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U.S. OPEN

September 8, 2015

Kristina Mladenovic

New York, NY, USA

R. VINCI/K. Mladenovic

6-3, 5-7, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously not the result you wanted, but you played really well out there today. Obviously a breakthrough tournament for you. Are you able to take some positives at this point?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Well, thank you. Yeah, obviously was a great two weeks for me.

I think at the beginning of the tournament if somebody would tell me I will reach my first quarterfinals or semis would I sign directly.

So, yeah, of course a lot of positives for me with entire tournament. Even today if, you know, I lost, it was quite a great and big battle out there with Roberta.

I was wondering how I will handle everything. You know, it's never easy with the nerves and also her typical game. Obviously she has much more experience than I do in such a big stages.

Just everything. And also, with the tough conditions today and everything, you know, I just gave it all out there. I really tried to fight till the very last second I could.

Yeah, to be honest a little bit disappointed because it felt quite close still. Can feel and remember that only break in the third - longest game in the match at 3-All - and I felt like was few things here and there that made a difference there. She was just a bit, you know, tougher, better today.

Yeah, a lot of positives because it felt like actually was quite close to make it to the semis. I didn't, but, yeah, a lot of positives for me for all of this.

Q. To get deep into Grand Slam tournaments, major tournaments, obviously you need to have the kind of experience you had out there today. As a young player and you're developing that, to be out on Ashe and everything, do you look at today as something you have to really propel you to get this far and make it even farther in future big events?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Yeah. Well, the really positive thing is that I actually proved myself inside of me that I belong there. I improved myself I could handle this kind of stage of events quite comfortably in my head, in my feelings, in my tennis.

I also improved. I improved a lot in all aspects of my game, and that I can, from now, even if I in myself never had a doubt, but you need such a big result to believe even more in yourself to just, you know, settle down things and go back to work and say, Okay, I'm there. I want to go for more.

It's just, you know, about time, experience, I believe. And, yeah, I'm definitely looking forward for the future and excited about it.

Q. It was the first meeting with Roberta. Maybe something particularly tricky about her game that bother you? Maybe her slice? She's not a usual player.
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: No, definitely. We never played against each other in singles, but obviously I knew her game a little bit through doubles. I was expecting a very tough match.

You know, she's different player. She plays differently. She has this great slice. She has a lot of experience. She knows to settle the points really well, play tactics really well. I think she played really well tactically today.

Some shot I was really aggressive, and somehow she managed to put back the ball all the time with the long slices and everything. That made me struggle a little bit because her slices are time to time very aggressive or time to time really slow and low.

And, you know, with the conditions today I had to fought really hard during like over two hours, to all the time go down on my legs. You always have to give it back to the ball. It's not easy. It's not like you would play a player that hits the ball and maybe somehow physically would have been easier.

Yeah, definitely a lot of credit to her, because I think she was really quite solid today in all part of the game, like also the serve and forehand, her movement. Yeah, definitely a great match for her. I just have to give her credit to have been just a bit better today.

Q. Are you okay? You had a medical timeout or something in your leg. It's all right?
KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Yeah, I was definitely struggling out there. It was, from my opinion, the hottest day. Like the heat and the humidity was really hitting, was really tough for me.

But I just tried to be smart. I mean, it's about the game. I tried to use it, to try to be able to fight. It's something that happen. I'm happy I managed to turn around the match in the second set. It was quite a fight in the third. Was not a lot of things that made a lot the difference.

Yeah, definitely I struggled a lot. There is one thing I am proud of, is that I managed, even in very big difficulty and struggle to not listen to me and stay positive and just try to fight till the end.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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