INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

September 19, 2020

Garbine Muguruza

Press Conference

G. MUGURUZA/V. Azarenka

3-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just talk through the match a little bit and what adjustments you were able to make in the second set to kind of get things back on your terms.

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yeah, I think it was a tough match. I knew it was going to be a tough match. She's a good player, she's playing good, she's with a lot of confidence. I knew it was going to be a tough battle.

Yeah, I was ready for it. I stood behind her and waiting for my opportunities. She was playing great at the beginning.

She took the first set. I kept myself together and said, Okay, let's start another battle in the second set, you know.

Yeah, I was in the right place when the opportunity came and I took it. At the end of third set it was just a matter of one-game difference.

I'm happy I played the right shots and I stood aggressive. I went for the match the whole time. Never felt down. Yeah, I went for the match.

Q. Looking forward to the match against Simona, can you talk about that challenge? Obviously you're very familiar with each other's games and have played in big matches before.

GARBINE MUGURUZA: Yes, it's a semifinals. It's what I expect these type of players to face. It's always a battle, again.

She's playing good. She's a good clay court player. Every surface, but a good clay court player, as well. Just looking forward to another battle, because from now on, every match is a battle. Especially now you're facing one of the best players.

I'm excited. I'm excited to be part of this.

Q. What does it mean for you to make the semifinals in Rome? Just to obviously start your clay court season with piling up these very strong wins and posting already such a good result.

GARBINE MUGURUZA: So far I'm happy. You never know how is the outcome. Didn't manage to train a lot, like everybody.

Had a tough draw, had tough matches. I'm still here. So I'm excited and I'm happy with my performance so far. Hopefully I have two more matches to go.