, the slice backhands, the (coming) to the net, being brave in the big moments.

“And her demeanour, her humbleness. Feet on the ground, didn’t get too excited when she won a couple of big matches over Osaka and also Gauff.

“She is my new favourite female player.”

Navarro was interviewed by ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez after the fourth-round win, and admitted that when she last played her countrywoman in January, she “wasn’t really ready” to face an opponent of Gauff’s calibre and stature in the game.

A shift came when she played at Indian Wells in March. Notable wins over Elina Svitolina and world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, and the fact these came on bigger courts in front of larger crowds, boosted her sense of belief and belonging at the top.

It showed on Monday, when she beat Gauff with “courageous” tennis on one of the grandest stages of all.

“Definitely this summer I’ve dealt with more emotions and I guess nerves than I have in the past just playing on bigger stages and higher stakes, I guess,” she explained.

“(I’m) trying to breathe. My physio always makes me breathe. I think breathing is a big thing.”