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U.S. OPEN

September 5, 2007

Svetlana Kuznetsova

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR:

Q. Are you pleased with the match today, the way you played?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Definitely was with the first set so much. I had so much energy out there today and I thought I was nervous but I could control it so good and I'm really happy I played the way I played first set.
Second set I had -- I would say I could have made two breaks. One definitely where I had Love-30 and I made two errors and then she serve kind of good. But I think I should have win this game.
And then I just made a break in the start of the set and I just kept serving well and I'm really happy to beat her 61, 6-4.

Q. You said early in the week you don't like to look ahead. You like to go one match at a time. You've managed to get through in straight sets of last several matches. Do you feel collectively that the relative ease of those matches has left to you physically very strong going into the semifinals?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I feel so much that it's like semifinal and I'm so fresh, you know. I think for me it was great not only to save the energy not playing long matches -- like the only set I lost was against Pin, and I don't know how I lost it. It was like two second and it's already passed by and I was already in the third set.
I won 6-Love doing only nine unforced errors in the third set. It was just very quick match, so basically I didn't spend much energy. Just not spending a lot of energy on the matches but I think I been so good out of the court. I was behaving extremely well and I been staying so much in the hotel and saving so much energy.
I did some stuff outside of the court just to keep my mind loose a little bit, not be so tense. I just feel so fresh in the semifinal. I think like I'm ready to go to give it my best shot.

Q. Do you feel mentally and physically stronger at this stage of a tournament than you ever have before at this particular stage?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Definitely. Yes, I do feel so, because I think I had so many much more experience. You can always -- and everybody will compare how I feel now and 2004, and it's different. Because like I was, you know, unexpected to win matches and I was coming like, Okay, now I play semifinal Lindsay; quarterfinals I think I played Nadia.
It was something like, Okay, maybe I win, maybe I not. Now I know I'm here and I'm here to do my best and I have all chances to win if I play my game. This is gets you under a little bit pressure, but also, you know, your expectation is higher and you know your value more.
I know I grown as a person and as a player. I can see it in the matches. It really motivates me a lot to do what I'm doing, and I really enjoy playing tennis.

Q. What did you expect out of Anna in the next round?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's extremely tough. I see she's extremely confident because she win a couple tournaments on the hard court. She's upcoming player. I think the difference going to be I just have a little bit more experience. I been in semifinal before. It's her first time in semifinal. She's playing well.
Definitely the pressure going to be more on me, but still I will try to stay tough, to play tough and, you know, just to enjoy the tennis as I have done today on the court. I've enjoy every ball I played there. And I love the crowd and New York.

Q. Before the tournament, a lot of people said that Sharapova had an easy run to the final. You've won the US Open and you're the fourth seed here. Do you feel that people have overlooked you?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: You know, I mean, words, it's the end of the day it's in the air. You know, what you say, many people, anybody can say anything. As many people as many other opinions there is in the world. What's important is what everybody is doing.
For me what's important is what I'm doing right now. I'm in the semifinal and I'm looking forward for next round. I'm playing good and I'm really happy with my performance. It's not for me to judge what they say and how they say. I just concentrate myself.

Q. What was your reaction when they moved Venus' match to tonight? Did that impact your schedule as a result of that?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Oh, you know, I been playing first match almost all the tournament, so it's fine with me. It's, again, the same answer for my side because I just care about my matches.
Doesn't matter if they put me on court 21 is or court 1. I know what I'm worth and I enjoy the tennis and I love to play here.

Q. Doesn't have any extra appeal to play under the lights?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I've played once under the lights. I play much better with the lights, but It's not in my power to change. So I just take it the way it comes and just I go along with it and it's working well for me.

Q. You like is it tournament in particular, right?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I do.

Q. You like playing in New York?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yes, I love New York, like the city. It's crazy out here. I love the motion. Everybody moving. It's so crowded. It's life running so quick here. It's extremely hard to be two weeks in New York and focus on the tennis, and I think I've done it pretty well so far and I will try to keep going. After I enjoy maybe couple days in New York.

Q. Do you come and spend time in New York outside of tennis? Have you ever come just as a tourist?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No. But I'm looking forward to maybe do it one day. I wish, but how the calendar is if I have couple weeks to rest in home I wouldn't go if I didn't have good reasons for that in New York.

Q. You might not want to entertain this question, but when you look at the players on the other half of the draw, is there any benefit to you, be it mentally or physically, that they take so much out of each other in getting to the final? If you got to the finals that might be a set up for a let down?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's at same answer: I got to take care of my draw. What they have it's what they have. Some tournaments I really had bad draw. You cannot do anything. It's not in my power to change it so I'm not going think about how they play. I'm not enjoying what they doing. I'm enjoying myself playing the game.
Definitely I going to say it looks on the paper so much harder, the top half. There's so many good players really who achieve so much in it tennis who I respect a lot. And maybe in bottom half it's more like younger girls, but young doesn't mean easy.
You know, and everybody has really big potential out here and you never know what to expect. In the paper it looks very easy, but in reality it's not every day like that.

End of FastScripts

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