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January 13, 2011

Alisa Kleybanova

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

K. CLIJSTERS/A. Kleybanova
4-6, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Disappointment must be too small a word to use, big game, big match.
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: No, there is actually no disappointment. It was a great match. Of course I'm a bit sad that I lost. It was close. It's also a bit tricky when you are losing the final set tiebreaker.
But, you know, I enjoyed this week so far. I played every match very well. I'm happy with the way I finished this tournament. Of course always would be better if I would win, but it happened as it happened.
I'm not really disappointed. It just was a good match, and I did my best.

Q. A match of that quality so close to a Grand Slam, is that also very heartening for you?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Well, it's very important for your confidence, for your game, for yourself to play good matches before a Grand Slam. I think that better you arrive in Melbourne right now, better it will be for your future matches out there, because obviously that tournament is most important.
For me, I don't really mistake make a big difference between the tournaments, which is more important, which is less important. I go on the court, and for me it's important that I win every match I play.
So I tried to do my best here; now I'm finished here. I will go to Melbourne and I try to do as good I can there in every match that I play. So I just take it tournament by tournament, step by step, and one match at a time.

Q. Kim had a quite easy run until today. You were the first one to really push her today.
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Yeah, well, it's a bit difficult when out of three matches you play two in three sets, and today was the third three setter for me this tournament. So physically wasn't easy to play, because obviously somebody who plays much less is more fresh and less tired.
But, you know, we've had a great match, as I said already. I don't know. You know, I'm happy for her that she got to the final. She's obviously a great player. I can only wish her best luck for tomorrow.

Q. The crowd seemed to turn against you a little bit after the second injury timeout. Did that affect your confidence in the match?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Well, actually, I was so much into the game that I didn't really hear that much the crowd. You know, for me I was so much into the points that I played and into the whole action that was happening on the court that I didn't really care about things going on outside.
But also, of course when you play against such a well-known and player that got so many titles and so famous everywhere, of course you got to expect that the people are going to support her as well.
But I didn't really care about it. The crowd helped me a lot as well. For me it was the most important that we brought a great match, a big fight, and I hope that everybody enjoyed had. That's the most important for me.

Q. Is it important for a player of your ranking to have beaten such a player before going into the match like this?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Well...

Q. Does it help you?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: I'm happy that I beat her already once, but it doesn't change that much my mind about her. I know that when I play well, I can beat these kind of players. I've done it already not once.
So every time I go on the court, I know that there is always a chance for me to win no matter against who I play. Of course you always have the possibility to lose. You have good days; you have bad days.
There is no opponent for me that I go on the court and I think, Oh, there is no way that I going to win. This is not going to happen. So of course when you beat these kind of players it gives you confidence.
But even if I don't win, I still know that next time I'm going to go on court again and I'm going to try to win.

Q. The scheduling of your match late last night, did that have a pretty significant impact on today's result?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: I don't know. I mean, I was feeling quite good on the court. If I arrive until 7-6 in the final set, probably that would mean we played well and we were both ready for that fight. But you can't really change anything. They schedule the matches, and you have to go on the court and play.
I'm happy I didn't play doubles here. I didn't get in, so I had few matches less to play. You know, things were going well this week, so I'm pretty happy and excited about going to Melbourne now with all those matches played and the confidence and feeling on the court and enjoying myself.

Q. You went out first round in Brisbane and you make semifinals in Sydney. Did you have an injury in Brisbane?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Well, yeah, it was a bit of an injury, but it was also first match of the year. It was very hot there. I didn't really get used to it yet. I arrive just two days before.
So when you come and start the year you don't expect great match straightaway, so that was quite normal for me. So I just took it easy; I kept practicing; I won the doubles title there, so I got few matches to play.
I wasn't thinking about that match at all. I just said, Okay, forget it. We make a step forward and we keep going, because I knew that I did a good work before and I was training well, so the results are going to come soon.
When I arrived here, I was happy that I got some good matches.

Q. How are your back and foot at the moment?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Everything is fine. Just were a couple things happening during the match. But you can expect, because when you play so long matches every day, you get some blisters, you get some small things.
There are no injuries, so I'm completely fit right now. Nothing going on. There were -- both times that I called the physio on the court, they were all fixed during that changeover. There is nothing serious going on.

Q. You played very focused point by point. That's the mindset you have to have. But when it's 6-All in the third set, do you then think, Oh, last time it was 6-All then too? Does it cross your mind then?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: When you play 7-6 in the final set, you don't really forget these kind of matches that easy, especially when it takes three and a half hours or something and such a great fight against one of the best players on a big center court.
So of course you always remember those emotions and those situations. But I didn't think about it today. I just said, I'm going to play until the match is finished. If it takes me to the final set tiebreaker, I'm going to go for it and I'm going to fight until the end.
But, you know, Kim played really well at the end, so there was not much that I could really do. She didn't give me any points, any mistake, nothing, and she played great.
I tried my best, but in the end she was better.

Q. Did you have a particular game plan in mind for Kim?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: No, not really, because I know that I have many weapons: serve, powerful game from the baseline. For me, against anybody, most important is try to put together my game. If I can make it, then, you know, I can give hard time to everybody.
So the number one thing for me was to play my game, to be aggressive, and going for my shots. So there is no nothing tactically that I had to do. Just go out there and play as good as I can and enjoy.

Q. Do you know what's your very best, fastest serve ever?
ALISA KLEYBANOVA: Good question. I don't know. I think it was in Toronto two years ago, one year and a half ago. I think it was 198, but I don't know. I don't really look at those things. Just that the people came to me and they said something like that.
But I never really look on the serve speed. For me, I know that you can make ace with a 200 per hour and you can make ace even with 130 per hour. Depends on the placement, depends on the percent, depends on many, many things. My goal is not to serve as hard as I can.

End of FastScripts

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