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ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2018

Karolina Pliskova

Paris, France

K. PLISKOVA/L. Safarova

3-6, 6-4, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. What was the key to turning that match around after she got the first set?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think second half she was for sure better. I was struggling a little bit with my serve. Didn't have much of first serves. She was just pushing me. I think she played well.

I didn't play my best, but I was just fighting to hold my serve, especially in the second set.

I know maybe if I do the second set, physically probably she's not feeling the best right now because she's not having many matches. I don't know how much she practiced.

But, yeah, and that's what happened in the third. I felt better, and I think she was struggling a little bit physically.

Q. You said you didn't feel yourself that well. Does that concern you at all during the first set or do you know, okay, I'll probably click into gear at some point or --
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No. I think I always believed that I can win, but this time I felt like she's playing really good, and I don't have any weapons just to beat her, although I know normally I have, but anything was just working for me today, not my serve, not my shots.

I think she was just playing overall better, faster from the baseline, better serve. So it was not much what I could do. I lost two times, three times my serve, which is tough to win the set still. But I had my chances, but she always played a little bit better than me.

And like I said, I waited for the chance. And then the game on 5-4, she helped me quite a lot to get the set. And it was the first couple of mistake which she did actually, I think, in a row, so I was able to break pretty easily.

And physically I was just there, so I could play even more. So I think I was feeling better and better with my game when the match was going on.

And, yeah, I could play a little bit longer as well. And I know she was -- I felt like she was a little bit tired and she was doing more mistakes in the end.

Q. How much more comfortable are you at Roland Garros this year after how well you did last year?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Still not comfortable, no.

But, yeah, somehow it's little bit similar as last year. So the game is the not best, but somehow I'm still winning two tough matches. So next one is coming right now with Maria. So for sure it's going to be tough.

And for sure now I have to play my best tennis. Otherwise, it will be tough to beat her. Because I think she's playing very good right now all the tournaments what she played.

She's playing just well. So I have to play even better than I was playing today.

Q. What do you expect from that matchup? More specifically, I think you only played her one time before at Fed Cup. So what do you think it will be like playing her at a Grand Slam and on clay and?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: She's a big champion, so for sure she's going to play well. And I know she's just going for her shots always, putting full speed in forehand, backhand, serve. But she can also give you a lot of free points, double faults.

What I saw, a couple of matches. I just didn't see her much playing, but only a little bit. Stuttgart, Madrid.

So we will prepare for sure. It's going to be a little bit different than today. But Lucie also playing pretty fast from the baseline, so maybe the game is going to be similar to today.

But, yeah, I think she has big weapons for sure, Maria, and she's going to go for it. And for sure she wants to win a lot now. So she has lot of reasons to win, so it's going to be tough.

Q. Does this feel like a big -- to us it feels like a big third round match probably a lot earlier than many would think usually. Does this feel like a big match for you or you don't care about that, or what's the mental approach to that? Feels like things are ramping up rather quickly.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: For me, it was from first moment when I saw or when they told me the draw. So for me it was the goal to play her in the third round.

I was struggling little bit to get there, but I'm there, so I want to enjoy a little bit. For sure it's going to be good match, good court, good atmosphere hopefully, and hopefully good tennis.

So for me it's just another match, another challenge, because I didn't play her. It's one of the top players which I didn't play quite long time and only one match. So it's going to be challenge for me for sure. And hopefully I can, like I said, improve a little bit, and I believe I have a good chance to win.

Q. How do you feel you both matchup in a way how you play? Because you're more of a contact player so you don't always hit the ball too hard, just more of how you feel the ball as well, and she's going a lot more aggression maybe. How do you feel the matches could pan out?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It's tough. I think she can do a lot of mistakes, like I said, a lot of free points from double faults. She can just miss a lot, but she's going to have a lot of winners.

But I have to maybe be a little bit more aggressive than I was today for sure. That's what I want to be always, but not always is going my way.

Better backhand I think she has. So I have my plans, so the serve has to be there for sure.

And I believe I have better serve than she, so I think that can be the deciding key.

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