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May 25, 2016
Paris, France
N. KYRGIOS/I. Sijsling
6-3, 6-2, 6-1
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Another straight-sets win, mate. How do you feel you're progressing in the tournament? Pretty comfortable at the moment?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I knew it was going to be tough. He's obviously played a lot of matches here already. I knew what my game plan was going to be. I'm really happy with the way I performed today. I thought I found my form from the back of the court. Definitely on returned, I returned a lot better today than I did in the first round.
Yeah, I'm just happy with my performance today.
Q. One hour, 10 minutes. That's really quick for three-sets clay court tennis.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, definitely. You don't really see too many of those matches go that quick, but, you know, I thought he was really aggressive from the get-go. Every forehand he had he was trying to really pull the trigger. I didn't feel he felt comfortable extending the rallies. I thought there was going to be a lot more rallies today.
I thought I served well and I returned well. I just played good tactical tennis.
Q. Were you surprised to play on Court 6? Do you think seeded players should have a bigger court or not?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not at all. I really like that court. I played juniors here. I'm used to all the courts here. I kind of like playing on the smaller courts. I think I stay a little bit more focused. The crowd was really good today, as well.
Q. Looks like a likely matchup with Richard Gasquet in the next round. You have obviously had some memorable matchups in the past. Nine match points you saved at Wimbledon, that sort of thing. Can you talk about your matchups with Richard in the past.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, I think me and Richard have had some really memorable matches. To be honest, some of my favorite matches I've played are against him. Every time we played at Wimbledon it's been a pretty good showdown.
Obviously that match you mentioned was sort of the start of my career. He beat me that year in four sets. It was a long match. We played a lot of times, and he's a great guy, as well. He's always a guy that I feel comfortable around. He's always been a guy that's been nice to me, as well.
I'm looking forward to it. If he gets through now, he's a tough competitor. I'm sure he's comfortable playing out here in front of his home crowd.
Q. I believe you played twice on clay. One of them was quite a few years ago when you were a lot younger. What different challenges does he present on clay as opposed to on grass for you?
NICK KYRGIOS: I think he's just a lot more comfortable on it. It's in his backyard here. He's played here a lot. He's obviously trained here a lot, he feels comfortable on this surface. He's comfortable with his game. We have played on all surfaces, and I think he's a great player on all surfaces, as well. He's made semifinals at Wimbledon. He can play on grass. I feel confident even though it's probably one of his favorite surfaces.
Q. Can you tell something about your progression and your performances in the Grand Slams through the years?
NICK KYRGIOS: I just feel a lot more experienced at the Grand Slams. You know, I feel like I'm still young, but I have played a lot of Grand Slam matches now. You know, I feel like a lot of the players know that I feel comfortable playing on the big stage, and I think it's just important to, if you can conserve energy in these matches, when you get to the second week, if you get there, you feel a lot more refreshed and more prepared for those tough matches.
Q. Towards the end of the first set, I maybe didn't understand this, but was there some problem with the drinks fridge?
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah, they just told me I couldn't drink the Powerade I had in my bag. That was fine. They gave me a Powerade and I was very kind.
Q. Has it been difficult for you, especially the last couple of months that people focus more on your behavior or on your comments than on your tennis or not?
NICK KYRGIOS: Not really. I think they've been concentrating on my tennis. I think I have won 23 matches this year.
Q. That's a lot.
NICK KYRGIOS: Yeah.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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