	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

SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL

January 7, 2019

Samantha Stosur

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

S. STOSUR/D. Cibulkova

3-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It's been pretty well documented, your struggles at home in recent years. How happy are you to pull that out?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I'm really happy. I thought I played really well, and as the match went on I got better and better.

Yeah, I thought I served great. Was really confident going into that last game because of all the momentum I felt like I had. Yeah, obviously really pleased.

Q. Obviously you lost the first set, but then you kind of regained that momentum. What helped you turn it around?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think that first set I certainly wasn't playing as well as what I did in the second and third. It was just kind of one kind of sloppy service game. Then that was really the only difference. I didn't feel like I was out of the match, by any means.

Kind of just started to, I guess, pick up on sort of, yeah, better what was going on. I adjusted a couple little things. Yeah, kind of got really going and, yeah, I think that again the serve kind of kept that momentum for me, because I was able to hold my service games, and being able to get an early break certainly helps as well.

Q. The long rain delay today and short rain delay in the third set, what was that like?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I'm glad that was pretty quick in the end. I actually wasn't too confident it was going to stop. I thought it was going to be like earlier today.

Yeah, as soon as I looked out, yeah, it's good. Okay, let's go. I didn't want to have a break for too long. That point that I played to then win my service game straight up after that little break, I think, was really important and really started again strong.

Yeah, that was good. I'm glad it stayed away.

Q. The other day you were talking about feeling more relaxed. How much of an effect has that had on your game?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think just trying to get to that. I mean, it's a lot easier said than done to play relaxed and all that, but it's kind of been something I have been obviously focusing on, trying to show, you know, more positivity and try and, you know, feed off the crowd and use all that. That's kind of been in the forefront of my mind. It's probably been for a little while, actually. And now I feel like I'm starting to be able to do that. It's not something you can probably start showing straightaway, necessarily.

Yeah, not that I necessarily think I was always negative, but I think you can really feed off that kind of emotion. I think that's exactly kind of what happened tonight. Yeah, it was great fun.

Q. You have lost a couple of times to her in the past. Did it feel immediately different tonight, or was it a matter of kind of grinding it out?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Against her? Well, I have lost the last two times that we've played, and before that I think I won the first five or something. Even so, I was pretty confident going in. I know she doesn't necessarily like playing my game and my style and all that.

But yet, not having beaten someone the last two times you have played is not necessarily great, but I wasn't necessarily concerned about that. I felt like if I could play well, I was going to have a good shot. But, yeah, she's always tough to play against. She's a real competitor and fighter. You have to put her away. Yeah, again, I'm happy that I was able to turn the tables tonight.

Q. You're obviously experienced. Has it annoyed you a little bit talking about not winning as much as you would like?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, yeah, I think I went through that yesterday and explained all that. Again, I don't feel like it's been the issue all the time for me here. It's kind of something that happened a few times, and then it just gets repeated.

Yeah, I don't know. Maybe tonight's helped change that. It's funny, because it's not like we are playing easy players, either. This is a really tough tournament, so you're playing someone who is top 30 in the world every single round. It's not a given that everyone wins everything.

I'm just doing my best and trying to get on and focus on this year, and that's all that really matters.

Q. On court you were talking about your coach keeping voluminous notes. Have you had a chat with him since the match?
SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, we haven't gone through much yet, but really just mostly again really happy with my serve that I backed myself, and especially towards the end of my match I was starting to, yeah, do better. It was not quite firing in the first set, so, yeah, he was really pleased with the way that I stuck with it and again used it as a real weapon. Yeah, just competed and went for it. I'm sure we will have a longer one tomorrow (smiling).

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297