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BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE

October 26, 2018

Kiki Bertens

Kallang, Singapore

K. BERTENS/N. Osaka

6-3, [Ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was the stress level going into this match? Obviously not the way you want it to end, but does it give you an opportunity to maybe recover more for tomorrow's semifinal?
KIKI BERTENS: I think before the match I was quite okay. I was just, like, Okay, go out there, maybe it's going to be your last match of the season, give it all, and then you see afterwards what's gonna happen.

I think it was a solid match from the beginning, like, for both of us. Unfortunately she had to retire.

Yeah, it's never easy or never nice to win a match like this, but it is what it is. I'll take it and I'll take my rest, and I have some more recovery time for tomorrow.

Q. Does it seem a little surreal? You didn't qualify. Then Simona pulls out. Now you're in the semis?
KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, that's how life can go sometimes. I think I was a little lucky, maybe. But I was the first one out there, so I deserve to be here then. Now I played three good matches. So, yeah, let's play another one tomorrow (smiling).

Q. At what stage did you get an indication that Naomi was beginning to sort of struggle with her injury?
KIKI BERTENS: Well, to be honest, I didn't really see it, like, during the match. Like, okay, when she called out the physio I think the last point she was not moving to the ball like from 4-3 to 5-3. But before that, I didn't know.

I saw her in the match before that she was struggling a little bit with the hamstring, and of course she was taped today, but I think in the beginning she was still okay.

Q. Obviously you had to play a very, very full schedule after the US Open to try and chase qualification. We have seen a lot of players who have had to do that, advance to the semifinals with Pliskova and Svitolina, as well. Do you think that having to stay in that intense match mode, chasing wins through the very end maybe helped you here?
KIKI BERTENS: For me, it always helps a lot to just play matches and to keep on going. Of course if your body is still feeling good, it's easier to keep on going. So the body is still fine.

Of course it's tough, like mentally also to still another step, another step. Maybe it's every day now can be your last match of the season. Yeah, every day we give everything. I'm really happy that I can play another match tomorrow.

Q. And what does it mean to you to make the semifinals in Singapore?
KIKI BERTENS: A lot, yeah. Of course it's, like, so many great players here. And to be at the last four, last tournament of the year, it's unbelievable.

Q. Can you just look at Elina and Karolina for tomorrow?
KIKI BERTENS: Yeah, both matches are going to be really tough. I played Karolina a little bit more this year than Svitolina. But it's both tough matches. They played really well here, I would say. So I have to play a high level again, and, yeah, just give it all.

Q. That's 12 top-10 wins you got this year. Most since Serena a few years ago, which is a lot.
KIKI BERTENS: Oh. Yeah. (Smiling.)

Q. How much confidence do you take from those wins into a tournament like this where that's all you're playing is top-10 players? How much does it mean to you, just that stat, to get those big wins over top-10 players?
KIKI BERTENS: I think it's just like proof to myself that I can beat anyone. I think that's a really nice feeling.

I think before I really had like, oh, those are great players, and I can never beat them. Now I'm still thinking those are great players but I have beaten them before, so I can do it, so hopefully I can do it again today. So I think it helped me a lot with the confidence, yeah.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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