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PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 23, 2008

Svetlana Kuznetsova

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us your evaluation of how the match went today?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, I think she played incredibly well in the first set. Every important ball she hit winner on the line. It was line on the line, on the line.
Like I had some opportunities. I had one break point then and she played well. She served very good serves in.
I mean, I was not serving great, but she did me one break and I was too close to the break. She had outstanding first set. It's no words. She played better.
But for second set, I felt like more pressure because I had to go for it a little bit more, and she broke me twice. She was serving so much better. For her it was so much easier to win games on her serve than I did on mine.
But I think I've been just not so great, I should be playing good against her. I played a little bit too much to her forehand.

Q. This is your third final this year. Did you approach this any different than the other finals?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I mean, every final you come another player also plays. I had different and better chances, like against Justine. Still it was amazing final. She just played better in the end, but it is great match.
Against Jelena I had chances. I use my opportunities. But today, I didn't have that many chances. She just played better, I think.

Q. Was that painful for you, Svetlana?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, definitely. It's always painful to lose, but I prefer to get to the final losing than to lose in second round. I still played pretty good tournament, though.

Q. Do you think you're a different player in these finals than you are in the earlier rounds?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's not that it's finals, it's just she played better than me. That's it. It's not about how many finals I win or loss. She played better. It's different.

Q. Do you think she can beat Justine any time soon?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: It's different. We have so different game, me and Justine, just players play so much in the court and different with Ana. She has chance, definitely.

Q. Can you talk about the fans? I guess a couple of times they were making some noise.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I don't make any comments, okay? I'm not even thinking about going to that level.

Q. People are always asking you, it seems, about how you play in the finals. Does that seem a bit strange to you since you won seven tournaments last year?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I won nine, no?

Q. Was it nine?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: That's different. At least two more finals I won, you know, I didn't lose.
Well, no, I know you guys, you have to have something to write about. Normally you don't write - sorry to say that - normally you don't write about positive things. You try to find something interesting for people.
I guess trying to find something about me losing finals, but that's okay. I'm not going to go down on myself, you know. She played better. I have to improve some movements. That's it. I'm just going to face next tournament better I can, and try to get to the final.
When I get to the final, I'm going to face it again. I'm going to do my best out there and let's see if I can make it. I'm not going to get down on myself. But you can ask whatever you want, guys.

Q. So what do you have to improve?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Today's match I had to be aggressive and play more backhand and serve a little bit better. But Ana, she play outstanding set. You cannot her playing better the first set.
And second set I didn't move well. I felt a little bit more pressure. I was going too much and not moving well, so it's hard to win like that.

Q. Looked like you almost turned it around because you break back and then hold. Seemed like everyone was thinking maybe you were back in the match. Momentum seemed to go back and you went back quickly.
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: There, I lost it, made a little mistake. I gave it a little bit to her, because I felt like I had pressure on me all the time. She wasn't giving me any free points and she was attacking. It was, like, you feel like it's her day, like it's goes everything her way.
I was trying to stay calm and play every ball. Doesn't matter what, many things been disturbing me. But still, I was trying to be there and play every point, and she just played better today, you know.
I would like to see her play when it's not her day, you know. To figure out some different ways to win. That's how I did today. I couldn't find a way, but it wasn't my great day of playing, either.

Q. Is there a particular point when you get a sense, this is starting to get away, when the pressure starts to build?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Well, you know, in the first set it was like quick moment 1, 2, you know? First games I was like holding my serve but tough, and she was holding so easy. Then I had opportunities to have Love-30. One game I didn't play so good. And then advantage on her serve, and she played so unbelievable, like she served so well.
First of all, I have to read better her serve. Then in second set, where she broke me second time, it was pretty bad, though.

Q. Svetlana, Radwanska, who you beat in the quarterfinals, told me it was very different Svetlana this tournament than at Australian Open when she beat you. That means you progress. Do you think you can do better in Miami?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: I can do better definitely. There is always room to improve, for sure. I was so different than when I played her in Australian Open. I lost little bit myself there during the tournament.

End of FastScripts

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