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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 19, 2016

Karolina Pliskova

Cincinnati, Ohio

K. PLISKOVA/S. Kuznetsova

6-3, 2-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Ask you about your match with Kuznetsova. Was your first time playing against her. How did you prepare for that match? How do you prepare for playing someone you never played before?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, we didn't have a match at a tournament yet but we practice few times, so I knew what is she playing and her game. I watch few matches of her and my sister played her, so we talk little bit before the match.

You just knew for me it's still the same thing. If I play my game and still play aggressive and serve well, then I don't have any other plan to play.

So was easy.

Q. You spent a lot of time in the last couple weeks working on your game and practicing. What did you work on during that time that you're seeing pay off this week?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Definitely the strength condition what we are doing. I mean, I feel more fit, which I think it's helping, especially in these conditions when it's tough to play. It's pretty hot and humid.

So I feel fine, and even I have two matches every day almost. So I feel really fit and good on the court, especially after those tough matches. Even today was tough singles and then I played doubles and I wasn't that -- I mean tired a little bit, but not that tired.

I mean, that's the main thing when I feel better.

Q. 15 aces today; big day of serving again. Why do you think your serve is difficult for the other players? You have a ton of aces every match it seems.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, aces are good but also the percentage is important thing, which is not really high for me this week. That's the thing what I can still improve. I was about 40% today, so which is not good. I mean, the aces are good.

I can serve big in the important moments which is good, but I have to get high with the percentage. Still happy with the serve. I think it's still winning the matches for me, so still the biggest weapon. Happy that in the end it's always closing the matches.

Q. With your serve, do you think that the returners have issue with it because you beat them with speed or with placement or because they can't read it?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think both things together. But I'm not serving that fast as I could or as many girls which are tall like me. They are serving faster, I would say.

But I think I have a good placement, and I can serve anywhere I want so it's probably tough. I don't have one serve where I would serve only, I don't know, T or something. I can serve both sides, even body, so maybe it's tough for them to read it.

Q. When you play Fed Cup you're in another zone completely. You've been the leader of the Czech team for a little while now. Have you found a way to transfer some of that zone into other tournaments?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, not really. It's totally different thing, Fed Cup. So I'm trying to get in that zone in the matches but sometimes it's hard. You don't have that many people cheering for you and watching you as in Czech, so it's really like different thing Fed Cup and the normal tournament.

But I can get there close, somewhere, in some part of the matches, but not really like in Fed Cup. I think it would help me to be there mentally like I'm in Fed Cup.

Q. Off-court question for you. I happened to see on your WTA profile that one of your hobbies is fishing, which I might not have thought.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah. It's strange.

Q. Do you get to fish during the year?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, yeah, once, twice maybe, but it's tough now. When we are younger we were getting out and going fish with my sister and father, but now it's not really a time for it.

Hopefully one day I can come back to this.

Q. What's the biggest fish you ever caught?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I'm just fishing around the Czech Republic so there are not big fishes.

Q. What do you like about it?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It's just something different. I'm from Prague now, I live in Prague, so we always go out of the city. It's just calm there. You don't have to talk to anyone, you don't see anyone, so probably the calm thing.

Q. I also saw your pre-match kind of warmup routine, a little bit of that today. How long is that process? Seemed pretty involved.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, about 15, 20 minutes. Depends like how I feel maybe how long, because I always play first match here so I always like warm up and then so the warmup before the match is not that long as if I would play, I don't know, in the everything.

Then it's different before the doubles. I just do few minutes because I already played, so depends.

Q. Thoughts on playing Garbine? You have a good record against here. You've beaten her before. Thoughts on the semifinal.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: We didn't play for a while now so looking forward to this match. Yeah, it's a big challenge. She's been playing so far amazing. She is having great tournaments, great victories, so it's going to be tough.

I think we have a similar game. Both serving and playing fast from the baseline. It's going to be about few points. I want to keep focus on my serve this time, and hopefully I can get the win.

Q. You mentioned working on a few things, especially the serve. Any other parts of your game you think you need to tune up before the Open?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: You cannot improve much till one week, so I'm just trying to keep up the level and still play aggressive. Even if I don't have a day and if I'm missing, I still want to keep my game plan.

Yeah, main thing for me is just to play aggressive. I'm not the player who can run there like 50 times on the baseline. I'm not defensive player, so I have to keep my game plan and serve well and hit big winners from the baseline.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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