	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

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 29, 2020

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

G. MUGURUZA/A. Pavlyuchenkova

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You played a great first set. So many chances. Seems your serve failed you a bit today. Was there a reason or...
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, my serve, I got a little frustrated, to be honest. It's a dumb mistake to do because it can happen. You make one or two double-faults, just move on, play the next one.

I kind of just got focused on those double-faults. It's not like I couldn't move on, but it kind of hurt me a lot. Every time I would break her playing a really good game, then it's like you serve and I'm like, Oh, again. So it was just frustration.

I don't know. She was putting a lot of pressure always there on the return, so I wanted to do little bit more with the second serve. I guess I was just going for a little bit too much sometimes, didn't want to give her an easy one.

To be honest, I just lost the rhythm on my serve today. I don't know why.

Q. It's always tricky after losing a tight first set. Did you think it was more your execution or strategy? What were you thinking as the second set began?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: What is your question?

Q. You lost a close first set. It's always tricky to determine if it was something in your strategy, you need to do things differently, or just your execution.
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: This time I guess it was little bit of everything. She also played good. You got to give her credit. Yeah, I guess my serve, I wasn't serving so good today. Then there was, like, a little bit of frustration.

Yeah, strategy? A little bit combination of everything. It felt like, Okay, I have it, I figure out a way, I feel good on the court, I play good, 4-3 up, break. Everything seems to be very good. Then didn't take it.

You know what? It's just one set. Can happen. Like the previous match, I also lost first set 7-6, and I was up 5-2 serving. It's tennis. Sometimes your opponent can play unbelievable couple of games. That's okay. Just move on and play next one.

Q. I would assume you would have a pretty clear game plan going up against her. You played her before. Then also with Sam. Was there anything she did that surprised you at all today?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: No, not at all. As I said, I felt like I was on control in the game, everything. I felt good. Just she kept on fighting, playing every point. There is no secret.

I guess, yeah, maybe my execution. Then the emotions and everything went a little bit down. Maybe I went down on myself, which I do a lot, but today maybe a little bit too much. Right away your energy and execution got worse.

Q. You spoke the other day about how tennis is kind of a marathon. How do you feel about where you're at in the marathon in the wake of this result?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, of course, it feels good to be back. Last year I also did quarters. It feels good to be back in the quarterfinals. Overall good start to the season.

But, of course, it's very disappointing losing in the quarterfinals today. I felt like I had all the chances. It's always tough losing a match anyway. Doesn't matter is it quarterfinals, semifinals, final. I just hate losing.

But, you know, I was there on the court. It's nobody's fault. I got to somehow find positive stuff from this match, from this tournament, and keep going, take it on to the next one.

Q. You made quarterfinals before, played on that stage against big players. Did this one feel any different? Did it feel you were closer to breaking that quarterfinal wall?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Yeah, I felt better and better throughout the tournament, the deeper I went in the tournament. After each match I was winning, I was gaining more and more confidence. I felt like I was playing good enough, good tennis. Yeah, I felt like, Okay, this could have been a good run.

But, again, I think it's the wrong way of thinking because you got to take every match it's a new match. Every match is difficult right now. New day, new player.

Just you got to be focusing more and thinking of what you need to do on the court, how you need to do the tactical part, the execution of the shots and everything, you know, rather than focusing, of course, on the result.

Q. I know you're out of the tournament, but looking at the final four, who do you favor to be standing there with the trophy on Saturday, given what you've seen: Ash, Kenin, Halep, Muguruza?
ANASTASIA PAVLYUCHENKOVA: Well, it's a tricky question because also it depends how each of them going to handle the nerves, the situation, who is better physically. These details I don't know.

Like, I mean, I like Ash game. I played her couple weeks ago in Adelaide. I don't know. She's got everything in her game. Considering that it's in women's tennis, there's combination of everything. She also have really good serve. Yeah, I mean, she's one of the favorite, that for sure.

But all of the other girls, of course they're very strong.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297