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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2019

Karolina Pliskova

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

K. PLISKOVA/A. Riske

7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. She doesn't give you anything, does she?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yes. I think especially the second set, we improved somehow both. It was tough. We had amazing rallies. I think we were both missing a lot the first set, so we were looking maybe for the timing little bit because was quite windy. The wind was changing. Not the best conditions or tennis in the first set.

Still we hold serves the tiebreak. Tiebreak she didn't play well. I just was a little bit better in the tiebreak.

The second set I think we played some good rallies. So many times I thought she's going to miss, and she made it in the end. Always the ball from her racquet is so low and so flat. Sometimes is very tough to do something.

I tried my best. It work out.

Q. You hit some good lines towards the end, didn't you?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I think she hit some, too. I went for it, so I deserve.

Q. How is the arm feeling after that long 5-4 game?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think I'm not worried about my arm, but more my ass is hurting. We will see tomorrow (smiling).

Q. You did look a bit gassed towards the end of that game going forward. Is that accurate?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Yeah, because I played quite long game on my serve. I was running a lot. I think she really played well in the last couple games. She didn't give me anything for free, even any returns. I just really had to work for it. I was running from one side to the other.

Because of the ball stay so low from her racquet, I really had to go down. That's why I feel my ass (smiling).

Yeah, but I think, like I said, she likes my pace, I like hers. You could see sometimes that the rallies were just like boom-boom-boom from one racquet to the other.

I just find some good shots in the end of the second set. That was important.

Q. Came close to going three. How would you have felt about that?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It would be tough, but I'm not there, so I'm happy.

Q. You have a very different opponent next in Hsieh Su-Wei, probably less bang-bang type points. Last time you played a tight one in Miami. What do you think of that challenge?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: It's going to be different. You never know what's going to come from her racquet obviously. She can play some amazing shots. She has a great feeling, great touch in the hand. It's going to be sometimes tough to do something.

On the other hand I'm going to have many chances on her serve because the serve is not her weapon. I know she beat some top players in the last maybe few months, few years, so she's for sure improving. For sure she's confident.

I don't think anybody likes really to play her because you never have the feeling that you play great tennis. But, yeah, I beat her, so I'm pretty positive.

Q. Playing your first tournament since Australia, how are you feeling about your form?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: Well, I felt good. Obviously I played two matches in Fed Cup, which helped me quite to don't be that much out from the tournament, from the matches. I feel good actually. I feel I'm playing pretty much similar.

Of course maybe I played some matches better there, but here it's just different. I was out for a few days. Also maybe the timing is not always the best on my shots. But I'm slowly getting there.

Now I have two really tough and good matches against tough opponents, which is important always. Yeah, another chance tomorrow.

Q. A lot of the other players talked about the conditions being challenging. How have you found them?
KAROLINA PLISKOVA: I think every week is challenging. Every week somebody likes the conditions a little bit more, somebody less. It's always like this.

Well, I don't feel perfect, but I'm still in the tournament, so I'm not going to complain at all. I think you just have to adapt for what is there. I've been here few days, so I did anything possible to just be ready to be feeling little bit better.

Of course, in the match, never going to be 100%. You never going to kill all balls and make everything in the court. But I'm trying. So far the conditions are fine.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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