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PILOT PEN TENNIS PRESENTED BY SCHICK

August 27, 2009

Amelie Mauresmo

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

A. MAURESMO/S. Kuznetsova
7-6, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You survived five set points in the tiebreaker and three breakpoints in the third set. Talk about your resiliency in this match.
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: Well, I really wanted to forget about the mistakes that I was making and forget about the score when it was not in my favor. I guess I was 6-3 down in the tiebreak in the first set. I thought, Okay, I have two serves, so I did my two serves and, okay, let's go for it on the return. Just hang in there.
We were both kind of ups and downs throughout the match. Beginning, I started slow, then got back into a better rhythm. Then she also started to miss here and there when I was putting pressure.
It's a typical match of both of us really trying to find the rhythm, really trying to get our game together. I got the best out of it for tonight.

Q. She said this was more aggressive than she's seen you play. Do you feel you were more aggressive?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: I definitely didn't want to let her be into the court and dictate and do the things that she obviously likes to do. I tried to keep her back and push her away and then take the opportunity when I had it.
Worked out good sometimes; not so good at some other times. But overall I'm pretty satisfied about this, yes.

Q. When you talk about trying to find your rhythm, you're down 3-Love in a heartbeat, do you make any sort of a small change or is it just better execution?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: The first few games, it felt like it was really tactical. We were kind of looking at each other. So physically I was not really into it. I was missing a little bit too much, not adjusting quite enough on the leg. And then I thought, Okay, put a little bit more intensity into this and stop maybe being too tactical and hit it and go for it.

Q. When you were down Love-40 in that seventh game, what were you thinking?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: I just broke her. It was 4-2 in my favor. So I thought, Okay, in the worst case, it's still 4-3 on my favor, and then I will maybe have another opportunity to break her. So I thought, okay, I'm just going to go for it. Serve and volley, she didn't really like it throughout the match. So I tried two, I think, at this time, one on deuce and one on ad. Got a little bit lucky also with the net. But I was going for it, trying to be aggressive, yeah. Not too much panicking at this time.

Q. With the first set going as long as it did, some of those points being really long, how much of an endurance battle did you feel it was?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: We could see I was a little bit down in the second set physically and not fast enough to cover the court the way I should, really leaving her more time to really develop her game. So I kind of had a little recuperation in the second set and really tried to put it back on big-time in the third set, which can be risky, but that's how it happened tonight, yeah.

Q. Is that what you spoke to your coach about at the end of the second set, just trying to refocus?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: Yeah, he basically tried to push me, tried to give me energy, tried to tell me to push up on the serve a little bit more because I was really falling down, not really pushing on the legs, trying to be a little bit more aggressive on the shots because I was really going back too much. He really tried to put me back into an aggressive mood.

Q. You've been at this tournament nine times. I think this is the fourth semifinal.
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: Probably.

Q. Can you talk about why you think you do so well here.
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: Yeah, I'm doing good. I don't really have a big explanation for this. I always come up with great matches. I remember last year, as well. I guess just before the Open, I start to really play better, feel good physically. I try to find a few things in my game. I don't know. I guess surface, it's not too bad for me. It's okay. I don't know. I don't know.

Q. Where is your game in relation to where it's been the last couple years?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: I think I'm playing pretty good. I'm showing some great things. I would like to erase those moments of down a little bit, trying to find a little bit more consistency throughout a match like this one against these kind of players, top 10 players, which this is the key for me to probably go to the next level in terms of tennis, yeah.

Q. Is there more satisfaction out of a victory like this where you fall down, come back?
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: Well, honestly I would prefer to really not have these downs and just go for it. But it's good. I'm happy about it. I really struggled last week in the practice and everything. It was hard and painful. So it's much better now.

Q. Can you talk about tomorrow's semifinal.
AMÃ‰LIE MAURESMO: Well, I don't really know her really well. We played each other a few years ago now I think. I think she's improved a lot because she's now beating great players, good players, that she used to not really be able to beat.
So I'm looking forward for a tough one again. Recuperation is for me gonna be a key, I guess. But, you know, I have tonight and all day tomorrow. So hopefully I'll be ready.

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