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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2019

Karolina Pliskova

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

K. PLISKOVA/C. Giorgi

6-4, 3-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It was a great match. I don't know what is your opinion.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I have same feeling.

Q. Did you think she played also very well? And if it was decisive probably the fourth game of the third set up 3-1 after 16 points?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, I had the same feeling, that it was a good match from both of us. Obviously there was couple of mistakes which I would love to change. On the other hand, she's putting a lot of pressure so it's not easy to play against player like this because she has so much power in her game. So it was not easy always.

Not always I was able to do something with her shots because she can hit pretty big, obviously. I think I played some good points, she played amazing points, too. There were couple of good rallies. But I had chances, lot of chances, in the second set. I think I definitely could do better there.

Maybe I didn't have to play the third set, but maybe I could lose the first set as well. I'm just happy I made it even in the third one. I pick up my game a little bit, the level. I got better in the third one. I stepped a little bit closer to the baseline. I think I was far in the second set. Many chances on both sides.

I'm feeling I'm always close on her serve. Even my serve, the first couple points in the game I always won, but I was not able to win those games in the second set. Then I had some breakpoints in the third set. I think this game was huge to go the break up. It gave me confidence. I was feeling better. I believe I'm not going to lose my serve any more. We got new balls, which helped me for my serve. Yeah, in the end I broke twice.

Q. How hard was it to keep your head and your cool when you're playing her and she's playing that well? Sometimes it's not in your hands.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, there are players like this. It's not always about me. She is one of them. There's not many. I think playing as fast as she is.

I believe that there are going to be parts where -- I knew it's going to be parts where she's playing amazing, then parts where she can miss pretty much everything, too. She didn't give me much today, I think. She gave few points, but here and there, not very important points.

I think I had the feeling I had to work for it a lot today. So pretty positive about my attitude today, about the way I fight, even though I was sometimes getting frustrated in between the points.

I didn't gave her that many points in a row, so I was ready. I was fighting for some games. The games were pretty long sometimes. But, yeah, it's not easy because sometimes I felt like I played good shots, but she can still play better.

The match point was great example how sometimes things can go with her. You feel like you played some unbelievable shot, deep or fast, everything, but she just can get there, she can play quickly back, and there is not much what you can do.

I had to be patient to wait for her mistakes.

Q. At Wimbledon you were the only one of the top eight who made it to the second week. At the US Open you were one of three. Here seven of you have done it. Does it feel like things are coming together, sort of a more expected tournament when you look around the locker room, see who's still here?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I mean, everybody is still talking about the seeded players, if they're in the draw or not. I think it's not only about the seeded players. There's a hundred different players. You still have to fight for every round.

I don't see any reason why there should be always seeded players. It's not always about this. Look at this match. Look at, I don't know, Halep-Williams. There were so many third rounds incredibly tough. The seeded, they cannot always win. Sometimes it goes more for the outsider. Sometimes the seeded are doing better. It's a lot of us there. It's getting tough.

Obviously, if you get seeded player in the third, fourth round, it's always a little bit more difficult because the match is getting tight, they're more experienced, maybe a little bit better than the outsiders. They get nervous more.

I take it match by match. For me, I don't feel any difference by playing seeded and not seeded. If you're not playing Serena or somebody like this, which is completely different level, you still have to work for it. There's not going to be anything for free, not even from the unseeded players.

But this tournament I think the seeded are doing pretty well.

Q. How do you feel making it to all three of the last second weeks in a row, the only one of the top players able to do that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, pretty confident by not losing this year yet. I think I played some good matches, obviously last few weeks. Good tennis, good practices in between those days, too, which is important. I'm feeling great. I love Australia, as I said before. I always feel good energy here. I try to do my best.

I feel like these conditions can be good for me. So I played good the last two years here. I lost tough matches in the quarterfinals. I'm just happy that I'm back in the fourth round, the second week. It's always my goal in the beginning of the Grand Slam. So, yeah, I made it. Now we have next steps.

Q. You mentioned you haven't lost yet this year. Does it feel you're on this streak? And also look ahead to Garbine.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: If you are winning matches, doesn't matter how you win or how you play, just the thing that you are winning those matches, close matches. It's not always going to be like 6-1, 6-2. Some players are difficult for me. Sometimes I just have some ups and downs.

Just the matter that I'm winning all those matches, it's very important. It's giving me special confidence, especially after winning Brisbane, now coming to the second week.

I feel like I just always want to give myself a chance to play the top players, which I did right now. I'm going to play Garbine in the fourth round. Overall I think about her, I saw she was playing quite well this week, too. She's a good player. She has played big matches, too. For sure is going to be tough. I have good people around me. Let's say it this way. I know how to beat her.

Q. Having Conchi in your corner will give you a bit of an advantage?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: For sure. But I beat her already without Conchi, too. I know what to do. That doesn't mean that I'm going to win. I do my best.

Q. You talk always so fast. I am thinking you're still playing and you are full of adrenaline. Is it always like that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: No, I'm always talking so fast (smiling).

Q. Aren't you surprised that Camila has never been more up than her best ranking of 27? What explanation do you give? 27 is low for the quality of her game.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think today or probably this week, she won pretty easy her first two matches. For sure, she was feeling well. But I'm good player, too. There is no guarantee she's going to win these matches. I think she has a good chance.

But you have to be more consistent. I think she got better last maybe two, three years, because I played her before and she was very, like, up and down. She could miss so many things. She could double-fault 20 times in a match. I think she's doing better now. That's why she's seeded. She was I think never seeded before.

She's still dangerous for a lot of players. I think she has to be more consistent.

Q. She beat nine top-10 players in her career. Apparently not consistent enough.
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I don't know. I'm not following her career. Like I said, I think she can be dangerous for a lot of players, especially at the top, because she's playing without fear. If there is somebody who is a little bit tighter or nervous or whatever, she can be dangerous. Like today she was dangerous. If I'm not feeling the best, she can beat me today.

But probably she's losing the different matches against the top players, so maybe for second rounds. She's still 27. It's not bad.

Q. Halep versus Serena, what you make of that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: For sure the best match now in the draw, in the tournament. I think it's going to be challenge for everybody, for both of them, of course, because they didn't play. When was the last time when they played?

What I saw a little bit here and there, I saw Serena was playing quite good this week. She didn't have any very top players, but she was playing good. I felt she's confident pretty much.

She's going to put a lot of pressure on Simona, for sure. Look, Simona came back, I don't know, the second round when she was losing. It's good to have matches like this. To win the tournament, sometimes you have to go through these matches. I don't think anybody can really win a Grand Slam without losing a set, fighting back from some tough moments.

I think Simona can be dangerous. For sure she's not going to give up. She beat Venus today. That's probably going to give her some confidence, too. I think it's open. Of course, Serena is dangerous. She's playing well. Sometimes you cannot do much. It's going to be open, but for sure good match.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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