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U.S. OPEN

August 28, 2018

Jelena Ostapenko

New York, NY, USA

J. OSTAPENKO/A. Petkovic

6-4, 4-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Tough three-setter out there. Very difficult conditions, I would imagine. You prevailed. How did you feel about your win today?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, of course winning is always good. The way I finished the match, I'm glad. But I had more opportunities, especially I won first set and 3-0 up. Then my game level dropped a little bit.

But my opponent, she was playing very well today. I had really to win, like, every point. She was fighting till the end. And I'm happy when, in the third set, I was 5-4, 30-15 and serving. Then I lost until 5-All.

But I'm happy that I was fighting till the end and I managed to win the match.

Q. How difficult were the conditions out there with the heat?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, of course conditions were difficult today. It was very humid and also very hot, but it was the same for both of us. I mean, we had to deal with it.

Q. How much does that 10-minute break help? What do you do during the 10 minutes of the heat break and how much does it help?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, I think it helped me a lot. I went, actually, to the bathroom and changed the outfit for the new one to be more fresh and just stayed in air conditioning for, like, 10 minutes. I think it helped me, because then I went back on court and I broke her serve straightaway. Yeah, it helped me.

Q. But she said that when she went back out, it felt like 5 billion degrees out because of the air conditioning. You didn't mind that, the change of temperature?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, when I came after this 10-minute break, I felt actually a bit better, because I was in air conditioning, and then I came back and I felt like it's not that hot anymore.

Q. Really?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I felt different from her, probably.

Q. What are your thoughts on the new serve clock that's been implemented?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, I'm not big fan of it, because sometimes when you -- before your serve, you have to, like, look there, because if you're late, then you get a violation. I think it's kind of more pressure for me.

Q. Do you see it as, like, a distraction or is it just something that you don't like to deal with, or...
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, it's a little bit strange because it's in just since couple of tournaments and we still are not used to it.

But I'm not big fan of it.

Q. What did you make of the new stadium? Did you get a chance to practice on Armstrong? How is it different in practice versus a match?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Actually, I had an opportunity to practice there, and I really liked the court straightaway. Of course, I like to play on very big courts. Yeah, enjoyed my time there today.

Q. Was it important for you to kind of get this three-set win? Having those tough matches, does that help you in any way?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think it's very important to win those tough matches, because first rounds are always tricky. And it's very important to win the match when you're not playing your best probably. It gives you more confidence then.

Q. Did you feel like you weren't playing your best today? What do you think you could improve on?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, I felt like I'm playing some moments. Some moments, I'm playing really good tennis, but some moments, my level dropped and it was, like, during the whole match. I mean, I could have served better today probably.

Q. Going into this tournament, where is the confidence level on the whole for you?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, I had good practice week before here, and I felt pretty confident. Going out today, I also felt confident, but I think the conditions were a bit different from the days I practiced, so it was -- everything, especially the first rounds are always tricky.

Q. The way that you play and the success that you have had at slams when you have had it, does it matter to you, matches won before a tournament, a big tournament like a slam? Do you need those matches or are you somebody who knows that you can play good tennis regardless of whether or not you have had a lot of matches coming into a big event?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I mean, of course, it's going to be difficult if you don't play any matches at all before a Grand Slam. You need just a couple of matches. But still, my main goal is to play the Grand Slam. It doesn't matter, I mean, how I do in those -- of course, I want to do great in those tournaments, but if I lose, it's okay. It's like a preparation for the Grand Slam, because it's the main tournament.

Q. What has it been like working with Glenn Schaap? What is he trying to work on with your game?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, he's very experienced coach. Probably he's working a little bit different from the other coaches, and we have been playing a lot of drills and working on my consistency, my serve.

Q. What do you make of the city and what do you make of New York?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Yeah, I mean, it's a great city. Probably it's the city which never sleeps. And it's always something happening in the city. But I really enjoy time here, and especially staying in Manhattan, I think it's so much fun.

Q. Any chance to do anything special when you're here or something you like to do?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: Probably not yet, because I have only like Thursday, and I had things to do and practice also. So I didn't really have time. But hopefully after tournament, I can see the city and do something.

Q. How much confidence do you take from making that run at Wimbledon? Obviously you had the good run in Miami, as well, but to kind of get a good result at a slam after especially what happened in Paris? Like, did it change your mentality at all in terms of, I don't know, whether it's confidence or belief in what you can do consistently?
JELENA OSTAPENKO: I think I also, like, changed the coach, so that was, like, a positive thing for me. Because I lost the French Open first round, so I had to change something. And we have been preparing very well with Glenn for Wimbledon, and I just felt very confident going in that tournament.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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