BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 19, 2022

Xu Yifan

Yang Zhaoxuan

Press Conference

XU-YANG/Muhammad-Shibahara

7-5, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Can you talk about your match today?

XU YIFAN: Well, I think we're very happy we win the tournament because we were actually trying to get in in the beginning because we weren't able to because we, our ranking is pretty low, and we were trying to get in, signing on-site, and we got lucky because Krejcikova pulled out.

So we were feeling like so...

YANG ZHAOXUAN: Lucky.

XU YIFAN: Lucky. And it's like a roller coaster for us. So I think it's going like up-and-down every day and we can play or not and once we got in, we were so excited.

And our first match was also close. So we were 10-8 on the third, but we are happy we made it all the way until the final. So it wasn't easy, the five rounds, all five rounds, but we're just happy we made it all the way.

Q. I don't think you guys have played too often together, maybe 10 or 11 tournaments together. So what do you think -- but you've had success in the past -- what do you think was the key for these two weeks to win the title?

YANG ZHAOXUAN: I think we, like we working together every day. We talk about everything for the match or after we do, like I think we help each other like every day.

XU YIFAN: Also, our games fits each other. Also I think one of the most important things is just we try to encourage each other every day and even though winning or losing or on court or sometimes off court as well. Yeah. But, yeah. Yeah. That's it. Yeah, it doesn't seem like it's helping us winning this tournament, but I think it's important, yeah.

Q. The result, the success you've had here, as you just heard, you've played a few times together. Are you going to make sure that this is going to be a more prominent, or a more definite combination for the rest of the year, the majors and other big events like this one?

XU YIFAN: It's not our first tournament together, but hopefully not the last one (laughing). Yes, hopefully we will because, yeah, we're still trying to catch up the ranking now. We're trying to get in for all the tournaments we can.

Q. Usually if you win one of these big titles, like a WTA 1000 or a slam, then you as a team kind of become in the running on the race to the finals at the end of the year. Will that kind of provide motivation? I know it will take some time for the rankings to catch up for entries, but in terms of staying together as a team and playing more consistently through the year, would that be a goal to now try and chase that?

XU YIFAN: Yes, definitely. I didn't think too much about, you know, like for the whole year and I think that's important, but that's not the most important thing. I think we just try to focus every day, every practice, and hopefully get into every tournament farther and farther.

And of course if we have chances we like to play more and more together.

Q. Has either one of you been in contact with your countrywoman Peng Shuai lately?

YANG ZHAOXUAN: No, not really.

XU YIFAN: No.

Q. Haven't talked to her at all?

YANG ZHAOXUAN: No.

XU YIFAN: No.

Q. And then in terms of just today's final and what you were able to do well, it seemed like every time the other team tried to push and get the break or get away, you were able to get out of the games quite well. But what do you think was the key and how nervous were you guys playing in the final today? Because it didn't seem like you were very nervous.

YANG ZHAOXUAN: Yeah, we just do the positive. It doesn't matter for the score. We just keep going. Every ball we go to take every ball, every point, one by one, like this.

XU YIFAN: Yeah, we are nervous for sure, but maybe we're just good actors (laughing).

YANG ZHAOXUAN: Yeah.

Q. How did you manage to turn that first set around, 2-5? You say you're nervous. I understand you're playing one point at a time, but that is still quite a big turnaround.

XU YIFAN: I think it's just, actually just one service game. Just we lost one service game only. So we're just trying to encourage each other and we just focus on the first serves first, and then when we get the chance we try to take one point by point.

YANG ZHAOXUAN: For me, I no focus too high, too low. I just to the points, every points we return or serve or how do we play like this.

THE MODERATOR: All right. Thanks everyone.