U.S. OPEN

August 27, 1996

Kimberly Po-Messerli

KIMBERLY PO: Yeah. That's how I wanted -- I didn't want to go in thinking I had no shot. It actually gave me confidence that I knew I was able if I played well.

KIMBERLY PO: No. In doubles, but never in singles.

KIMBERLY PO: Yeah. I've seen her play my doubles partner Amy Fraizer.

KIMBERLY PO: I didn't make very many errors. Shots when I didn't have to.

KIMBERLY PO: I don't remember hitting that many winners. She's really fast, so it's hard to hit a winner against her. I might have had quite a few forcing shots, but I don't remember that many clean winners at all. I just went out the first couple of games and just tried to hit it deep, make her create things. I didn't want to overplay at all. I just wanted to kind of get into it. I don't know if she was tired. I was hoping she was.

KIMBERLY PO: See, that was one thing. I knew the last three people she played have been topspin and slice, and I'm not. I was hoping that she wouldn't be -- I had a completely different game than the last people she played.

KIMBERLY PO: Learning how to play tennis.

KIMBERLY PO: I knew how to play, but I didn't know what to do. It's a big difference. Just staying calm, not trying to force anything, not try to overhit.

KIMBERLY PO: Kind of, yeah. I would go, "Okay, I'll hit this cross court, I'll hit this one down the line." Now I try to structure things a little better, try to think a little more out there.

KIMBERLY PO: My coach.

KIMBERLY PO: Donnie Young.

KIMBERLY PO: Yeah. I've been working with him since March.

KIMBERLY PO: Uh-huh.

KIMBERLY PO: Maybe I told him. I don't know. I think maybe I told him. He identify might have asked me, "What do you do when you're out there?" I'm like, "Well, I don't know, just play." We've just been practicing, just having meaning when I'm out there.

KIMBERLY PO: Yeah. It also depends on who I'm playing, of course. Today I just tried to play percentage.

KIMBERLY PO: I've been pretty excited with all three actually. This was nice because it was in the States. Like I told Shaun, I didn't even know where the media room was here.

KIMBERLY PO: I don't have any.

KIMBERLY PO: No. Next match, whenever that is, I don't know if it will be tomorrow or Thursday, just concentrate on that.

KIMBERLY PO: Yes. There were a few times I was thinking, "I'm in the United States, aren't I?" It was like, "Wait, no, I'm here." She has so many fans. I'd sit and look at the front row, my coach and my friend, then like everyone else was -- I don't know if everyone was Japanese, but everyone else was Asian sitting in the first row. I'm like, "This is weird."

KIMBERLY PO: Uh-huh, my mother.

KIMBERLY PO: My name?

KIMBERLY PO: Harriet Kobayashi is her maiden name. Everyone always thinks I'm Korean. Every time I play in Japan, they put I'm Korean. I'm half Chinese, half Japanese. My middle name is Yasuko. I go there and I get booed before I go on the court. I'm not even Korean.

KIMBERLY PO: No. She was third generation here. My mom was born in southern California -- Minnesota, but she's lived in southern California.

KIMBERLY PO: Her grandparents.

KIMBERLY PO: Yeah, I did watch her.

KIMBERLY PO: Not that confident. I wasn't like, "Oh, yeah, I'm going to win." I was like, "Okay." I just wanted to compete well and let that take care of itself. I knew if I made her hit ten balls a point and then she hits a winner, that's too good. If I miss on the second, then that's not very good, so.

KIMBERLY PO: I think that's good because that's what I was trying to do today.

KIMBERLY PO: Well, I watched her. I watched her play. I mean, I didn't want to give her too much angle unless I was going to hit like a good shot, because I know she'll take that and got good cross-courts on both sides. I know both sides are pretty strong. I just wanted to play within myself and make her beat me rather than me just miss.