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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 23, 2018

Garbine Muguruza

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

D. KASATKINA/G. Muguruza

3-6, 7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Why is she so tough to beat? Second tough match you've had against her.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, well, I think she likes to play when she's under pressure. Her best tennis comes when she's about to lose, I feel. With the matches she normally plays, she's always in danger, and all of a sudden she kind of comes back.

I think she has a good fitness to be able to run a lot. I think that's what, you know, help her today.

Q. What else could you have done to win that match? You had three match points.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, well, I think I had to play them better. But I think, you know, she was not missing a lot. She was inspired when she was under pressure. I had to all of a sudden hit an incredible shot or a winner or something like that to kind of break a little bit the rally.

Q. How do you feel about your own game tonight?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: My game was fine. I feel I really struggled physically because I've been playing so many matches in a row. Today was very physical.

At the third set I really notice it because my legs were starting to get very fatigue. I think all the accumulation came up a little bit.

Q. What do you take from the past couple of weeks? You have shown very good form.
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think very positive because I managed to play a lot of matches, good ones, final and semifinal. I think it's a great two weeks.

I'm happy to leave from Dubai with the feeling that I gave everything I had.

Q. You had the epic match in Brisbane, as well. What makes the matchup against her so close?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think she likes to play with the top players. I think she feels a little bit like nothing to lose. I've been checking a little bit her results. When she has to play a top player, she normally always surprises.

I think today she really was playing good and came back.

Q. When Conchita came down to speak to you, what kind of things did she tell you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I think I struggled a little bit physically because I felt the accumulation of the matches were coming up.

I think she played very good. I think she keep fighting. She was a little bit more fresh.

Q. When do you travel to the States?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I'm going to go as soon as possible. I want to prepare, rest a little bit. I feel like I played a lot of matches in the row, especially at night. A little bit of fatigue.

I'm going to deserve be just laying down at some hotel, swimming pool.

Q. You had a few unforced errors over the backhand side. Was that frustrating for you?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Her style of game is like that. She hits a lot open to my backhand. Yeah, I think I make maybe few mistakes more than I should to be able to win the match.

But overall I feel quite happy with my game.

Q. When you lose the match that you have match points, mentally what do you tell yourself after to get over it?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, you're very upset normally when you lose a match that you had match points because I'm not in the final, and she is. It's very disappointing.

But I was there. I was expecting a very difficult match. That was an option that I expected. Like you said, the first one it went my side, this one her side. I'm looking forward for the third one.

Q. In the second set especially, did it occur to you you could have tried different shots, slices or dropshots, maybe something different?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, I don't normally do a lot of dropshots, so I don't think I'm going to do in a tiebreak a dropshot.

I just felt like she under pressure was playing better. Maybe more conviction, I don't know, some shot I had to pull out to break the rally.

I think she came up and didn't miss at all, especially in the tiebreak.

Q. What is she capable of doing?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: I think she always puts on trouble the top players. I think she has a style of game that she's far back, she makes you work a lot the point. I think she likes to play with the top players. She doesn't have I think a lot of pressures. I've been looking her results. Always when she plays a top player, she plays very well.

I think that's a part of it, I guess.

Q. Can she win big ones?
GARBINE MUGURUZA: Well, she has to play all the time like that. I feel that's the key with all these young, talented players. You have to really prove week after week when you face the tough opponents you're going to win. That's actually what she has to do.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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