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PACIFIC LIFE OPENMarch 11, 2005Maria KirilenkoINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Questions for Maria. Q. Can there be some advantage to being a qualifier? You had been on these courts quite a bit before you had to play this match today. MARIA KIRILENKO: Sorry. Can you repeat? Q. Can there be an advantage to having to qualify in that you learn how the courts are playing and so forth before you have to play your first match? MARIA KIRILENKO: Actually, first match in the qualifying was so hard for me. It was actually three sets. But I didn't like finish, she retired. But anyway, it was so difficult. So I pass the quallies good, yeah. Day before yesterday I play pretty good. So today I fight like every point. So it was unbelievable. Q. On the point that when you have matches, coming into a big match, you're not as rusty maybe? MARIA KIRILENKO: I have a good confidence now. I played in Doha, I pass the qually there, and I beat in second round Patty Schnyder. It was, you know, going on. Now I feel pretty, yeah, confidence. Q. Is beating Bovina a bigger victory for you than beating Patty Schnyder? Is this win today, you beat Bovina, is that more important than beating Patty Schnyder? MARIA KIRILENKO: So I think they play both very good. But Bovina, they play like different hit. Patty Schnyder play like slice, like top, different. But Bovina, she play just hard. I think with her play like easier than with Patty Schnyder, for me. I don't know maybe for... Q. Is that the best win of your career so far, do you think? MARIA KIRILENKO: Best win? Q. Today. MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, I think so. Q. Was it easier than you thought it would be? MARIA KIRILENKO: No. It wasn't easy. Q. The score looked like it. MARIA KIRILENKO: The score is like easy, but for me it wasn't easy. It was hard. Q. You know Maria Sharapova the best because you are close in edge. MARIA KIRILENKO: I'm really good friends with her, so... Q. Do you think that she considers her, with Serena, do you think she considers that a rivalry? MARIA KIRILENKO: No, no, we didn't talk about it with her. I don't know. Q. You never talk about that with her? MARIA KIRILENKO: About matches, no. It's enough, you know. When we speak with her, no tennis. Q. No tennis? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah. Q. What do you talk about? MARIA KIRILENKO: Just life. It's too much tennis, you know, if you talk. Q. The past two tournaments, are you playing the best tennis of your life? MARIA KIRILENKO: Today? Q. This week and the couple weeks before. MARIA KIRILENKO: Last few matches I play pretty good. So last few matches. Q. What do you consider the best parts of your game, the strengths of your game? MARIA KIRILENKO: So, you know, I start to push the player and sometimes go to the net. When the score like even, you know, make a pressure on player. I think my serve, it's like much better than it was last year. It's play easy when you have a good serve, I think. Q. Your strokes seem very similar to Sharapova's. MARIA KIRILENKO: I don't think so that we play the same, no. Q. You don't think so? MARIA KIRILENKO: No, we have different shots. Q. How do they differ, in your thinking? MARIA KIRILENKO: I don't know. I don't know how, but we play different. I don't know how to explain. Q. Will you play doubles this year a lot with Sharapova? MARIA KIRILENKO: No. In this year we didn't play. Not yet. Maybe we play in Bitterman (phonetic) game on the grass court. Q. But you want to focus mostly on singles? MARIA KIRILENKO: No, actually I play doubles with another player. I think doubles, it's good like for the practice. So I will play doubles like on each tournament. Q. As a young Russian, can you describe what your reaction was when Myskina won the French Open. Do you remember where you were when the first Russian woman won a Grand Slam tournament? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yes, of course it's very good that it's like Russian going on. I think it's very good. I watched this match. If I watch this match or what? Q. What was your feeling when you saw that she won? MARIA KIRILENKO: Nowhere. So like but why I have to be somewhere when she won? Q. Were you happy? Were you proud? Does it give you a certain inspiration to see a country-woman win? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yes, it's okay. It's very good for country, of course. Q. But for you, does it give you confidence? MARIA KIRILENKO: For me, no more. Q. Have you been here before to this area? How do you like it? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, it's like -- THE INTERPRETER: She likes this tournament. MARIA KIRILENKO: I like this tournament very much. Q. Why? MARIA KIRILENKO: Here it's very good. I don't know why, but it's good. Q. Dementieva, Bovina, Sharapova, a lot of young Russian players have kind of had their first real success here. They all say the same thing, they like coming here. Why exactly? MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, no, last year I lost the first round, I got a wildcard. But anyway, I love this tournament. I thought that the next year I will play better, you know, than last year. It's true. End of FastScripts…. |
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