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US OPEN

August 30, 2019

Johanna Konta

New York, NY, USA

J. KONTA/Zhang Shuai

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Looked like a very impressive performance. I think that's your eighth third-round win at a Grand Slam. Any reason why you seem immune to losing in the third round?
JOHANNA KONTA: Famous last words, aren't they (smiling)?

No, I don't think I'm immune. I'm sure it will happen at some point in my career. But I thought I just handled, I guess, the game well today. I think I went out there anticipating a tough match.

I think I was prepared to adapt whenever I needed to. I thought I just dealt with the challenges well today of the opponent I faced and also the conditions. Again, it was blustery. No match is easy. Third rounds are definitely not easy. Overall just pleased.

Q. You seem to bring out your best or play your best at the Grand Slams, three times semifinals. Can you talk anything about that? Do you raise your game mentally, physically? You've become a big-tournament player.
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think I've had some pretty good results outside of slams, as well. I mean, I'd like to do even better at slams obviously. But I think I'm definitely pleased to have made it to the second week of the last three slams. I think that's a really good achievement for me.

Overall I'm just looking forward to, again, playing Karolina in the fourth round. For me, I'm looking forward to a match against her again this year. I don't think there's necessarily any specific magic click or pill or anything, but I definitely feel like I've been giving myself every opportunity possible to get better and grow.

I don't think I necessarily allowed losing in the first round of Toronto or Cincinnati really to discourage me in any way. Like I said, if I look at it from a big-picture perspective, I've played a lot of matches this year. I think coming into US Open this year I just tried to, yeah, keep along the same path more than anything.

Q. She's an opponent that you've beaten I think now four times in a row, all in straight sets. What is it about that matchup that really seems to go your way?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think there's always going to be matchups on tour where it might be working a little bit more in your favor than not. However, that doesn't guarantee an outcome of a match.

I think my first round, for example there, against Daria, that's probably one of the tougher matchups that I have for me. I think that can equally go against me, for example, today. So nothing is a given.

I think overall I knew playing against Shuai that she was going to raise her level, she was going to come out playing inspired. I just felt prepared for whatever was going to happen. I thought I just played the game well. I thought I gave enough variation. I thought I just asked enough good questions. Just pleased to have, yeah, come through really.

Q. Question about Kristie Ahn, who you know from players council. What is she like, what do you make of her run here?
JOHANNA KONTA: I don't know how she's doing.

Q. She made the third round here.
JOHANNA KONTA: Oh, awesome. I think we must be playing on alternate days. I don't know.

I mean, she's great. She's super intelligent. She's very engaging. She's always very good to talk to. I think she's great on the council. I think she always expresses her opinions very eloquently and confidently.

Yeah, no, I enjoy spending time with her. Congrats to her, as well.

Q. Ultimately you lost to Pliskova earlier this year. What do you remember about that occasion? What can you bring from that experience positively into the match on Sunday?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think it's guaranteed when you go on the court against Karolina that there's going to be parts in the match, especially in the service games, when there's not going to be much for you to do. So I think just going into the match with good tolerance.

Then overall bringing forward I also like to think that I've also even grown as a player since Rome, as well. I am actually looking forward to seeing how I can do a bit better, how I can just maybe ask some better questions this time around, yeah.

Q. You've been around this round a few times now. What does experience do to your level over the years?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, for sure experience is a massive part I think in dealing with different things. I don't know actually. I think experience obviously through playing matches, but then also on the training court, as well, in how you continuously evolve and develop, I think that ultimately then better prepares you each time you get to a position in a tournament.

I'd like to think that although I've experienced fourth rounds here before, I've also been doing a lot of work in the time since I've been in this position. I think it was 2017, yeah.

Yeah, playing against a tough opponent again. That doesn't, yeah, make it any easier. Yeah, sorry, don't really know what else to say.

Q. You say you're a better player than from when you last played Pliskova. In which ways do you feel your game has improved over the last five or six months, maybe two or three months?
JOHANNA KONTA: I think, more than anything, it's just probably decision making and also probably in terms of when I play certain things or how I play certain things. I think just general awareness on being on court, just aware of what my opponents are doing.

I think I'm putting a lot of time and effort in being very open to the game when I'm out on court. I think that's been something that has been getting better for me. I feel like it's enabled me to just play more relevant to the opponent that I have.

Q. You played Karolina in a 25K years ago, 2011. Do you have any memory of that?
JOHANNA KONTA: No. I mean, like back then, I don't know if I played her or her sister, I don't know. I mean, there was a period where I was playing both of them all the time. I can't remember which was which, so no.

Q. With the new batch of members on the players council, it's a very young group, almost everyone is under 30. What do you think that will be like as a leadership group?
JOHANNA KONTA: I mean, I think we'll find out. I don't know. I mean, I know that the girls who are coming on, I mean, they are equally passionate and intelligent and really motivated, which is a really good position to be in.

We've got a lot of players on tour who are not on the council or have been or will be in the future who are very, very motivated to do right by the game and to make it a better place for the generation that comes after us.

I don't think there's bad choices when it comes to who's on the council. I think we've got a lot of very good choices.

Q. A lot of people talk about Karolina's serve. You've played Serena as well as Karolina. How would you compare? Obviously Serena's is the greatest shot of all time. How high up there is Karolina's serve?
JOHANNA KONTA: Well, I've played Karolina a lot more than I have Serena. I mean, also I haven't played Serena for over a year, as well. I mean, I don't know.

I mean, does Serena have a bigger serve? I think she probably serves a bit faster, a bit bigger. Karolina is incredibly accurate. I don't know really the massive difference between the two. I'm sorry.

Q. What you were saying about how your game has developed the last few months. Are you enjoying your tennis more now than, for instance, in 2017 when you were in the semifinal?
JOHANNA KONTA: I don't know if necessarily more, but definitely a different way. I think I'm enjoying more of it, if that makes sense. I think because I'm more in tune and more invested, more aware of everything that I'm doing, because I've become more self-sufficient in the decisions I'm making, as well, outside the court, as well. I think overall I'm just enjoying more of what I'm doing, the different aspects of what I'm doing.

I think it's just a bit of just evolvement in my own career. I'm just enjoying the whole thing a bit more.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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