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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2019

Elina Svitolina

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

E. SVITOLINA/G. Muguruza

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were on fire.
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I was trying to find my best game. I think I touched it a little bit today. Yeah, I was playing quite solid, so yeah.

Q. Would you say this is your best match of the year?
ELINA SVITOLINA: No, I wouldn't say so because I had to really work hard my way into the match. I played really good last week. I cannot say I played badly against Halep. Unfortunately I lost. In the end, it was a good match. I took lots of positives, even though it was very painful lose. I played well in Australia.

I cannot say it was my best. I really needed to work my way into the match. I always been like this.

Q. She's a former No. 1. Hasn't played necessarily at that level this year. What is the mental mindset playing against someone like that?
ELINA SVITOLINA: The most important is to go out there and focus and play every point like really focused. You know she obviously a good player. She been on top for long time. She won the big tournaments. She can come back into the match any moment.

Tennis, as we know, there is some comebacks possible. That's why I just had to go out there and be ready for everything. In the end, that's why the score is like this, because I was really on it today.

Q. Quarterfinals now. When do you start getting nervous about winning again?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, when probably I'm match point in the final. For me every match, every point here, is very important. I try to focus only on that. I defended the title in Rome, so I know how it feels. I know here last year I defended, as well. I know what I have to deal with.

Now I'm happy the way I played this match, so I'm going to try focus and be ready for tomorrow. The tournament is still early.

Q. After the match against Simona, are you happy how you were able to close tonight?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Of course, I was not happy. You mean today?

Q. Are you happy tonight?
ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, of course. Any match you win, you are happy.

It was 5-2. It's very rare when I really up and lose like that. It happens, of course. For me, of course, I happy that I won.

Q. This is your 11th successive win here. What about this place gets the best out of you?
ELINA SVITOLINA: I don't know because every year is different. Every year I have to really work hard. I had really tough battles here for the past three, four years even when I coming before. I played semifinal I remember against Sara Errani when she won here. It was unbelievable battle. I played some really tough matches here.

Even on that weeks when I were winning, it's not easy. It's not like I was touching the ball and everything was in. I had to work my way into the match each time.

Q. You have Carla next. What kind of challenges does she present when she's playing well?
ELINA SVITOLINA: She's a player, very different, I would say, little bit. She change the rhythm. She plays one hand. You have to adjust your game to this little bit.

In the end, I don't want to think so much. As I already mentioned yesterday, I don't want to think so much about who is on the other side of the net. I want to focus on my game and what I have to do. The ball comes to my side, doesn't matter who is on the other side.

Q. In the past would you find you sometimes focused too much on your opponent?
ELINA SVITOLINA: It happens. You do sometimes. I mean, you are human, so sometimes if you're playing someone, you think today they are playing so good, maybe today is not my day.

In each match, you can find the way to win. So there's no point of really thinking what's the other person is going to do because you don't know.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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