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US OPEN

September 3, 2019

Bianca Andreescu

New York, NY, USA

B. ANDREESCU/T. Townsend

6-1, 4-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Pretty strong finish from you. How did you adjust from the second set?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I tried to just make her play as much as possible because in the second set, I felt like she was doing that to me. I was missing more.

I just told myself to be more aggressive, but also patient at the same time.

Q. Pro American crowd, how did you navigate the atmosphere?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: It wasn't easy. But I heard some Canadian fans here and there, which was nice, especially in tougher moments. (Smiling).

No, it's not easy. I tried not to pay attention to that. It's hard when it's, like, everyone. I'm glad with how I managed to just keep my cool.

Q. You picked apart her serve and volley attempts pretty well, 12 of 16 when she came in. How much did you practice that, prepare for that? You had to know that was coming.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I made sure I practiced that in my practice yesterday. I worked a lot on that. I think it showed today.

But I think I have pretty good passing shots in general. I'm glad that came out tonight.

Q. What did you have to figure out in her game? What was the challenge once you got out there?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Well, she doesn't give you any rhythm whatsoever. She'll hit a flat ball, then a spin any ball a slice, she'll come to the net. In those moments I just tried to keep up with her, make sure to put pressure right from the start of the point with my serve, with my return.

I think I did that pretty well in the first and third set. That's why I was winning the points. After the second set, that's what I told myself, just to make sure I put my first serve in the court because I know she was going to attack my second serve. I double-faulted a lot, as well.

Yeah, I think my return also helped me today a lot.

Q. You won five matches losing just one set. It looked as if you couldn't establish a rhythm. How hard was that? What do you think you did to get some rhythm going?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I tried to take the momentum from the first set into the second set as much as I could. She was just on top of it really in the second set. She played really, really well. She was coming up with incredible shots, just getting me off balance. Obviously the crowd really helped her, I'm sure.

But I just tried to stay in my own bubble. I tried to just focus more on myself and my game. I think that's what set aside the second and third set.

Q. It felt like you had a lot more solutions for the Townsend problems than just passing shots. You moved up close to try to return quickly to rob her of time, you had the lob going, four or five different things that you showed her. Are those things you worked on or things you were able to create on the go?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I've been working on that ever since I started playing tennis. I like to change the rhythm. I think I'm a pretty good problem solver on the tennis court. I wasn't always very good at that. It developed over time, I guess, with practice.

I'm glad that showed today.

Q. Would you say your level is getting higher by every game? Can you compare to what you played in Rogers Cup?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I actually think I'm playing better here than at Rogers Cup. I think the scores also show that. It's definitely nicer to win in two. It's easier on the body and on the mind. My goal from the beginning of the match to the end is to stay focused throughout the whole match. I think that's what I've been doing really well this week.

Q. Similarities between you and a lady who came from Toronto 35 years ago. She beat a qualifier in this round like you.
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yes.

Q. Any connection, impression about her?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I've never met her. I was supposed to meet her at the Rogers Cup one day, but she wasn't feeling well. I think that was after the semifinals or finals. She's done incredible things in her career. I strive to be like her and even better. I think she paved the way for tennis in Canada a lot.

Q. Have you ever warmed up against somebody who starts at the net with volleys?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Never.

Q. Were you warned about that?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I was warned. I told my coach we should both be at the net right from the start, see what happens. I totally forgot about that. But, yeah, it's different.

Q. You're in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. What is the level of internal joy on that?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: It feels awesome. I've been working and dreaming of this moment for a really long time, so it feels pretty damn good to be in the quarters here.

Q. You also seem like you're even-keeled about it. Do you feel that's not enough or what is your sense of that?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Yeah, I guess not. I am really happy, but the tournament's not done yet. I think I can do even better than get to the quarters here this year.

Q. Do you expect to win this tournament?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: Every tournament I go into, I want to win it. Yeah, I expect a lot from myself which I -- yes, to answer your question. But I'm going to just take it match after match because I know I have a lot of tough opponents before I reach the final. I'm just going to enjoy this moment right now and hopefully I can win on Wednesday.

Q. Mertens is next. Your thoughts on her as an opponent?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: She takes the ball pretty early from what I've seen. She tries to put pressure right from the start of the point. She's pretty aggressive. I know she has a pretty decent serve, too. She fights really hard.

I'm just going to go out there and play my game because it's been working last couple months. So, yeah.

Q. Learning how to deal with the New York crowd takes players time to do. Tonight, what do you think you learned in terms of managing that?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: I'm just really happy with how calm I stayed during those moments. The time my racquet flew out of my hand was not me throwing my racquet. It slipped. I meant to hit the ball on the other side. But, yeah. Then I got a boo, which was nice (smiling).

Other than that, no, I think I kept my cool. I think that's the one thing I learned today. If I just keep calm, I stay as positive as I can, I think the crowd can't beat me.

Q. You talked about your confidence. Have you ever felt that confident in a tournament?
BIANCA ANDREESCU: No, not at all. I'm just taking the momentum from Rogers Cup into this tournament. This year has been the best year of my life so far. No, I've never felt this confident before.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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