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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP WOMEN'S OPEN

August 13, 2010

Akgul Amanmuradova

CINCINNATI, OHIO

A. IVANOVIC/A. Amanmuradova
6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk a little bit about the match today. I mean, after qualifying, talk about the whole week. Pretty good week for you.
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Yeah, I'm very happy with my performance this week. I have played six matches. Usually if you win that many you already won the tournament, so I can't complain.
My opponent today, she really played well. She was serving better, returning better, moving faster. So she was just the better player today.

Q. Looked like you struggled on your first return a lot. You only won 8% of those points. Was that a big struggle for you, something on her serve?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Well, yeah, with the return, I had problems since maybe a few matches. Also yesterday I didn't break that many times. I just broke Jelena once.
Today, Ana, she served very good wide serve. And also her second serve, even though she made the double fault sometimes, when she put it in it was quite fast and heavy.
So I had a problem with the returning. If I didn't hold my serve, then it's very difficult to stay in the match.

Q. Were the conditions really responsible for maybe some difficulties in your return game? Obviously very humid and the ball is not gonna bounce up as high.
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: I can't say anything about that. I have whole week in these conditions. No, I just to have work more on the return and just improve and keep playing more aggressive, not only put the ball at other side of court.

Q. Do you think that you were serving better yesterday, or do you think that perhaps Ana was returning better today? Yesterday you had 12 aces and today you had like 2.
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Well, yeah, I was serving better yesterday. But at the same time, when you see that someone on the other side of the court is making mistakes, even when you just put the first serve in, you get more and more confident.
And Ana, every time when I serve second serve she attacked always and put a lot of pressure on me. Obviously today, this morning I wake up and I feel like so heavy in my right shoulder. I was really tired of the whole week and all the matches. So obviously maybe my serve speed broke down a little bit, which makes a lot of difference on this level.
But I also have to say that probably Ana learn a lot from the match yesterday. Probably her coach went to see, because she was also anticipating very well. I didn't serve that many aces wide on the deuce side, so I believe that -- and she was stepping in a lot and she was putting a lot of pressure on my serve.

Q. You played her once before in Rome. Did that give you an idea of how to plan for today?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: I played her in Berlin, that's correct, but that was on clay. That was two years ago, and that's -- I mean, I have watched that match. I have it on DVD.
But I was different player at that time and she was different, and it's different surface. You can't really say that that will help me if I keep watching, watching that.
So I just knew that she is very good at the baseline, and to fight with her at the baseline would be very tough. That's pretty much it.

Q. What part of your game do you think has improved the most to help you get this quarterfinal result?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: I would say I play more closer to the baseline. Before I was playing more like far, far away, so now I'm maybe one step closer.
And I also improve my fitness. I am much lighter now. I was maybe two years ago about 90 kilos, and now I'm 82, 83. So that also.
Also, I think that I use my serve more. Before I was serving and just kind of waiting what's gonna happen. Now I expect the return and I work more the point. So that is the parts I think I improve.

Q. Is it fair to say with a the of the matches you had to play, six matches, no day off, you mentioned some shoulder problems. Talk about that and how it might have impacted the match today?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: I don't have a shoulder problem, problem, I hope. It's just overall tiredness. Yes, a little bit, yes, it affects. Because if you play four matches or six, that's a difference.

Q. And no day off, unlike the Open.
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: And the day off we play doubles, also three sets. So I can't say.
But I don't put this as the main reason. I also have to say that she played very good today. It's not an excuse. One of the reason that I couldn't really play -- couldn't serve 100% maybe. Because when I look at the serve speed back there, I feel it's not there.

Q. This is a nontennis question. On YouTube or one of the web sites for the tournament there were two fans that were cheering for you and they were singing songs. Have you seen the video?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: No, I haven't.

Q. They're apparently your biggest fans or something.
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Well, there are a few here in the city. They bring the flag today. I don't know where they print it on the Internet or something. Like piece of paper, the flag.
But that's good. It's important if you have this support. I'm alone here, far away from home, and it's good if I have support from local players.
Anyway, when you walk on the court, I can see that Ana is much more popular. So if I have at least two, if I have some people who supporting me, that's only -- makes me happy.

Q. You'll want to see the video.
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: I will, I will. (Laughter.)

Q. You were broken four times today. Is that possibly due to maybe being aggressive, overly aggressive, because you were falling behind and trying to maybe go for more shots?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Yeah, that was also one of my mistakes today, that I start to count too much on my serve. I was trying to serve aces all the time. Because feeling that, okay, I wanted to win too quickly the point. That also cost me a lot.

Q. How do you avoid doing that in a match? Do you try and take more time between points? What do you to do to counteract the feel, okay, I'm rushing; I need to slow down to serve better?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Yeah, well, taking break, using towels, wipe my face, just walking around and thinking that, Okay, I have to concentrate and be patient a little bit.
But that's what I'm saying. When you start to get tired you're rushing things no matter what. That's always the mistake a lot of tennis players do.

Q. You're back into the top 80 now with this week. What is your schedule for the rest of 2010?
AKGUL AMANMURADOVA: Well, because I played very well today, I cannot make it to Montreal quallies. I will just go there and play doubles.
And then I'm playing US Open quallies; after China, in Guangzhou, in Tashkent at home. And then I didn't think -- I didn't plan anything far. Maybe quallies of Beijing, but I will see how I will do these weeks.

End of FastScripts

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