Player Quotes July 29th
Maria Kirilenko
“I don’t think I played too badly, but I know that I can play better. I would think Shahar would also say she could have played better. She beat me earlier this year, but this time I decided to be a little more aggressive. Today I just tried to play with some discipline and I’m happy that I was able to win.”
“This year has been so much better for me than last season. I have won a lot of tough matches and have beaten some really good players as well. That has given me so much confidence and I am starting to get better with my fitness. Everything is fine.”
Victoria Azarenka
“I think I played very well today. It was a little tough at the beginning with a couple of service breaks but I felt strong the whole match. For me it’s important to play every point the same, no matter what the score is. Whether I am up or down 40-love, that is always a key for me.”
Melanie Oudin
“Every single game, I had a game point almost. I don’t think she overpowered me or anything like that since every game was really close and I had a game point in almost all of them. I thought I played a pretty good match. I served really well during the first set, but then toward the end I started to get a little tight because she started putting a lot of pressure on my second serve.”
“I think especially off the ground I was in every point with her. But she played the big points better than me today and that’s what won the match for her.”
“Since Wimbledon I’ve been training well; a lot of fitness and a lot of hitting. I think I have improved a lot since then. I’m ready to play a lot of matches this season and get geared up for the U.S. Open.”
Maria Sharapova
“It was a sloppy first game, probably the worst game of the match for me. But that was only one game of the match and the rest of it was fine. She has some solid strokes and doesn’t give you much rhythm in a way; she can play two great points and then make an unforced error. So from my end, I just had to make sure I stuck to what I needed to do and stayed aggressive while having an extra something on my ball. The court was playing nice and fast, so I thought I had an advantage if I could hit a solid first or second serve.”
“I think I was kind of thrown off a little bit. My opponent in the first round didn’t serve that big and I was just a step too slow coming forward to try and hit the ball. But today she had big and solid first serves, so I took my chances when I could. I thought I did a better job of returning today.”
“I actually couldn’t get my serve as fast as I wanted to today, but I guess that doesn’t really matter too much. I thought my placement was pretty good even though I wasn’t serving huge serves. Sometimes that’s even more important than the other way around.”
Marion Bartoli
“I played Ana a few times when she was on the rise as a future No. 1, so it was very tough all the time. I’m so pleased that finally I was able to pass her through. I think this was a great match and it feels good to play like this early in the summer season. I think this a great build-up for the U.S. Open. These matches are tough and you have to play well and focus on the big points. It was great to get a win.”
“My first serve percentage was not that good- I think it was around 40 percent or so. I think the second set was better on that side. I got broken during the first game when I was leading 30-love so that was a bit of a shame. But I came back strong. She returns so well and it’s so difficult to have her out of position.”
“It’s been awhile since we have played; I think the last time was in Zurich in 2008. She was still in the top-10 at the time. But now I’m moving a lot better, so when she hits the ball hard I can it back with interest. I try to allow her not to get so many free, easy points by hitting the ball hard. Making her hit the extra ball all the time helped me out today.”
“The main thing I needed to focus on tonight was my form. I needed to hit the ball hard. When I was just retrieving a little bit and being on my back foot, she was coming up with some great shots. Being inside the court is very tough against Ana, so you have to push her back. It’s not a big deal where you play, it’s more about the depth that you get and the power you can get behind the ball.”
Ana Ivanovic
“I think the match was a lot closer than the score indicated. There were a lot of chances for both players. She was hitting faster than I thought she would. It was very hard for me to read her serve. Later on in the match, I started to feel more comfortable but I always felt like I was just a touch too late. I created chances for myself. Overall I can take a lot of quality things from this match and must continue to move forward.”
“It was more different than any other match we have played. I was actually expecting longer rallies and I didn’t expect her to hit as fast. On these courts, the ball plays fast and stays low. With her two-handed strokes, it was very hard for me to read her play. It made a big difference because I was looking for rallies and looking to get into a rhythm but she wasn’t giving it to me. Even when I started playing better, there were still very short points.”
“I always feel like it’s just a few points her and there. It’s those points such as 30-all and deuce, they don’t seem as big but they are big. When I can start turning those points in my favor, I think it will make a huge difference.”
