	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ROGERS CUP

August 8, 2018

Francoise Abanda

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

S. STEPHENS/F. Abanda

6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. Your first time against a player ranked that high. How do you think you did and how would you do it differently the next time?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Yeah, as I said, I didn't think I had the right strategy. But Sloane is a player who can attack really well and defend really well. I would next time try to impose my game more, try to be more aggressive. She definitely was, like, making me run, putting a lot of pressure.

Hopefully next time I'll be able to impose myself more.

Q. Was it just a case of you not doing what you wanted to do or did she take away things that you were trying to do with her game?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: No. As I said, she's not 4 in the world for nothing. She won a major now. I think, like, she has so many shots. She can defend well. She's able to do so many things on the court.

But to give a better match, I think I could have done better than 6-Love, 6-2 by trying to attack more and be more aggressive. I don't think I did that quite well today.

As I said, next time, if I had to replay, I would try to, yeah, be more aggressive.

Q. You said you're going to Cincinnati, is that the plan?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Yeah, I'm not sure. There's two options: either I go to Cincinnati or Vancouver.

Q. You need in a wild card in both?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Probably not Vancouver. Cincinnati, yes. But then it depends. Last year I got in.

Q. Qualifying in Cincinnati?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Yes.

Q. You wouldn't need a wild card in Vancouver?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Sometimes the qualifying draw is open, so it depends if I get in or not.

Q. You have to go through quallies?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: I would play Cincinnati quallies or Vancouver main draw.

Q. You need a wild card for Vancouver main draw?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: You have to check the list.

Q. You're not on the list.
FRANCOISE ABANDA: So I would need a wild card, yeah (smiling).

Q. What do you take from this tournament in preparation for your next tournament?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Yeah, well, I think it was overall, like, two good matches for me. I played two players top 50. This year it's, like, my first time playing top-50 players. I got one win, lost another one. I think it will just boost me. I have Cincinnati left and US Open and QuÃ©bec City. I really believe it will help me for the upcoming tournaments.

Q. Was it at all intimidating playing against a player that you look up to?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Well, it was just more hard on the court, like, to get points. You have to work hard for every point. Yeah, I just think she was playing at a high level. That for me was the hardest part.

It was good for me to get, like, my first match yesterday. I was really nervous actually for the first match. Now I felt more comfortable in my second match. But the matchup was hard, I would say, for me.

Q. Between tournaments, do you train here in Canada or also in the U.S.?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: I'm based in Montreal. I train here, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in French, please.

Q. Yesterday you were saying you wanted to find out where you were playing against the top 5. What did you learn from this match?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: She's a very good player. She's No. 4 in the world. She beat the best players. I wanted to do better than that, but she played very well. She's at the level of the top 4 in the world.

Q. How did you approach the match against a top player like that?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: I didn't have the right way to approach the match. If I had to play it again, I would try to impose my game from the start. I was too defensive. I really let her push me too much.

But I think with more experience I would do differently. I didn't have enough experience. I think I would try to impose my game more.

Q. You just said you were too defensive. It was the first time you were playing against a top-5 player. Was it because of the fact that it was the first time against her?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: It was the first time, but she plays against the top-10 players every week. I don't. I'm not in the same position. It was a good match for me to have more experience. Next time I will know how to manage the match better. I will know how to approach it better.

Q. After her match, about your game, Sloane said you were a good player, that it was just a matter of experience. What is your reaction to those positive words? Well, the victory was quite obvious. Sloane was saying you shouldn't worry.
FRANCOISE ABANDA: It's kind of her. I believe she played well against me. She played a smart game. I wanted to do better. But I should have approached the match differently.

Anyway, it's very nice of her to have said that.

Q. What is the schedule for your next weeks?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Next week there's Cincinnati. I'm defending a second round there. I would like to go to Cincinnati to compete. The second option would be Vancouver, a hundred thousand in Vancouver. I am registered, but I am not sure I can enter the tournament. I might need a wild card.

Q. You travel all year round in many different tournaments. Did you see the wave of love for you here in Montreal? I believe there is a fan club for you. When they heard you won your first round, everybody said, Wow. Did you feel it?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Yes, I really felt the support. People were behind me all during this tournament. It boosted me up. I would have liked to do better, but I tried my best. I gave it my all. Of course, there are some things I can improve in my game, but it's always great to play here. It's always an important moment for me in the year.

Q. What aspect of her game gave you the most trouble? Her forehand? Her backhand? Can you describe it?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: She is able to put a lot of spin on her shots. They are very heavy. But it's more from my side, I would say. I was not able to do the right things. She played in a neutral way. She didn't do too much. She just played as she had to.

Q. In the second set when you won your first game, you raised your hands up. Were you desperate?
FRANCOISE ABANDA: Well, I didn't want to lose that second set 6-Love again. It was my first game that I won. It was a celebration.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297