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QATAR TOTAL OPEN

February 15, 2018

Catherine Bellis

Doha, Qatar

C. BELLIS/K. Pliskova

7-6, 6-3

Q. Great win. Do you feel like underdog in this situation helped you or do you not think about these things when you're playing someone who's so -- your first top five win?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I think when you're playing girls ranked this high, you can't really think about it. You just have to kind of play the ball. And yeah, I've just been trying to take it one point at a time, one game at a time one and one match at a time, so that's really been helping me.

Q. Does it feel like a big milestone has been reached by beating someone top five or is that not something you think about either?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah. I think it's definitely a milestone. It's great, but you know, definitely move on to the next one and just start thinking about tomorrow.

Q. And what do you think suits you? You said you love playing here multiple times, but is there anything in particular you can pinpoint? The courts, the weather, the people, the food?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Probably all of it. The food we've been going to Nobu every single night, and I love it. So I think that's definitely helping me. I've been having ice cream after dinner every night. I think that gives me a bit of energy, personally. And I think, yeah, it's definitely everything combined.

Q. So do you order the same thing at Nobu or?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I have been.

Q. Okay. What have you been ordering?
CATHERINE BELLIS: So we edamame to start, and then I get a shrimp tempura roll and then miso glazed cod. So good.

Q. It looked like she was really struggling to try to hit through you, and I'm kind of curious as to at what point you kind of noticed that, yeah, you were hanging in those long rallies and really frustrating her?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I mean just going in today I pretty much thought track down as many balls as I could. It was similar to my match yesterday I think. But obviously she's ranked a bit higher, so I knew I had to be even a little bit sharper. I think, you know, in the end of the first set I was really finding my groove, and figured if I could take this first one and start strong in the second, I think I could do it.

Q. Was there anything about her game today that surprised you one way or the other?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Well, when I played her in Brisbane, she killed me, and I was super nervous before that match. It was the start of the year. It was my second match of the year. And yeah, she was playing really well there, serving really well; and I knew I had to be super on top of it from the first point today, and that's what my team and I discussed, from the first point I had to be 100 percent rather than kind of get into the match and take a few games. So I think that was a big part of it.

Q. You said on court that she was one of your idols. Can you talk about that a little bit, because I think a lot of people are like, hold on, Pliskova is only 25 or 26. What did you mean by that?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, I mean I've just watched her for the last few years, and she's really gotten to the top of the world. And I think I definitely don't play like her, but I love the way she plays and I just love watching her game. It's really pretty.

Q. Next you play either Halep or Sevastova who are on court now. If it is Halep, for example, going into that sort of match, world No. 2, another opportunity to get a really big win, is it nerve wracking? Does the mentality change now that it's quarterfinals and it's late in the tournament?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Well, she definitely plays a bit different than Pliskova.

Q. Just a little bit.
CATHERINE BELLIS: And yeah, I think just going into it, same like mindset as today, just trying to be super solid on the ground strokes and just really get into the match and see where it goes from there. But I'm just really excited, I'm playing really well here. So it's just a great tournament for me so far.

Q. You said you weren't bummed to get to play qualifying, and most people are bummed when they're like the No. 1 seed. How helpful in hindsight were those two pretty handy wins in the qualifying draw?
CATHERINE BELLIS: It was honestly so helpful. I think just getting used to the courts, and in qualifying I actually played on courts one and two, and yesterday I played on two and it was a match under my belt on that court, and that's huge in later at stages at a tournament like this. So it was super helpful.

Q. Just I mean because you have played qualis at a lot of tournaments around the globe, do you think that these events here in Doha and Dubai that they are, because of the conditions, that maybe that they're a little bit more unique, that qualifying is even more helpful here? I know at Indian Wells it's like that as well because the ball can jump, and qualifiers are quite dangerous in the first round. Do you feel it's the same way in the Middle East?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, for sure. I think it could be even a little bit more helpful here, just like getting here and getting used to the time, the courts, the weather. It's different than any other part of the world. So it was huge for me to definitely get through qualifying.

Q. I don't know if you know already. Simona won the first set. Maybe you will play with her. What would it mean to you to play against a player that's No. 2 in the world? Maybe she will be again No. 1 and what do you think about her season till now?
CATHERINE BELLIS: Yeah, her season has been awesome. I've watched so much of it, and it would be super fun to play her, just as fun as going into my match today. So I think it would be awesome if I get to do that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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