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PILOT PEN TENNIS

August 26, 2004

Nathalie Dechy

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Would you say this is your biggest win since you beat Clijsters a couple years ago?

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, I think it's one of my biggest win for sure.

Q. You seemed pretty pumped at the end of the match.

NATHALIE DECHY: I seemed what?

Q. You seemed pretty excited at the end of the match.

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, it was a great match, and I really enjoy it all the way along. So I was really, really happy to win this one in two sets.

Q. You played six times, and this is the first time you've ever beaten her, is that right?

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, uh-huh.

Q. At what point did you realize during the match that you were going to win?

NATHALIE DECHY: Well, it was strange because I never win against her, but I don't know why, today I was feeling I really could do it, it was the day to do it (smiling). All the way during the match, I was kind of leading the match and trying to set up my game. She was more back out of the court. That was maybe the key of the match.

Q. Were your expectations of the match different than how it actually played out, like when you heard you were playing her?

NATHALIE DECHY: No. It's always a good test to play against her, especially on hard court. But it's also my best surface, so it was good to play. I was really excited about playing this match. As I say yesterday, it's good to come here and already I play two matches where I was not as happy about my game, but I was winning matches. So it's good for confidence. And this one, I was really playing much better than the previous one. It worked well.

Q. Could you tell early on that your shots were on? Seemed like every shot you hit was right on the line or close.

NATHALIE DECHY: Except my overhead (laughter). No, the thing was I really wanted to go for it all the time. So maybe when you pushing, then you pushing the luck also. So my shots were pretty good.

Q. Do you feel like you had to do that, not let her control the points at all?

NATHALIE DECHY: Oh, yeah, uh-huh. Maybe, yeah, that's what I didn't do like the five previous times. So I said, "Okay, I have to change something this time."

Q. You stayed away from her forehand. Were you trying to do that?

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, that was also part of my game plan, yeah.

Q. Can you talk about the way you closed out the match. You won eight of the last nine points. You were really kind of overpowering with those shots there.

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, I'm happy when you think that because maybe 'power' is not y main quality (smiling). But, no, I was, like I said, trying to push for it all the time, and it worked really well at the end when I broke her. Then I kept my serve to finish.

Q. A lot of the top seeds are gone now. Do you see this as an opportunity for you to win a tour event here?

NATHALIE DECHY: Well, I know that on the last -- we saw on the last few tournaments on hard court that the games are getting pretty tough, and sometimes seeds can come out pretty early. That means that all the people are playing well. I know that I have to respect Lisa Raymond for how she played this week. She's going to be a tough opponent for sure tomorrow. I'm in semifinal. When you're in semifinal, you kind of see the end of the tournament, but there's still a lot to do before the end, for sure.

Q. Is it exciting going to tournaments knowing that any number of players can win, not just one or two players?

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, that's exciting, for sure.

Q. Do you think overall there is level parity in the game today? Before, there were a few women winning everything. Do you think it's more open now?

NATHALIE DECHY: Yeah, I think you have a chance against anyone.

Q. You only played Lisa once on clay court. Will that be kind of strange to play somebody you've never faced on hard courts before?

NATHALIE DECHY: Well, I played her once, and I've seen her play many times. She's not a young player on the court. I've been also on the tour for many years. I really know how she plays and I know what to expect also.

Q. What do you expect from her tomorrow?

NATHALIE DECHY: Well, I know she has a big, how you say, variety of shots. And she's really talented from the back court to the net, like she's playing the ball unbelievable, too. And I watch also today her match, so I really know how she plays. Then I talk to my coach and we see what we can do for tomorrow.

End of FastScriptsâ€¦.

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