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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2007

Daniela Hantuchova

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Nice to be on the winning end of a three-setter against her at a Slam rather than the losing end?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Definitely. I'm glad to beat her this one. It was a tough match. But I'm really pleased about the way I just kept fighting for every point.
I was just waiting for my game to come, and it did, especially in the third set. I was really pleased with the way things been working.

Q. Down 2-5. She said you played much, much better from then on.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, I just tried to take it one point at a time, tried to figure out how to get back into the match, try to stay positive. Yeah, just tried to find my rhythm again.
Once I got on top of her, I felt like I was in charge of most of the points.

Q. She played you a little differently than she did the last couple times. She was coming in a lot more. Did that take you a while to get used to it?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, a little bit. The first set was always going to be close, especially in these conditions. It was quite windy. It was not very nice out there. It was tough to find any rhythm.
But, yeah, she was playing very well, especially in the first set. But I feel like even in the second she was doing the right things. I think it just turned a turnaround on a few points.

Q. Must be very good for your confidence to be able to get through a tough match like that.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, definitely. It's always nice to have one like this behind your belt, especially going into the second week. I fought through two very difficult matches which gives me a lot of confidence, for sure.

Q. You've played so many three-set matches in your life. Experience-wise when you go into the third set, what are the important things for you to do?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Exactly, now I think the experience are going to help me a lot because I'm used to it so much more than before, so I know exactly what to do in every situation. I think it's just about playing every point as it comes, not trying to get too much ahead of myself. Just trying to focus on the things in my game that I have to work on or improve, try to figure out what's the best way to play my opponent.
Yeah, just trying to stay positive, but still enjoy it even though maybe it's after two hours, there are some points for sure you want to forget as soon as you can. Just having fun and doing the right stuff.

Q. What can you do different against Kim? Lot of opportunities to do things differently against her.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, she's a tough one. I played her a couple of times already in my career. Definitely I'm looking forward to that match. I mean, I got through some difficult matches already so I've got nothing to lose. That one is going to be a nice one for me to play. Definitely I'm just going to enjoy it.
Yeah, just again try to figure out things on the court, how to get the points against her. She moves great. She doesn't have any weaknesses in her game. It's going to be a tough match definitely, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Q. Do you have to play more offensive against her than you would against some other players because her defense is so great?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Yeah, I mean, she definitely gets probably the most balls back out of all the players. Yeah, you just have to try to see some gaps that she perhaps can't get into, maybe go for a little more difficult shots than I would usually do. But at the same time trying to be patient, not to go for too many winners.
Yeah, against her I know I have to play my best to beat her, that's for sure.

Q. Your record against her is 8-0.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: She's one of the best players in the world. I think there's a reason for that. We had some good matches in the past. I felt like sometimes I had my chances. Some matches she was just too good. As I said, I've got nothing to lose and I'm just going to try to work on my game and try to see again where I am at the moment. For sure she's the one under pressure. I'm just going to enjoy it.

Q. Why do you think you can win against her?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Every match I go into I believe I can win, otherwise what's the point of going on the court? I feel like if I'm playing my best, I can play against anyone.

End of FastScripts

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