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CHINA OPEN

October 1, 2017

Wang Qiang

Beijing, China

C. WOZNIACKI/Wang Q.

6-1, 6-7, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions in English.

Q. The crowd especially in the second set were really rooting for you, kept the enthusiasm throughout the rest of the match. How did that make you feel playing on a home court in your home country with the crowd behind you?
WANG QIANG: It's very exciting for me because big court, in my country. I think second set I play really good. But at final set is a little bit -- she's mental stronger than me, so that's all.

THE MODERATOR: We'll continue with questions in Chinese.

Q. In the second set, in the tiebreak, you were very strong. Which part didn't you play well, because she is good at defense and you are also good at it?
WANG QIANG: I'm really very tired playing her because she made no errors. I need to reduce my errors to be fully prepared to attack her. Maybe from my side, I had more errors. I would like to attack more. In the first set and third set, I was in a rush, and didn't take advantage of some chances.

Q. You came from Wuhan. Were you impacted by previous matches, impacted by travel?
WANG QIANG: I was a little bit affected. I need to refresh my body energy and hopefully play well for the next year.

Q. You previously mentioned facing such a high-level player. For some critical points, you were not as good as she was. Have you made any effort in playing with such players, and has your foreign coach given you any tips?
WANG QIANG: Actually today it's not only some critical points. In the first and third sets, not so many critical points. I think my opponent was very aggressive. She made fewer errors than me. She made changes faster than me. It was really tough for me.

Q. Sharapova is here. People commented you are the Chinese Sharapova, at least from your looks. Sharapova has a biography called 'Unstoppable'. If you had a biography, what would you name your book?
WANG QIANG: I haven't thought about it, what name. Daily Life of a Silly Girl (laughter).

Q. I would like you to talk about your foreign coach. From Wuhan to Beijing, there were many expectations on you. It's very challenging for you to play this match. Do you have some behind-the-scenes stories, what were the tactics by your foreign coach?
WANG QIANG: You mean, his arrangement of the two matches, Wuhan and Beijing?

Actually, in the Wuhan match, I haven't thought much about it. It was surprising for me that I could win in the first match. As for the draw, this time that was my fate, my luck there. I played two weeks matches, then get rested after that, then come back next year.

Q. These are the final matches for you in your season. People say you were not very lucky in the draws. You always faced some very strong opponents in the first rounds. How do you look at the draws?
WANG QIANG: When I played very badly in the past, I hoped that I could face some very good players. Now since I've become better, I'm faced with top-10, top-20 players. It's not a bad thing. I think it's a process of accumulating experience. You cannot always face people who are at the same level as you or below you. I think for the long-term it could be helpful for my career.

Q. You said the goal of this season is to reach the top 30. Now it seems a little bit difficult because you lost some matches. If you look at the performance of this year, if you make next year's goal, will it be the same goal?
WANG QIANG: I need to reach this goal first. My whole year's performance is okay. Just for the Grand Slams and for the (indiscernible) matches I was not that outstanding. For these matches, these are compulsory.

I am not that behind top-20 or top-30 players. I have beaten some top-10 players, though I have a gap with some top-10 players. I'm sure I can make it into the top 20 or top 30.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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