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MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAÃº

March 21, 2019

Petra Kvitova

Miami, Florida

P. KVITOVA/M. Sakkari

6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. So how do you feel like you got over the finish line today? She could be a tricky opponent, but you had a good start and sort of a close finish. What do you make of the match today?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, I think I never play Maria before. Actually, we didn't really practice, as well, so I didn't really know what I should expect.

Overall, I think Jiri told me something, but every time I play someone who you don't know, it's kind of different and you need some games to kind of find out what she's playing and what she's not.

That's I think that I did very well. Was facing two break points in my first service game. From that time I felt much better being on the serve. Kind of found out what she's playing.

I break her in the first serve, and I think that help me a lot to kind of, you know, calm down. You know, I had a bad match against Venus in Indian Wells, so it's been long time to wait for another match. I have been practicing, but you really never know what's coming in the match. I'm glad that I started pretty well, which helped me a lot today.

In the second set, she tried more aggressively, I think. She really started to serve a little bit better. It was new balls, as well. She took my serve, and I was happy that I was taking the serve back straightaway, which helped me mentally, as well, not to struggle that much.

Yeah, the second set I think was pretty nice from both of us.

Q. What did you make of the conditions out there? Were they any different in a match as opposed to in practice?
PETRA KVITOVA: Fortunately the wind wasn't that bad on the center court, which help us, for sure. The conditions were pretty nice. No sun there. Actually, to me, it felt very pretty.

Q. Was it any different maybe than Key Biscayne? You talked about making new memories here. Did anything remind you of the old Miami court or maybe just all positive?
PETRA KVITOVA: Nothing, actually. Just one court, which is the Grandstand here, I practice on it. That's remind me of the old Grandstand in Key Biscayne.

But I said I don't think there is any similarity to any of those courts.

Q. Maria can hit with a pretty heavy topspin ball. How tough is it to get used to that? Especially given how flat you hit it, it can be kind of a big contrast.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, actually, she has the big contrast, because from the backhand she's pushing really flat and short balls. From the forehand, it's a bit with a spin and it's long.

So it's kind of different, and you need to remind yourself still not really go so far behind the baseline, because that's what she wanted, to make me more running there, and that's what I try to hit it more early from her forehand. So that's what I tried and played more aggressive to the forehand. She has, like, topspin. She doesn't like that aggressive balls to her forehand then.

Q. Up next you will play either Vekic or Sorribes Tormo. Donna has had a pretty good last couple of months, getting seeded for an event like this. What have you noticed, if anything, about improvements she might have made and what makes her a difficult opponent?
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah, definitely, I know she's playing better that she did before. She's seeded. She was seeded in Melbourne, as well.

Yeah, I think she's in pretty good form, for sure. I played her in St. Petersburg, which I don't like to remind myself about it, but I think it was kind of a different time of the year, hopefully.

Yeah, it will be nice match. Anyway, she likes to play aggressively, as well. She's a good server, as well.

Q. Have you gotten a chance to do anything fun in Miami? It's been pretty rainy over the last couple of evenings.
PETRA KVITOVA: Yeah. Actually, not really. I have just been in the Brickell City Centre for a coffee, and that's it. Nothing interesting. Sorry. But I have a day off tomorrow, so who knows?

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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