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ROGERS CUP

August 14, 2015

Belinda Bencic

TORONTO, ONTARIO

B. BENCIC/A. Ivanovic
6‑4, 6‑2

Q. Hello, Belinda. Congratulations on a big win. You showed so far like at 3‑2 when she got those games back and then when it was 4‑4, you showed that mental toughness that you continue to grow and you've gotten. Compared to when you played her the first time, how far has your game come to where you're at right now?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. I think I was mentally really tough today. I felt amazing on the court, like everything worked. My legs were like so fast. And I was just in kind of a flow, and it just went really good.
Yeah, I mean I wasn't afraid to go for the shots as well. I didn't think about the score. I was nervous, but I tried not to think about it, and I think it was just perfect today.

Q. Yeah, your forehand‑‑ well, all your shots mainly but your forehand and backhand, you were just so aggressive tonight and you hit with the pace, and you felt that especially not east Bourne form but your form here that's the best that you've hit your ground strokes and was able to move and participate her shots well?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, I think today was for sure one of my best matches. I felt the ball really good, and I pushed her a lot. I did not so much unforced errors, and I was moving very well. So I think it was overall just the whole package today, and I hope I can play always like this.

Q. And with Kiki still here in the doubles and you guys had a happy week at least winning so far, are you guys planning on doing another Nae Nae and the Whip dance?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, we decided, we were so bored, I mean it was raining all day. We didn't know what to do. But we are like really good friends. We don't know each other for long, just like two weeks we've been talking, but it seems like we've known each other forever.
I hope we can play doubles together. Obviously she has her partner and I have mine, but we paired up at the last minute in Washington and it went really well. She's a really nice girl and really professional, so I hope we can play some more.

Q. You definitely tweeted out about Duval coming back. How do you feel about that and so much strength that she's shown?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. I'm so happy for her that she made the comeback. Also she's very good friends. We've been texting a lot. She played her last match against me in Wimbledon, and I mean the news, of course, we were very sad, but she's a fighter, and I always believed in her, so I'm so happy she's back, and she did great in the tournament. Quarterfinals, I think.

Q. Belinda, you're now‑‑ that's your fourth win over a Top 10 player this year, 4 and 1, I think. Yes? No, you can fact check me.
BELINDA BENCIC: So Wozniacki, Wozniacki, Radwanska, Ivanovic.

Q. Yeah.
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah.

Q. Okay. So what's kind of your reaction to that? I mean it looked like this win meant a lot to you.
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. It definitely meant so much. I mean I played Ivanovic last time, I got killed, 6‑2, 6‑1. And I mean it's just amazing because I've seen her won the French Open title. I had a huge poster on my door of my room, so it's like incredible that I just beat her. And it's really a dream come true, and I just really felt so good on the court. I knew what to do. I had a great tactic, I think, and I just stick on the game plan always, so it was amazing.

Q. You reacted like this was new, like you almost acted like you won the tournament when you won the match.
BELINDA BENCIC: I mean‑‑

Q. But I mean my question is, at what point does this stop being new to you and you start to feel like this is what you can do, that you belong with the top players?
BELINDA BENCIC: I don't know. Maybe I will react always like this, even if I'm like 30 years old maybe. I'm just so happy when I win. And I kind of always have the same scream. No?
But yeah, I mean I'm just really excited, even if I win against a player ranked 200 or something and I'm in the semifinals as I win today. But it was very special, and I'm playing semifinals tomorrow against Serena, so it's like‑‑ it's unreal. So that's why I'm so excited.

Q. Earlier Serena was in here, and we asked her about you, and she said that you're a future great, that she expects for you to be the future of women's tennis. I mean what's your reaction when you hear something like that?
BELINDA BENCIC: It's unbelievable. I mean she's for sure the greatest player of all time, and she says that about me? So it's kind of amazing that she thinks that way, but I mean it's still a long way to go until I'm halfway as good as her.
And yeah, I'm just‑‑ tomorrow I'm just going to enjoy the match. I have nothing to lose, so I can totally like go on the court and be just so relaxed. And well, I hope I will play like today.

Q. You said that you were in the flow today, kind of in the zone.
BELINDA BENCIC: Uh‑huh.

Q. Did you realize that before the match, during the warmup? Do you realize it at some point during the match? At what point do you realize, wow, I have everything working today?
BELINDA BENCIC: I realize it today when I played billiards. Everything went‑‑ I said to my hitting partner, "if I play tennis like this"‑‑ no. But then I realized I went on the court and I didn't do a mistake. And then in the second set, you know, 2‑0, 3‑0. So there I went for my shots and just everything went in.
Yeah, I mean all the time on the court I just felt like you couldn't stop me, that I couldn't just play bad, you know, suddenly. So I believed that if I kept playing like this, I can beat her.

Q. And it sounds like you met somebody before you came here, a hockey player? Connor McDavid?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. After the match I met the hockey player.

Q. Did you know him from before?
BELINDA BENCIC: I didn't know him, but I heard he's 18 years old. So he's like same age as me, you know. And it's amazing. I mean he looked much older and‑‑ yeah. Yeah. And obviously, I mean apparently he's really good. So now for sure I will follow him. I mean the results, not on Instagram. (Laughs). Maybe both.

Q. When it was 4‑3 in the match, you had a funny moment when you were, I guess looking at the Jumbotron or had something else. What was so funny that made you laugh after 4‑3 during the changeover?
BELINDA BENCIC: Oh, the guy who won the two‑day trip to Dubai, no. He was like, "yeah!" I would be also so happy if I win a two‑day trip to Dubai. Yeah, that's what I was laughing. Most of the referees was laughing, by the way.

Q. And playing Serena tomorrow and having another player that you've seen on TV and then how complimentary she's been to you overall, like how has she been overall in regards to interacting with you and with her now friendship with Martina Hingis overall. Like how have you gotten to know or talk to her or any advice she's given to you, if any?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. I mean always like Serena, as I said, I mean she won Grand Slams when I wasn't even born. No? It's true? I think so.

Q. Maybe born, but not‑‑
BELINDA BENCIC: Born, yeah.

Q. Maybe not conscious.
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah. But anyway, I'm just following her all my life, and she's a role model for everyone. I mean she's plays amazing tennis, and obviously Martina helps me a lot and she's a great champion, too. So she can give me a lot of advice. I think in every player you find a little weakness, and I really have to find that tomorrow if I want to win. Yeah, I hope I can be well prepared. I think I've played a lot of matches, I'm feeling the ball well. So we'll see tomorrow.

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