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MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 11, 2017

Svetland Kuznetsova

Madrid, Spain

S. KUZNETSOVA/E. Bouchard

6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. A solid performance tonight. First set was close in the beginning, but then you pulled clear, and even the rain delay didn't stop you in the second. Assess how you felt out there today.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I mean, I kind of didn't know exactly what to expect because I didn't play Eugenie for a while. I train with her I believe in Sydney a little bit. But clay, she been winning matches, so I want to see how she's doing like that.

First of all, I got impression that I could make more breaks in the first set. But some things didn't work, so I did a good work on my mistakes between the sets.

I think in the second one, I start to play better. I had more control. I was knowing every time what was going on with the match.

And the balls, with the rain, they got a little bit heavier. It was a little bit difficult to construct the points because it was just different. The timing a little bit was difficult, but the rest was fine.

Q. When you go out there and play somebody that you don't know entirely what to expect, as the match went on, what did you find worked? What did you find you needed to keep doing that seemed to work against her?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, the thing is, like yesterday, I didn't know what was going to happen because I didn't know the girl so well, the Wang. What's so funny (smiling)? If we all start laughing, it's going to take a while, this press.

I think I could read a little bit better what she was doing. I also stopped to rush because I was rushing a little bit. Eugenie tried to play fast. I was kind of playing also fast, but my game, and still I was rushing for me a little bit too much.

Q. Rain delays are always hard to deal with, especially late at night. How do you keep your focus?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, I was just there. I was just asking, Please let's not go to locker room. It takes a while. It was 4-Love. If it's 2-2 or 3-All, it's a little bit different. But still I knew I'm in the control.

That happened to me many times this roof with Serena. It was horrible. It never worked for me.

Here I was saying, I'm in control, no rush. Yeah, I mean, the experience probably works.

Q. You play your doubles partner in the next match. Do you approach that match any differently than you would approach any other match or is it just the semifinal of a premier mandatory?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, the thing is it's the game on the court. It's the tennis we're going to play. How we go along off the court, we're going along very well. We practice here. It was crazy wind. We tried to play some games. Was, like, really difficult.

And yeah, I mean, Kiki is playing great on clay court. I think it's her best season in her life, in her career. Definitely she has the momentum. I'm also playing good on clay. So I think it's going to be very interesting match, something interesting to see.

We texted after the match because we do congratulate each other almost after each match. We say, Let's do it, let's have a good match.

I think it's going to be good. But overall, to answer your question, a little bit shorter, I'm just going to approach that match just like it's a normal match probably, yeah.

Q. Before the tournament started, I think in Stuttgart as well, you were saying you had been playing well but you needed matches. This year compared to last year you didn't have as many matches under your belt. Now that you're getting these wins, are you feeling your name is starting to come a little bit more as we get closer to Paris? Are you feeling like everything is kind of coming together at the right time for you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I mean, I don't want to be playing my best clay court tennis in (indiscernible). Definitely I would love to win everything everywhere. We know it's impossible. Nothing is impossible, but we know it's kind of impossible.

I'm trying to take each match one by one, that's it. I didn't have enough matches on clay. That's what I meant. But over the season I'm pretty confident because I had a great wins. I'm feeling much better in confidence than past year, that's for sure.

I'm just looking forward to keep improving and play more matches and hopefully you see my name (smiling).

Q. Two years ago you made the finals here, but that was after a row of long, long three-set matches. You were pretty physically tired at the end of that. How are you feeling now physically going into the last two days?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: And horrible scheduling, that also was a part of it. I mean, doesn't matter (smiling).

Yeah, it's the only late match I had. I just need to have a good rest tonight. Hopefully I can go sleep soon and sleep well. That's the most important thing. But overall I feel much better.

Definitely after that match I had against Riske, we enter with Kristina at the court at the same time, we walk out the same time. We basically played like two hours and a half both of us. We went to doubles court, we were both dead. We were trying to play, had a great doubles match, but we lost. We came out and then we had a day off.

This help us a lot. We didn't have quite three-setters the past matches, so I think it's good. I feel good.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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