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CONNECTICUT OPEN

August 25, 2017

Daria Gavrilova

New Haven, Connecticut

D. GAVRILOVA/A. Radwanska

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You pulled off the shock of the tournament, maybe the shock of the year.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I didn't. I missed it. They should Photoshop it.

THE MODERATOR: 'Shock'.

DARIA GAVRILOVA: I thought he said 'the shot'.

Q. You surprised a lot of people.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I'm still thinking about that point that I lost (smiling).

Q. Did you know going into the match that you could do this?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, I believe in myself. I think I executed my game plan pretty well.

Q. Did you notice she was starting to wear down over the course of the match? Did you feel you were taking control towards the end?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yes, I felt like I was in control most of the match. I was really aggressive and taking chances on her second serve. I felt like I served pretty well, as well.

Q. How big a deal is this to you, to be heading to the finals of this tournament?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: It's a big deal. Of course, I think every tennis player is trying to get as far as they can into the tournament. I'm just really looking forward to tomorrow's match.

Q. Especially to beat a player like Aga here...
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, it feels even better beating someone like Aga. She's been top 10 for so many years. I really have a lot of respect for her.

Q. What would winning your first title mean to you?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Well, I haven't won it yet, so I'm not sure. But obviously, like I said before, I'm really hungry for it. Yeah, it will feel like I've achieved something pretty special.

Q. Can you talk about what the start of this match meant, winning the first four games.
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, the start of every match is pretty important. I played even the first point a really long rally. That's what I wanted to bring out. I felt like I had to show her that I'm here and I'm going to fight for every point.

Q. Will you come out with the same game plan against Cibulkova tomorrow as you did against Radwanska tonight?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, definitely. It obviously worked tonight. I'm going to come out fighting tomorrow.

Q. In Strasbourg you played Sam. You obviously know her really well. You went really close. Will it be different this time around? Will you have learnt anything from that match?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, every match, every tournament is a new opportunity. You don't know what's going to happen on the day.

I think having played the final, two finals, gives me a bit of, like, experience. I've experienced it before. But it's going to be a different match tomorrow, different emotions, yeah, another great opportunity.

Q. You played Cibulkova once before. She came out on top. What do you remember from that time or what do you hope to accomplish against her tomorrow, aside from winning obviously?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: Yeah, I played Domi last year, right, Wimby. I played on grass. Felt like she was almost on top of her game there. She's obviously played really well, had a great year last year.

I can't remember even the score, but it was two sets. Yeah, I'll watch some vision tonight of her match from today and make some notes, yeah.

Q. What led you to emigrate from Russia to Australia? What caused you to do that?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: I get that a lot (smiling).

I moved there when I was 18. I have always wanted to live there since I started traveling around the world when I was really young. I really liked Melbourne. I decided when I turned 18, I said to my parents, Okay, I'm going to move to Australia. Yeah, met my boyfriend there, so...

Obviously the opportunities in Australia are a lot better than Russia.

Q. Did your whole family move there?
DARIA GAVRILOVA: No. My parents, my family is still in Moscow, still in Russia.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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