	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. OPEN

August 31, 2016

Catherine Bellis

New York, NY, USA

C. BELLIS/S. Rogers

2-6, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A great win. How did you turn that second set around? Then the third set looked like you were fired up.
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I think in the first set I didn't have a lot of rhythm. The points were kind of quick. Couldn't really get my feet involved in my game very much.

In the second, I just told myself from the beginning my feet need to be way fast faster, I need to be way sharper to comeback and win that. Obviously she's such a great player. I lost to her before.

I think just being really focused and getting my feet involved and getting really pumped up is how I did it.

Q. You mentioned having lost to her before. In your mind, what was the biggest change, the surface or...
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I think the surface did today, played to my strength. I think I played a little bit better today than the last time, too. A little bit smarter.

Q. You played with a lot of emotion out there today, played off the crowd, especially the group in the corner. How does the crowd help you?
CATHERINE BELLIS: It makes me play better. When I get them involved -- I mean, today was the turning point of the match when I started winning a couple points, started stringing a few together, got them involved, and that just kept pumping me up even more and made me play better.

Q. Did you know the group in the corner?
CATHERINE BELLIS: They came out to first-round qualifying and have been to every single one of my matches since. One of them messaged me on Instagram and asked for tickets, and so I got them into my box today. Yeah, I guess we're getting closer. Yeah, they are a great group. Oh, my god. They call themselves Team CiCi, so it was fun.

Q. Are they from California?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I think they're from Rhode Island. I think I read that in one of their Instagram bios. I don't know much about them at all. (Laughter.)

Q. You're likely to keep moving up in size as you go along. Is it likely to get you more charged, or do you think it might be a different story if you were on Ashe?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I'm not sure. I never played on Ashe before. I'll have to see. I think it would just be even better for me, more fun for me.

Q. How different is this moment now compared to two years ago?
CATHERINE BELLIS: It means so much more to me. I think now that, like, I got through two rounds -- a couple years ago I got through one, but getting through two, and also, like I said the other day, passing qualifying was huge for me. Getting through the last two rounds was really, really big.

Q. The other day you spoke about your situation with prize money, expenses, so forth. You already moved up to a suite. What do you think can you do now? Buy the hotel?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I think I just moved up to a regular suite. Maybe the presidential suite this time. (Laughter.)

No, I think I'll just stay in the room I'm in now. I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of it.

Q. Next match, Angelique Kerber. What are your thoughts on her?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I've never played her before. She's 2 in the world obviously and an amazing player. It will be a lot of fun for me. I haven't put much thought into it yet. I'll think about it tomorrow or in a couple days when my match is closer.

Q. If that match is on a show court, will that be a positive for you? Will you feed off the crowd playing in a bigger environment?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I think that will definitely be a positive for me. I don't think it would be any different than today or my past couple matches.

Q. Is it safe to say you go out and just swing for the fences and play with no pressure, or is that too easy to say because of your age?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I don't feel like I ever played like that. I feel like I always put pressure on myself to not necessarily win, but always to play well, play my game. That's never been a part of my game. I don't think I'll do that.

Q. We know you like to play in front of a crowd. It fires you up and gives your best tennis. When that dynamic happens between player and crowd, do you feel like you're shifting into almost a performance, or is it just that it amps you up? It's almost like you start performing.
CATHERINE BELLIS: That's actually a really good question. I think both a little bit. I think it puts me in like a different world. I feel like I'm not even here when I hear people like that group we were talking about. It's surreal to me. But it's so amazing.

I think it's a little bit of both.

Q. Does college feel further away with another US Open main draw win?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I'm not sure. I think it's the same for now. But, you know, we'll see how the rest of the tournament goes for me.

Q. Do you go in really expecting to win against Angie? Is that what you put on yourself?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Oh, I mean, I definitely can't say that, but I always want myself to play well. I always put -- I wouldn't say pressure on myself to play well, because that's a harsh word. I think it's more I know that I can and I know that, you know, all my hard work is going to pay off.

I think that's more me playing well. I'm just going to focus on myself.

Q. You've never played Angie?
CATHERINE BELLIS: No, I have not.

Q. Did you see her on her great run at Stanford a couple years ago or on television at the Australian?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Oh, yeah. I think everyone has pretty much seen her move up the rankings in the past year. Yeah, definitely Australia. Watched her there. Yeah, great player. Unbelievable.

Q. Did you see her at Stanford in person?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah.

Q. Obviously she's really had this great arc in her career where, through hard work, she's emerged to become No. 2. Is that something that impresses you, inspires us?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Oh, definitely. That just motivates me to work harder. I think seeing that it's possible, you know, hard work being able to pay off I wouldn't say this quickly because she's always been really good, but in the past year she's just done even better. I think that's definitely inspiring for me, yeah.

Q. Going back to today's match, last time you played Shelby she came out on top. Today you did. What was the difference?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I think I played a little bit better today. Obviously, like we talked about, the court surface was different. I played her on clay a couple months ago. Today was on hard court.

Yeah, I think obviously the emotions out there and everybody that was cheering for me, that really helped me, too.

Q. You were able to get a connection going with the Grandstand Court. What do you like about it?
CATHERINE BELLIS: It's amazing. It's so amazing. My coach and one of my friends and I, we snuck on and hit before the qualifying started. I think we might have been the first people who hit on it, I want to say. I don't know.

But, yeah, I think we were one of the first people to hit on it. It's so amazing. I mean, oh, my God.

Q. You said you played smarter this time around. Could you be more specific? Was it things you learned from that match or between then and now? What did you do that was more intelligent than the first time?
CATHERINE BELLIS: I think it wasn't necessarily strategy or strategical, but I think it was just different shots and shot selection. Last time I played her it was three sets, too. It came down to -- I mean, I can't say a couple points in the last match because she beat me pretty bad in the third set.

Yeah, it was just a few shots that I think I'd -- say, like she had me on the run. Say I went for a down the line in the last match; I'd go for a cross-court heavy in this match and then would end up winning that point just because I played that shot a little bit smarter this time.

Q. What are your off days looking like while you've been in New York? The last five or six days or so, what have you been doing?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Not very much. I've been pretty tired on my off days. I think tomorrow actually I have doubles, so it's not a full off day for me.

I've just been hanging out with my friends that have been here, seeing them, going out for dinner, doing fun stuff. But not too much. Nothing crazy. Just kind of relaxing.

Q. In California you lost to Venus. It must have been an incredible experience to play a legend. Talk about that experience. How does that help your game?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Oh, my God, it's helped me so much. I was just thinking about it the other day. I was talking about it with one of my friends. I've played both of the Williams sisters. That's so amazing to do at my age. I'm so honored to have played against both of them.

When I played against Venus it just taught me so much about -- what she's doing at her age is unbelievable. She's done it for so long. It's just amazing. It taught me a lot about my game, where I could improve on certain aspects of my game.

Q. When she said those kind words about you, did that inspire you?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, for sure, definitely.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297