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CHINA OPEN

October 4, 2019

Ashleigh Barty

Beijing, China

A. BARTY/P. Kvitova

4-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The other night, you said the beauty of tennis is we have another opportunity to go out there, it's a new day. You were frustrated with your play. Today you looked like a transformed player. What did you do in the last two days? What was different about today that allowed you to find such a high level?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Well, I mean, yesterday I had a complete day off. Didn't come on-site, didn't hit balls. I hit enough tennis balls this year. I'm not going to forget how to play.

It was more just about making sure the mind and the body were fresh, to give myself an opportunity to play at a decent level today.

From my opinion, that was one of the highest quality matches I played all year. Petra always has a way of bringing out the best in me, she really does.

From both of us, I think the level was incredible. Regardless of winning or losing, I think I'd be sitting here with the exact same perspective, kind of the same feeling of the match afterwards.

Q. Talk through the match a little bit. Obviously took a while until you were able to get an opportunity to break her serve at the end of the second. Big save of those five breakpoints. From a tactical perspective, where do you think things were able to shift to your side?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think I didn't do a hell of a lot wrong in the first set. Even the game I got broken, I didn't even really give a couple of cheapies. It was Petra doing Petra things.

Her level was outstanding today, in particular in the first couple of sets. She served very well, got a lot of cheap points. I wasn't able to do that. She was able to take my spots away from me.

I think in the second set there, after a quick chat with Tyz, it was just a little bit of a change of intent, I suppose. Running the gauntlet, running the risk a little bit of knowing if I'm trying to get up and after my serve, she may have a few more looks at second.

That's always a challenge, trying to be assertive and get free points without giving Petra a bunch of looks at second serves. I think I was able to do that really well, look after my service games well for pretty much all, bar that one that I got broken in the first and in the third.

Q. Your return was also excellent. In the second set the stat came up that you got 96% of your returns in.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: That's great.

Q. How much of a tactic is that? How much of a focus is that, trying to neutralize Petra's serve? Is that just a happy coincidence or you were seeing the ball nice?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: A bit of both. I think it's definitely an area of focus against Petra, is to try to make as many balls as possible, purely just to get yourself in the point. When she's rolling, when she's winning free points on service games, yeah, you don't get much of a chance, don't get much of a look in.

Saying that, I think the game I broke, I played a couple of unreal points, had to come up with some real quality stuff to get myself back into the match.

Yeah, in the third I got a few more looks at second serves as well in bunches, twos and threes, in service games which is nice to be able to try and build momentum in those games even if I don't break every time.

Q. You said this was one of the best performances you've had in terms of quality for a while. How much of the last couple months felt like almost chasing something like this, this level, and even a statement playing Petra at her peak in a lot of ways, coming out with the win? How much of that does the specific aspect of the win mean to you? Does it change anything mentally going forward?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think it just proves that you need to hang in there, keep doing all the of the right things. I haven't done anything differently in preparation or process over the last probably two and a half, three months.

There are times where I've had tricky matchups and girls that I'm not as comfortable against. Then I think, as well, it's just trying to hang in there and give yourself the opportunity to bring out your best stuff.

I mean, it's impossible to do that every single day. We're all human. We can't play our best tennis every day. But when you do, you have to take out the positives from it.

Yeah, I mean, today is one of those matches where regardless of win or lose, I would take the exact kind of perspective out of it, which is rare. It's something I'm trying to learn and continue to do every day.

Q. Basic question. Svitolina or Bertens next in the semifinals. Talk through the challenges of playing each.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think my record against Svitolina isn't great. My record against Kiki is pretty good.

They're both extremely good tennis players who have kind of had a really good back end of the year. Obviously some of the matches I've had with Kiki have been an unbelievable level. Could have gone either way. I think same against Elina. I've had matches where I've been up in sets, up in the match, not able to close her out.

I think both present different challenges. Whichever it is, I look forward to either one trying to test myself, again, against one of the best players in the world coming into a couple of big weeks to finish off the year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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