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SHISEIDO WTA FINALS SHENZHEN

October 29, 2019

Belinda Bencic

Shenzhen, China

B. BENCIC/P. Kvitova

6-3, 1-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You could have been eliminated. What was your mindset? Seems like you're clutch these days.
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, I try to be. Obviously, yeah, was very difficult. Against Kvitova you never have anything in your hands. You're as well standing on the court and hoping she'll miss sometimes.

Yeah, I think definitely she was dictating the game today. I don't think we played our best tennis, for sure not. Maybe in the end, the couple last games I found my game, my rhythm, my groove somehow. Yeah, I'm super proud of that.

Somehow I didn't even feel nervous. I had no pressure of not getting eliminated. I saw the script, like, what happens if this player wins, blah, blah, blah. I didn't know before the matches. I just played. I knew if I don't win this match I'm eliminated, but I didn't think about it.

Q. Talk about the game to break late in the third set, the backhand return. Did you know it was going out wide? Pure instinct?
BELINDA BENCIC: Actually I had 40-Love. She played two incredibly good points. She played, like, really fearless. I was like, I have to play fearless now because I cannot push the ball in because she will kill it. I was taking it in my hands.

Yeah, I had a feeling she was going wide. I don't know. It was instinct, I think so. Definitely I was going into the point with, I have to hit the ball.

Q. Is that one of the big stressors when you play against Petra, to know when you drop back and hope she hits some errors, knowing when you have to step in?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, it's really stressful to play her, at least for me. Obviously she takes everything in her own hands, if she's going to hit a winner or if she's going to miss.

When you have this small chance, you feel like you really have to do something with it, which adds pressure to you, also to your serve. It just adds overall more pressure to you.

I don't think she was at her best today either, even with the serve. Yeah, I think it was a really difficult match, up and down. I was getting really, like, little bit angry. I think in the last three games I was happy I kind of hold my nerve in the end.

Q. You know Naomi had to pull out. It changes your final match. When did you find out? What are your thoughts about your final round?
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, I found out today at, I don't know, like lunchtime, before my warmup. I don't know, it didn't change anything for me because I knew I have to beat Petra to even continue playing for something. For me, didn't change anything. I think only for Bertens and Barty changed something.

I'm actually really happy. I think Bertens deserves to be here, as well. She's, yeah, like a bit fighter. She obviously deserves. She showed it today, won the match. Everything is open still.

Q. All four of you can qualify in the final day of group play. You'll play Kiki, who you effectively have been side-by-side racing the last month. Talk about the matchup.
BELINDA BENCIC: Yeah, it's such a coincidence. I think it was meant to be like this.

Yeah, obviously she's a big fighter. She always comes back. I thought I kind of won the fight in Moscow. But she's here again.

No, obviously really happy and much respect to her. But, yeah, it's in our own hands. Whoever wins this match is going to go. I already thought in Moscow it's going to be like this. She lost to Mladenovic. I was prepared already for that match.

I think it's fair: who wins the match goes.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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