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U.S. OPEN

August 31, 2016

Roberta Vinci

New York, NY, USA

R. VINCI/C. McHale

6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk about the match. You have been playing straight sets to start off here first two matches. Great way to get going?
ROBERTA VINCI: Yeah, start much better than the first round. First set so quick, easy.

Second set a little bit tough, but it's normal. Save two or three back-to-back points.

At the end I won a great set. Christina is tough opponent. She has a good kick and also a good forehand, so for me it was a tough match. But I play good today. Very focused, very consistent.

At the beginning a little bit tight, a little bit nervous, but is normal. But on the second set I managed to stay calm, focused, and try my best every single point.

Q. Players often talk about the difficulty of a first match in any tournament, but especially in a Grand Slam tournament. Just getting the feel, getting your rhythm, and so forth. Now you're two matches in. Do you feel like you're really getting back to -- you handled this tournament very, very well just last year. Do you feel like you're getting...
ROBERTA VINCI: Well, now I'm feeling better. The first round is always the toughest one.

But, yeah, step by step you can play more confident. Yeah, the atmosphere, the courts, you can play better.

Now I'm just keep going. I'm so happy that I won two matches here, tomorrow rest, and then focus for the next round.

Q. Two different years, but last year you were ranked 43rd in the world, not seeded. Now you come in here as a finalist from last year, the seventh seed. Right away you get to play on the big courts. Talk about the difference of what it's like to come back.
ROBERTA VINCI: Yeah, it's nice. It's nice of course to come back. But of course you have a lot of pressure.

Now I'm 7 in the world; a lot of points to defend.

But probably the key is don't think about this. Just play every single match. Stay positive. Just think about the opponent, about my game. Don't think that I have points.

And then, of course, it's better to be No. 7 than 43 in the world, of course. (Smiling.)

That's it. Just play and don't think too something else.

Q. With pressure, obviously players talk about how pressure can be bad and they don't play well under it. Do you remember a time when pressure helped you, when it was good to feel pressure?
ROBERTA VINCI: Never. No.

Q. Not at Fed Cup or anything?
ROBERTA VINCI: Well, I don't remember, but of course when you feel pressure you have to think that it's normal. Is normal. Like here I have a lot of points to defend, a lot of pressure. But I just think that I can play my game. Don't think about this and try my best. If I lost, it's okay. I go home and practice more.

But is normal to have pressure, I think.

Q. We were talking about last year versus this year. Obviously you got to seventh in the world by succeeding. You're a young woman, 33. I mean, that's getting up there in the tennis world. What do you attribute the success that you have been having as of late? Working harder? Is it your team?
ROBERTA VINCI: Yes, more experience, working hard. Nothing special.

Yeah, same theme, same things. Nothing special, no. Just playing hard and work hard. Yes.

Q. Experience?
ROBERTA VINCI: Experience, si.

Q. Have you played Putinseva before?
ROBERTA VINCI: Yes, I play.

Q. What's it like to play her? She's a very unique energy.
ROBERTA VINCI: I played against her in Brussels, I think, on clay court, but long time ago.

She's funny. She's funny on the court. (Smiling.) So will see. I think she's losing right now, so I don't know if I'm playing against her or the other one. But we will see. I don't know. We will see. Maybe I don't have to play against her.

Q. And if you don't you'll play a young German, Witthoeft.
ROBERTA VINCI: Yeah. She's good player. She's young player. She play strong. She's strong. She serve good, I think. I have to do my game.

I cannot play backhand on top. Just the normal way. Some slice. Always the same thing. Try to play aggressive.

Is the third round. I'm so happy that I won two matches, but I want to continue and keep going.

Q. Have you ever, when you played players that hit a big ball, try to be aggressive and -- maybe you do it less now because you're older and more experienced - but maybe when you were younger get sucked into that type of game where you tried to play more...
ROBERTA VINCI: It's not easy to be aggressive against that kind of player, but I have to do. With my serve, with her second serve, try to play aggressive, but sometimes is not easy, of course.

Not tomorrow, the day after, I will try my best on that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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