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U.S. OPEN

September 7, 2008

Gabriela Paz Franco

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

C. VANDEWEGHE/G. Paz Franco
7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What have you credited to this development of your tennis in the last two years of your short career as a junior? What has changed? And being a nonseeded player, I mean, can you tell us more about this amazing success being at the finals in this US Open?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Thank you. Yeah, I mean, I've been working really hard this year and last couple years. I've been playing -- I have been training and practicing and working on a lot of stuff.
Before this tournament I had about a month just to practice on the stuff I need to work on, so I was really focusing on this tournament because it was going to be my last junior tournament. I was really focusing in it.
I never expect to get into the finals. I really wanted to, but I just went match by match focusing, I think, and point by point. Just living the moment. I think that's what got me here.

Q. Are you based in the United States right now, training in the United States?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Yeah, I practice in Miami, Hollywood, in Extreme Tennis Academy with my coach, Diego Dominguez.

Q. What do you see from this point forward, areas that you could improve?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Well, I mean, it has been a great experience for me. I have learned a lot of things. This is one of my favorite tournaments. It's great. I think that I have to keep improving in every single way. I always to have improve.
I think that my first serve was really good this tournament, and I got to keep improving it because it's a very important fact in my game.
That's one of the things that brought me to the finals was that I was serving really good and placing the ball well and moving well. But I think I got to keep working on it. That's the most important thing in my game, I think.

Q. Future tournaments ahead of you in the pro circuit, what would they be?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Well, this year I'm going to play a lot of challengers here in the U.S. I'm going to play a couple 25,000, 50,000s, 75,000s.
My ranking right now it's about 403 something. I'm not sure. I just want to get it up there so hopefully next year I can play the Open in pros.

Q. Are you currently the top ranked junior in Venezuela?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I think I'm the first one there in juniors. I think Milagros Sequera is ahead of me in pros. That's the only pro that's still playing and doing well.

Q. How long have you been in the States? Is that where you started your tennis career?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Well, I started playing Venezuela. I started playing there with my coach that started me, Hugo Vega. He's a coach from Chile. I started there the age seven, and I moved here when I was eleven. So about five years ago, six years ago, something like that.
I've been practicing with my coach Diego Dominguez since I came, and I think I've improved so much since I got here. My game has improved so much. Yeah.

Q. Do you see getting into the juniors next year perhaps now with the experience that you have? I mean, you still have one more year to be involved in juniors.
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: I'm not sure. I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing next year. If I get in -- I mean, this is going to be my last tournament, so I might not play -- my goal is to play the pros and hopefully get to main draw.

Q. How would you say you played today compared to how you played yesterday? I know it was a different opponent and a different kind of game.
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: Yeah, a very different opponent. I've been playing really good, really focused. My first serve is good. She played a really good game today. She was a tough opponent.
She has a really good serve and a really good forehand. I think it was really close in the first set. I think I got a little negative at some calls and just got a little mental.
But I think she played a really good game. I think I could have played better. I think I've played better the matches before. But I guess she did better than me today.

Q. And your shoulder isn't bothering you?
GABRIELA PAZ FRANCO: I think, yeah, it's -- I don't know, at the end of the match I think to serve it was bothering me a little. I've been playing like several months and practicing on my serve a lot, and I think that's what's hurting a little. But I think I'll be fine.

End of FastScripts

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