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CHINA OPEN

October 4, 2016

Shuai Zhang

Beijing, China

ZHANG SHUAI/A. Riske

6-3, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese, please.

Q. In 2014 in July you were ranked 30. Today you rank 31. Compare your skills, your performance two years ago.
ZHANG SHUAI: I've become more aggressive and I'm much stronger. More aggressive and more like a soldier. My coach is trying to build me up like a men's style player. I did not live up to his expectation.

I hope I will become more aggressive than I am now.

Q. (Indiscernible).
ZHANG SHUAI: My opponent was quite strong in keeping the ball close to the line. She's really good. I felt kind of at a loss. I didn't know what to do. I just held on, tried to improve.

We've been playing for such a long time. I don't feel as strong as I was in the first set. I thought in the second set I didn't have a good serve, but still I had to be aggressive as possible.

It's lucky for me to have won the second set.

Q. Some of the fans were shouting during the match. Did this affect you or impact you?
ZHANG SHUAI: It's very hard for me to expect what will be happening on the court. I would like to thank all the fans. To get each point is an effort. As a player we have to maintain our concentration. I didn't pay too much attention to the shouting of the fans.

Often I will remind the fans that tennis should never be played in a noisy environment. I hope the fans will not impact us. We need a quiet environment. This is a message to the fans.

Q. (Indiscernible).
ZHANG SHUAI: I'm not going to say too much. We know the ball is pretty good, but I'm not sure how the umpire will decide on the ball going out. If the ball is going out, I don't think the umpire should decide on this.

It was really a key point. We had been playing for two and a half hours. I did not agree with that. The opponent we very strong. I hope I do not have to deal with a strong umpire, too.

He was really tough on me. We were playing in Beijing. I needed justice. I played it on the line. It's really unfair to me. Our efforts are for nothing. If I lost the game, I don't know who I should go to. As luck would have it, I won the game.

Q. (Indiscernible).
ZHANG SHUAI: Yesterday I wore the red suit. I do prefer the Chinese colors because they are the symbols for the Chinese culture. I find them really lucky and happy.

Yesterday I went to the party, but I am not a party-goer. My friend told me, if you join the party next time, be relaxed, and don't hold your hands behind your back.

Q. Each season you will experience ups and downs. Do you find you're very lucky to improve your skills and have your best performance? For example, in the Australian Open you qualified. In the China Open you have survived.
ZHANG SHUAI: Yes, very lucky. I'm very happy to see my progress. Without the progress of my skills, I don't think luck itself will help me to win the game. It's great for me to move into the next round in Beijing, my mother town of China. This is a place where I got my first win in the WTA. Now I am going into the third round.

The China Open means Grand Slam for me. I have expended by energies for the past few years. My first win in the China Open is hike my first win in the Australian Open. The two tournaments are the two most important milestones in my life.

Q. You will play Halep. Last time you played her, you were beaten by her. Now your game is stronger. What kind of attitude will you have going into this match?
ZHANG SHUAI: I will never lose hope as I did last time. I'm not going to give in. But I will be taking a relaxed attitude. I will not put too much pressure on myself.

I just finished my competition today, just now. I almost exhausted my physical strength and my mental strength. I tried to be as simple as possible.

I'm not sure I'm going to have the game tomorrow. If I had time, I'd like to take rest. Rest is more important to me now.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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