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ROLAND GARROS

June 4, 2018

Daria Kasatkina

Paris, France

D. KASATKINA/C. Wozniacki

7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. Talk about the experience of having to resume a match after stopping last night.
DARIA KASATKINA: I already got this experience in Doha last year. Yeah. First of all, it was unexpectable change the court from Suzanne Lenglen to Philippe Chatrier, so this was a little bit weird point for me, like when I serve when I just came on the court.

Yeah, but I think this is important experience, and I'm really happy at the end I was mentally more tough, I think.

Q. Yesterday when the decision to stop was made, what was kind of your mindset at that point? It would easy to say you shouldn't stop because you had the set and things. What did you think?
DARIA KASATKINA: I was happy to stop. Yeah, because it was already dark. I was framing a lot of balls, and I was getting really tired because first set took a lot of energy from both of us, I think. Yeah, and at the end I was happy that we finish on the 3-All in the second.

Q. Tell us about your emotions, how you felt after the win and what this means to you.
DARIA KASATKINA: It means a lot, of course. It's my first quarterfinals in the Grand Slam. I mean, but I already have to forget about it, because I'm playing already tomorrow. Yeah, already starting to think about next match.

Q. When you are standing there and you're on court Philippe Chatrier and Fabrice Santoro is talking to you and he says, I love how you play, how does that make you feel? Because I've been talking to a bunch of journalists and they say the same thing, just the variety, have been very impressed?
DARIA KASATKINA: Feels really great, because Fabrice here used to play really special way of tennis. And I really like the way he used to play.

For me, yeah, when the guy like this, unbelievable player, saying something to me in front of all the crowd, for sure, it means something.

Q. How important was it for you to also have this experience this year at Indian Wells and the finals that you have played, just for this match, with the delay, with starting over the next day, how important was that? Do you think you would have handled it today as well as you did without the experiences that you had this year? Or how do you feel about that?
DARIA KASATKINA: Tough to say, but I think, of course, every time we get some experience it shows in the next matches, in the next tournaments.

Yeah. I'm happy that I am getting this experience as soon as possible. Yeah.

I think I'm learning pretty fast to manage this critical situation.

Q. Are you good in strategy in your game? Some of your points were won with great intelligence.
DARIA KASATKINA: Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to play more strategy game, because I'm not the biggest girl to hit balls so hard, so I have to find different ways to win.

Yeah, this is interesting.

Q. What kind of tactical problems does Caroline present as an opponent?
DARIA KASATKINA: You're always asking this question, but I never answer (smiling). You keep asking me. It's too easy if I will just say the answer.

Q. There were some long rallies in the match where you were playing lots of attacking shots. What gives you the confidence to be so attacking even though the rallies are so long? You keep going for the lines.
DARIA KASATKINA: For me, actually, it's not really natural to hit the lines with aggressive shots. Normally I'm just, like, to run and bring the balls back.

But as I said, women tennis become very powerful. Yeah, I have to get used to it and try to not only running but also create something with my game, with my shots. That's it.

If you want to win, you have to adapt.

Q. I know you beat Caroline twice this year already, but how confident did you come into the match yesterday when you're stepping out on court?
DARIA KASATKINA: Not confident at all. Not at all. Because as I said, because of the change of the court, because of long waiting, I didn't know what to expect.

So I was just trying to play the simplest game I could. In the end, it was working.

Q. You have just come fresh off the court, but you have Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals, and you played her twice; once on hard and once on green clay in Charleston. What sort of challenges do you feel she presents in that match and how do you look ahead to that?
DARIA KASATKINA: I don't know. I didn't see one of her matches here. Of course I expect from her 100% of her abilities because quarterfinals of the Grand Slam, of course. And for sure, if I want to go further I have to also show my best.

I think it's going to be pretty interesting match to watch, because we are both, like, playing more or less and have to prepare.

Q. Ostapenko won here last year. At the start of the tournament she was an underdog and not many people thought she could win. Can you see how some people are looking at what she did last year and saying that you could perhaps do that this year?
DARIA KASATKINA: I try not to think about it. Actually, I didn't think about it before. I'm just trying not to put pressure on myself, because someone won a Grand Slam already last year, so I'm just -- everybody has his own way, and I'm following my way. So that's it. I don't want to talk about someone else winning Grand Slam. It doesn't matter.

Q. Are you going to be watching this evening's match, or the next match, I guess, on Chatrier at all? What do you think of that one?
DARIA KASATKINA: I don't know (smiling) at all. Really, I don't know what to expect from this match. I'm very bad in this, to expect something, yeah. I follow Nadal, every Roland Garros I say Nadal wins, and he's winning. Pretty good. I don't know.

I think both players want to win so much, and we will just to see because I think everybody is waiting for this big battle. Yeah, a lot of people will sit in front of TV and support their players, but I don't know. I'm not sure if I will watch this match, because my house which I rent expired today, and I have to change to hotel (smiling). Yes, this is the problem.

Q. Hold on. What?
DARIA KASATKINA: I rent a house, and it was until 5th. And today we decide to move today, so not on the match day. We are moving to the hotel. It is what it is (smiling).

Q. Did you book it to today because that's all that they had or did you book it through today because you thought you might not need it after today?
DARIA KASATKINA: You know, no, I booked it through Airbnb. So you have to pay in advance. And you never know what is going to happen and if you are in the middle of the second week it's fine to go to the hotel, you know. Yeah. I'm not complaining.

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