	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

BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 10, 2019

Bianca Andreescu

Indian Wells, California

B. ANDREESCU/S. Voegele

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Did you feel you're progressing each round or a little bit hard to tell today because she wasn't at her best or you just hopped on her right away?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yeah, that was the goal from the beginning of the match was to put pressure on her serve, which is my return.

And on my serve, as well, I tried to take control right from the start, because I know that's what she likes to do, so I kind of beat her at her own game today.

I tried my best to change the rhythm. I know she also doesn't like that, so it really worked well today.

Q. How does it feel to make the third round here at a premier mandatory?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: That's crazy. It's crazy, really. If someone would have told me I would have gone to the third round of this tournament at the beginning of the year, I would have said, You're crazy.

It's just an incredible experience. This is one of the best tournaments in the world, so I'm just really, really happy.

Q. I had a source that said you had a practice match with her at some point a little while ago.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: With Stefanie?

Q. Yeah. Didn't go so well. How could it have turned around so much today?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yeah, that was in Australia. My back was hurting at that time. I actually stopped the practice.

But, yeah, she played different, I felt like, in that practice match. She was taking the ball a bit earlier and hitting a bit harder.

But that's practice. This is a match. It's different, so...

Q. Does it make it extra special to see that your success here is parallel with the success of Felix and Denis?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Definitely. We're all killing it. It's great. We have played so many junior tournaments together, and it's so nice to see each and every one of us at the top of our game at this stage in our life, only 18, 19, which is pretty incredible.

I think all that really contributes to our successes. We motivate each other. If one person does well, it's really nice to see.

Q. Are you progressing through the tournament? What do you feel you're doing better now than you were right at the beginning?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Of the tournament?

Q. Yeah.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I'm getting used to the atmosphere, the courts, just everything. Just being here, too. Every match I play, I gain more and more experience. I think it's showing.

Q. What do you know about Wang and about playing her in the next round?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I actually didn't know that.

Q. You're actually playing Serena.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Oh, God (laughter).

I don't know how she plays.

Q. She did well in Asia in the fall, do you remember? No? Okay.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: No. I'll definitely check her out online or in practice tomorrow. Whoever gets to the fourth round, third round, is an incredible player, because this is a high-level event.

I have no doubt that it's going to be a tough match. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. Do you know if she beat Mertens or you didn't know that Mertens was there, either?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: No, I don't know who I play in the next round. I like to focus on the present moment.

Q. Do you think of yourself as a favorite in some of these matches, like today or the next round?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I don't know how to answer that. All I can say is that I know the crowd was for me today. I heard a lot of, Hi there, Bianca. Let's go Canada.

So maybe in this match I was, yeah.

Q. Do you feel you were having so much momentum you were favored to win the match?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Oh, okay. Not necessarily, no. No.

Q. You have been racking up the wins all season long. Do you remember ever being this confident before in your game?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I don't think so. I think I'm really at the top of my game right now. It's different playing the challenger level tournaments and the juniors.

I did have a lot of success in that, too, but it's different because I'm playing against top-level players. I think if I can continue doing this, gaining more and more experience, playing throughout these tournaments, then I think it only gets better from here.

Q. Do you think the confidence makes it easier for you as you progress?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: For sure. I think confidence is everything in a player. If you have confidence, you have better days. If you're confident in your game, then you just go out there and give it all. I think confidence is definitely one thing.

Q. Simona said she remembered practicing with you in Canada a few years ago, maybe around -- obviously at Rogers Cup, I guess. She had some words with you at the time about playing juniors and maybe not needing to play juniors. Do you remember that conversation at all?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Of course.

Q. What was your side of it? What did it feel like to get that advice?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yeah, it's nice to get any advice from any top-level player. She's my idol, so it was really nice to hear that from her.

I did make the switch a couple months after that. I think it definitely helped.

Q. What were you doing yesterday morning at 11:00?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I don't even remember what I did two hours ago.

Q. There was a tennis match on on Stadium 1 here.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Oh, I watched Felix. Yeah, that was an incredible match. He played really, really well. He made Tsitsipas look pretty bad (smiling).

Yeah, I'm really, really happy for him. It's nice to see all the Canadians doing well, and Gabby, as well, too. She won her doubles today.

Q. Can you analyze what's happening with Felix as a player? What's allowed him to play this well?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Confidence, for sure. He's been doing really well throughout his whole career, really. He's such a hard worker. I see him in the gym all the time, on the court, working hard. It's really nice to be around that, because that also gives me a lot of motivation, too. He's a really big hitter. And if he keeps improving his game, he can be really, really good.

Q. The bracelet that you wear that goes up here that I see -- it's still there. What exactly is that? At some point in the match you pulled out a jar and sniffed it and put it away.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Oh, that's a secret. But this is, I don't know, I guess it's just my thing. During preseason, I was always holding it here. I have never worn these hair ties before, but during preseason I bought a couple, and I was just wearing it around my wrist. And then I was noticing that when I was hitting forehands it kept flying off, so I just put it up there, and it looked decent, so I just kept it (smiling).

I like to be different. So I guess I'm starting a bit of a trend, because a lot of people actually have messaged me about it saying they're wearing it now too. So it's pretty nice.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297