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DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS WOMEN

February 15, 2011

Flavia Pennetta

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

F. PENNETTA/J. Dokic
6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Nice and quick, wasn't it, for a hot afternoon to get that over with?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Yeah, it was nice. It was easy to -- not to win, but just -- it's better for me to be fast on the court. Like this I can have more energy for today, for tomorrow, for today doubles and everything.

Q. Happy with everything in your game?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: It was not easy to play. I think we didn't play a good tennis, but it's not easy to play the first match in the tournament. And today was really windy outside. The weather, it's really strange here. Normally it's really, really hot and not windy at all.
And in the last week, I was here after -- I was coming directly from Australia. I didn't come back home, so I'm here since already six days. Was really windy, like never stopped.
But 6-2, 6-2, I think it's pretty good score.

Q. Can she be a difficult player to play against because you're not really sure what you're going to get from her?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: She can play really good tennis, but she make a lot mistake also. So in the good week, when the ball going in, she going to be really, really a danger for everyone because she's a really good player. But I think sometimes when you feel in that way doesn't work, you have to try something different.
For the moment, today she didn't do that. She just was doing the same thing all the time, hitting hard the ball, hard, hard. It was not easy to control the ball today.

Q. With your win, it's a great morning for Italian tennis. Sara won and Roberta. You must know each other very, very well.
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Uh-huh.

Q. Did you sort of collectively spur each other on before you went out?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: We just warmup together like physical things in the morning. We know each other really well. We play Fed Cup so many times together, so it's normal. We didn't do something strange. We just talk and say, What did you do? What do you do yesterday? Where you went to dinner?
Talking like normal, yeah.

Q. But it's still a great morning for Italian tennis.
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Yeah, of course.

Q. Sara and Roberta, next they've got Sam Stosur, I believe and Zvonareva.
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Uh-huh.

Q. How do you rate their chances, considering Italian female tennis is...
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Of course it's going to be really tough. They play with two really good player at the moment. But I think you have to go on the court and believe you can do, you can beat them. Because if not, it's better you don't go on the court.
I think they have the tennis to be dangerous for these players.

Q. And this afternoon, two Italians have to lose and you're good friends. Is it difficult playing people...
FLAVIA PENNETTA: No. Doubles is completely different. For me, I love to play doubles; I enjoy to play doubles. I don't feel any pressure or something. We just go in the -- I never play with Francesca. We play the last time I think in Olympic Games 2008.
So we would like to try again to play a few tournament together for London 2012, and we starting here. Maybe we can play another two tournament this year, but I going to play Gisela.

Q. Gisela Dulko?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Yes.

Q. What's Francesca like? She seems a bit colorful. She's quite a character, isn't she? Is she a good person to have as a doubles player?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Yes, you can have a lot of fun with her in the court and outside.

Q. Do you expect it to be fun this afternoon with the girls?
FLAVIA PENNETTA: Yes. Well, between me and Francesca for sure. You' are on the court and you just play -- like you talk with your team. You don't gonna talk with them. You don't gonna laugh with them.
Maybe after the match. But during the match, no. I gonna have fun with Francesca.

Q. Going back to you personally, you're obviously seeded here. How deep do you think you can go into this tournament? It's a tough field.
FLAVIA PENNETTA: I don't know. You know, I'm just really happy about this first match. The second one is going to be tough because it's going to be the winner between Safarova and Zakopalova, and they are good player, both. You.
Know, you have to play match by match. It's not easy to say. Of course I would like to win this tournament, but it's not - like you have to be realistic, no, going step by step.

End of FastScripts

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