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CHINA OPEN

October 6, 2017

Jelena Ostapenko

Beijing, China

J. OSTAPENKO/S. Cirstea

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You didn't serve very well today. You hit a lot of unforced errors. Still you dominated the match. Can you correct your performance with your doubles partner?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Today I think was a good match for me and Sorana. We had some really good rallies. Even I hit a lot of unforced errors, still I stayed very focused in the match and won it.

Q. Your next opponent is Simona Halep. You defeated her in the French Open finals and stopped her from becoming the world No. 1 and Grand Slam champion. This time in Beijing she beat Maria Sharapova and Kasatkina. She still has a chance to become world No. 1 if she gets into the final. Do you think you will be the one to stop her again?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, she's a great player. If I play my best and I stay aggressive tomorrow and I am consistent, I think everything can happen.

Q. With this being an indoor hard court, Roland Garros being clay, how different do you think the match will be tomorrow to what it was back in Paris?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think probably on clay court was a little bit tougher to play against Simona because it's a bit slower. As I said in many interviews, in the French Open it's very different clay, it's a bit faster.

But still she's a great player. She's playing very well this season. I know I'll have to be aggressive tomorrow and stay very focused. Hopefully we can have a great match.

Q. When you think back on the French Open final, what is the thing that stands out the most? What is the best memory? What do you take with you from that final?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think that at any score, I just had to play very aggressive and really fight because even I was 6-4, 3-0 down, I was fighting for every point, then the match turned my way.

Q. Do you think it's as easy for you to swing as freely now compared to there in Paris when it kind of felt like you almost were playing with nothing to lose? Now, I don't know, maybe it's different.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think still now I have nothing to lose. I think Simona will be the favorite because she's higher ranked.

I mean, I'm already in semifinal, third week in a row playing pretty good here in Asia. I'm just going to go out there and try to show my best.

Q. Are you the sort of person that watches a tape of that French Open final at all? Have you watched it at all, look back on it?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, actually I watched it a couple of times. I was thinking, Oh, my God, I played pretty good (smiling).

Q. What bit of it, apart from match point, do you really like?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think the match point was the winner down the line from the serve?

Q. Yes.
JELENA OSTAPENKO: So, yeah, it was just trying to hit a winner. If I missed it, I think I would have another opportunity.

Q. When is the last time you watched it? Are you going to watch it tonight?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think I watched it couple of months ago probably.

Q. Will you watch it tonight?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Maybe. We'll see (laughter).

Q. You're off to Singapore, as well. You're 11-1 since the US Open now. How important is it to maintain that momentum going into Singapore? Are you a momentum player? Do you feel that's something you've got on your side now?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Can you repeat? It was too fast.

Q. You're going to Singapore. You're 11-1 since the US Open. How important is it for you to maintain that momentum going into Singapore? Do you feel like you're a momentum player on the court?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it was probably my goal to go to Singapore, to finish in top eight and play WTA Finals. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I played I think all the players who are going there, so it's going to be very tough matches. Hopefully I will enjoy it.

Q. Since the US Open you've only lost one match. How are you feeling physically? It's been a lot of matches to play back-to-back in three straight weeks. How do you feel confidence-wise? Are you on Cloud 9 at this point, feeling like everything is going well?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course, I had a lot of matches. Wuhan I lost semifinal. I couldn't really show my best because I was way too tired. But then I got like couple of days off. Now I think I'm feeling good.

Q. Do you feel the matches in your body or no? Do you feel fatigue at all right now?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course, I feel a little bit tired because I kept playing, like, three weeks. All the weeks I made at least semis.

Yeah but, I mean, I'm physically strong, so I feel okay.

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