	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 8, 2020

Alison Riske

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

A. RISKE/B. Strycova

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Great performance today. I think first win over Barbora in your career, so what do you think you did particularly well today and how pleased are you to make the quarterfinals?
ALISON RISKE: Yeah, I'm super excited to go out in three today. I actually thought I only played Barbora once. I don't know, someone else said that too, but I don't remember another time. But yeah, it was a good win for me. She's going to be a tough out every time you play her. She makes a lot of balls, she's in every point, and she's battling until the end. So it was definitely going to be a tough match. I thought I fought really hard, I played well when I needed to, and I'm definitely excited to be making the quarterfinals here.

Q. How does it feel for you to, again, start the season, have a little bit of that anxiety of what, is my game where I need it to be, and then to make it through straight sets into the quarters of a Premier event, what do you think is kind of clicking well and how different is your confidence at this point two matches in as opposed to maybe on Saturday?
ALISON RISKE: Yeah, I think getting a couple matches under my belt and just knowing that we're picking up where we left off, I think is most important. And I knew my tennis was there because I had been practicing very well. But obviously, the mental is the most important, so I had to make sure that I had that prepared. Yeah, I think I like where I'm at and very happy to have a couple matches under my belt. It definitely feels a lot better now than on Saturday.

Q. What about next round, maybe Pliskova or Tomljanovic. What do you think about them?
ALISON RISKE: Either way it's going to be a touch match as is every match out here. I've never beat Pliskova before, so I would love to have another shot at her. I think that would be an awesome opportunity. I practiced with her earlier in the week and she's playing ball. But, again, who knows what's going to happen tomorrow. But, yeah, I'm excited for it and just excited to go out there and give myself another shot.

Q. Maybe on the center court as well, what do you think of all the talk about the girls being on the outside courts at the moment because of the ATP Cup? Is that disappointing?
ALISON RISKE: Oh, I haven't even thought twice about it. I'm just here to play tennis. Put me on court 25. I don't care (laughing).

Q. Pliskova is probably one of the top players who you really play well against in the past. What could be, in your opinion, the best shot you can have against them, technique or a shot that makes it more difficult for them to play you?
ALISON RISKE: Well, I think my only option is to play my game. And I have to be aggressive, I have to look to come forward, take my chances when I have them. And, yeah, just fight, just fight, because I feel like I always have some opportunities there. When it's gotten to third set I haven't necessarily stayed in to the end mentally, so that's kind of hurt me, and therefore my result has always been a third set loss. So I think I'm going to have to really be tough until the end, if I do play Pliskova and, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Q. In terms of starting your season here in Brisbane as opposed to Shenzhen, how different has it been, if at all, for you?
ALISON RISKE: Actually, it's been an awesome, it's been an awesome experience. I did tell my coach prior to coming here that, hey, if it doesn't go well it's definitely on you because I was all booked to go to Shenzhen. But it's been awesome so far. I love playing in Australia and it's nice to be here. I'll be able to play another tournament because I'm playing this event. So I'll be able to play Adelaide next week, which was probably one of the main reasons why I decided to play here. It's nice to also to have the same conditions as we'll have in Melbourne, so. But the courts are pretty similar actually to Shenzhen. They play nice and fast and balls move quick through the court, so I'm definitely happy that it's sort of similar.

Q. Does it give you any additional kind of boon to the confidence that in terms of the quality of the field that's here, and there is a difference of getting the two wins that you have gotten here as opposed to getting two wins in Shenzhen, does that have a meaningful impact on you?
ALISON RISKE: Definitely, I think that for me personally a win is a win, at the end of the day. However, when it is against a certain caliber player and you're able to replicate it again and again I think that's a big confidence boost for me, for sure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297