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CHINA OPEN

October 5, 2018

Wang Qiang

Beijing, China

WANG QIANG/A. Sabalenka

7-5, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. It was an amazing level of play from you tonight. Was there some point where you were thinking you were playing the best tennis of your life?
QIANG WANG: Yes, I think I try my best on the court and just focus on the court, try my best on the court.

Q. Today when you were playing Sabalenka, she's one of the hottest players right now, at what point in the match did you start to realize that you could play with her?
QIANG WANG: You know, first three game I think finish match. Then suddenly I think maybe try one more ball, one more game, try to hang on there. So I just try to play no miss and try to play the ball hard I can play, yes. I think that's the point.

Q. Were you surprised yourself?
QIANG WANG: Yes (smiling).

Q. What have you been the most surprised about with what you've done particularly in the last two weeks, in Wuhan and Beijing?
QIANG WANG: I don't think I can play semifinal at Wuhan and here, so I'm really proud of myself I can play that good on court.

So I think I have more confident on the court, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese.

Q. This is your first meeting with Sabalenka. Do you think she is the most aggressive player among women players?
QIANG WANG: When she was leading 3-Love, I was like, Wow, that's impressive. She's incredible. Every shot full of power. She can just kill you if I play with less quality. At the very beginning, I really don't know what to do.

Q. We see great improvement from Sabalenka. I think the biggest improvement was level of confidence as well as consistency. We've seen your improvement, especially in the level of confidence in the last few weeks. Can you share with us your level of confidence in this match?
QIANG WANG: It really helps me to believe in myself when there are difficulties. I don't know where this confidence comes from. I can't really explain the source of confidence. But I trust myself on court. When I'm up or down, I trust myself to be able to overcome the situation.

Q. You did really well approaching the net and also crossover shots. Considering she's such a good baseliner, did you have a very specific game plan regarding these tactics?
QIANG WANG: No, not specifically. About approaching the net, I just play by chance. It was pure luck this match. I have been trying to improve myself approaching the net. Recently I've had more practice, so it clicked.

Q. What about your serves recently?
QIANG WANG: I didn't really have that much time for practice. Regarding serves, it was more about confidence. I didn't really serve well in previous matches, but in this match I did well, especially in those key points. I believed in myself.

Q. You mentioned in the very beginning you were very nervous, you didn't really know what to do. After talking to your coach, did you feel more relieved to face the difficult situations in the match?
QIANG WANG: Well, she was incredible in the first three games. I asked my coach, What can I do?

He said, I don't know.

Even he doesn't know, I don't know what to do then. I could only do so much on court. What I could do was to wait for her to make mistakes.

Q. At what point in the first set did you think you saw an improvement in your level, you were able to come back?
QIANG WANG: I can't really remember what happened in this match (smiling).

Q. In the first set, you lifted your arms when you won a point. It was like you couldn't believe it. Did you do it on purpose or did it come to you naturally?
QIANG WANG: It was a natural thing. During the match, you wouldn't think or design what you can do or cannot do. It is something that comes to me naturally.

Q. People say you're a very nice person, you're always smiling. On court when you are facing difficulties, you need to be tough. Do you think you've seen some improvement, and that makes you calmer on court?
QIANG WANG: I think it's both. You've seen a lot, you've experienced many matches. At those key moments, you trust yourself that you can do better.

Q. Next round you will play Wozniacki. Very different from Ostapenko, Pliskova and Sabalenka. You've met her before and defeated her. In the most recent meeting you lost the match, but the score was very close. How are you going to prepare for the next round?
QIANG WANG: She can run. She's a good baseliner. I think we have very similar styles. It will be a very tough match. She will never lose a point easily, so I have to do my best to fight for each point.

I'm very proud of myself. Whatever happens in the next round, I will do my best.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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