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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 25, 2018

Kiki Bertens

Kallang, Singapore

S. STEPHENS/K. Bertens

7-6, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A solid match for the first two sets and a little bit of the third. What do you think changed in that third set?
KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, it was a tough match. I think Sloane had a good start. I was struggling again a little bit in the beginning and then I didn't play a good tiebreaker. In the second set, I played a little bit better and I think the level of Sloane dropped a lot.

And then in the beginning of the third she raised her level again. I think it was really close. It was just a few points, but, yeah, she was staying in there tough. Physically she was really well. So it was tough there today, yeah.

Q. How much pressure does she put on you just defensively? She was running down pretty much everything up until the very end.
KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, it's really tough, because you know you have to finish the point. You really want to finish the point, but you don't want to do too much, because that's also not my game. So I know like how I want to play, but sometimes it's -- yeah, well, it was good from her side that she was getting so many balls back and I missed a few too many. I think it was a really good match, in general.

Q. It's not typical that we have no idea who is making the semifinals after everybody has played two matches. Does that show, do you think, how close all of you are really?
KIKI BERTENS: I think so. I think you saw that already the whole season, like there is not one player that was really like winning almost every tournament or winning a lot of tournaments. I think everything was really close. Also in the slams you could see that.

I think it makes it really fun here that still anybody can be in the semis. I think it's going to be exciting next upcoming two days.

Q. Next matchup against Naomi. What kind of a match do you expect? What kind of plan? Maybe you cannot reveal it, but...
KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, it's going to be a tough match. Of course she has a big game, so I have to be ready for that. I have to be ready for some good serves, trying to get as many balls back into the court, and also play aggressive. Yeah, it's going to be a tough battle again.

Q. Against Kerber you said that you had to force yourself to play way outside of your comfort zone. Against Sloane, do you feel like it was the same situation, or did you feel like you could play a little bit more the way you are comfortable playing, playing against her?
KIKI BERTENS: I think I could play a little bit more like how I'm comfortable playing, because then also in the second set you could see that. I was putting pressure, and then she was missing some shots.

But then like in the third set, she was just really solid, and then I'm missing too many balls. So it's then just I think a few points, and then you start doubting and that's not -- yeah, that's never really good.

But I think it was just like in general I could play a little bit more the way I wanted to play, but sometimes maybe I had to play a little bit more aggressive, yeah.

Q. Two matches in, do you think you have learned anything particularly about the court? Obviously the format helps, because you're not out of it. Do you think you have learned anything about you in particular?
KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, I think you learn for yourself that it's like you have to keep on fighting for every point, that I can play some good tennis here against really great opponents, and I'm raising my level every match. So I think that's a really good thing.

So hopefully I can play one more good match and even maybe one or two more. So we'll see.

Q. In the first round, you kind of said, after that first set went away so quickly, Oh, I don't know, do I deserve to be here, that sort of thing. After getting that win, were you able to play this match without that layer of pressure? Do you think you'll be able to go into this final round-robin match playing just as a match and not having to...
KIKI BERTENS: I hope so. I think you're still thinking about reaching the semifinals. I think it's a good pressure to have, I think. But we just try and go for that and then we see. But I think, yeah, I deserve to be here right now. That's my feeling.

I played good tennis. I played already the whole year some great matches against top 10 players. I beat a lot of them. Yeah, and against Kerber I won and today I was again really close. Yeah, it's good that I'm here.

Q. Billie Jean King had a press conference today, and she said she was quite impressed how much you improved your serve and forehand. So do you think that is your biggest weapon now?
KIKI BERTENS: Well, thanks (smiling). Well, yeah, we have improved it a lot, I would say, over the last year, trying to play a little bit more aggressive. Yeah, that's working out well. They are my two biggest weapons, yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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