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SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL

January 11, 2018

Angelique Kerber

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

A. KERBER/D. Cibulkova

6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You're now up to seven wins in a row to start the season. Your confidence must be soaring.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I mean, this stat is not bad for 2018, for sure. Still, I mean, I'm just trying to focusing on every match, trying to learn from every single match.

I mean, being now in the semis again here, it's really a good feeling, especially that I had the goal, like, to have a lot of matches before going Melbourne.

Yeah, so far it works, and hopefully I can have two another ones.

Q. What do you take out of this particular match?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I mean, it's always tough to play against Domi. She's fighting until the last point. She's going for it if she has the chance. She's never giving up.

So I was trying to being focused until the last point and trying to, yeah, play like I played the last two matches here and trying to going for it.

Q. You were down a break early, 2-Love, and then you won 12 of the next 14 games. Against an opponent like that, that's great. What do you put that down to, to keep that kind of consistency and dominance on the scoreboard?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I think she starts very good. I need a little bit more time to find my rhythm.

Yeah, I think at the end I was just trying, you know, to going for it and not thinking too much against who I'm playing, just trying to doing good like I did the last few days and trying to playing consistent.

I think this is also what it's always important if you go out there to play really on a high level, yeah, a long time.

Q. Do you feel like you're getting back to your 2016 form?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I mean, it's just the beginning of the year, so it's tough to say. But I'm feeling good. I'm healthy.

I was working hard in the last few weeks, so now I just am trying to playing like I played years before and enjoying it again. Yeah, just trying to playing and trying to winning as lot of matches as possible.

Q. When was the last time you won seven in a row?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know (smiling). I don't think last year. I don't think it was in 2017. I think 2016. Yes.

Q. So that must feel good that you're making progress?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, it feels good. But like I said, I think every day it starts from zero, every match. Of course to have now a lot of, like, a lot of confidence to going for the next matches, this gives me of course like a lot confident also for Melbourne then to going there.

But first of all, I'm here and playing the semis tomorrow, and this is all I'm focusing right now.

Q. The Australian Open draw is happening now. Have you seen anything?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: No, nothing. No.

Q. You play Anna-Lena, your teammate, your German teammate, Anna-Lena.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Anna-Lena Friedsam?

Q. Yeah. In the first round.
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, okay. Good. Yeah, it will be a German match. I don't know what to say now, because I didn't know this, but yeah.

Q. Well, I imagine you know each other's games very well?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah. She was injured the last few months, so, yeah, she's a big hitter, as well. So I think it doesn't matter against who you play. I think you have to be ready from the first round.

But like I said, now my mind is not in Melbourne. It's still here. So I will be ready for the next opponent, which is Giorgi or Radwanska, and then I will going step by step.

Q. When do you give yourself permission to look at the Australian Open draw or think about that? You have just won your match now, so...
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, I think I will heard it from all the people around. I think it's not I don't need to look on the draw. I think you guys will tell me what's going on there (smiling).

Q. We can tell you one more thing. Maria Sharapova is very close to you in that draw, potentially try for the third round. What are you expecting from her?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: I don't know. I think we will see. I mean, first of all, everybody has to win the first round, and then we will see what's happen in the next rounds.

Q. Is it nice to see her back and playing again?
ANGELIQUE KERBER: Yeah, she's back and she played not bad in the last few weeks. So yeah.

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