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U.S. OPENSeptember 2, 2012Samantha StosurNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK S. STOSUR/L. Robson THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Was that a nice tight hit‑out before the quarterfinals? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I thought it was a good match. I thought I played, you know, pretty well. Towards the end there, probably stepped it up another gear when I had those match points and couldn't quite get them. So I think it was a really good match, and definitely one that I maybe needed going to the quarters. Q. Were you thinking on those match points that she really rose to the occasion? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, I think out of the, what, nine that I missed, I didn't do too much wrong on at least half of them. So that being the case, I think you got to just take it for what it is. Okay, it's another point. You're hopefully going to get another chance if you keep doing what you should be doing. Kind of what I said to myself on the change of ends. Doesn't matter. See where it gets you. Disappointing not to have gotten in one of those other two games, but I still felt I was in a good position. Q. A situation like that could really rattle a player. Would you say that was the most pleasing thing, that you were able to stay calm and ride it out? SAMANTHA STOSUR: It can get a little bit frustrating if you kind of let it get to you. I think the more experienced you are, you don't let those things affect you. Probably had a few flashbacks to a few matches last year when I had match points and couldn't close it out. It's one of those things. Sometimes it takes a few of them to get through. Again, if you're not doing the wrong things on those points, you can't get too down on yourself. Q. Did you feel confident in that situation because of what happened last year? SAMANTHA STOSUR: For maybe half a second. I think every time you play matches and you go through experiences like that, for sure it helps you the next times. Like I said, if you're doing the right thing, then that's really all that matters. Whether it's a match point, 15‑Love, whatever it is, that's the thing you've got to be more concerned about, I think. Q. Nothing is a given, but if you do play Azarenka, you haven't had a lot of success against her. Are you confident you can turn it around here? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, certainly if I end up playing her I'll look forward to that opportunity again. I think quarterfinals of another slam, you've got to give it everything you've got. I have not done well against her in the past. I think there's a few things I've learnt over those last few matches. Hopefully I can put all those into play and have a better match and hopefully a very good one. Q. Can you give us an idea of what it is that's given you some trouble with her? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I think a couple of times I've played pretty atrociously and a couple of times I thought I played not too bad. She just stays very close in the court, stays on the baseline, returns very well, and takes time away from you. I think it's one of these things you've got to be absolutely 100% prepared. You know you have to be ready as soon as you serve. Just have your mindset and your game plan and really stick to it. Q. Laura today certainly was trying to get forward as much as possible. The ball coming quick and hard is a good thing. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Absolutely. A bunch of the girls play like that nowadays. It's one of these game styles you have to get used to. If you're going to win tournaments like this, you're going to have to play against someone who plays that way. I think Laura tried to attack, stay at the baseline, and especially at the start was really going for it. I handled it well today. Maybe that's good practice for the next one. Q. Laura said she was surprised by how much you were able to mix up your serves. Was that a key part of your preparation for this one? Have you got the ball on your string at the moment serving‑wise? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I think I've been serving very well out of all of these matches. Out of these four matches, I've only had one or two bad serving games. That's going to be pleasing going into the next match. But I really did want to try and mix up my serve today and not let her get grooved. She's a very good ball striker. You give a player like her the same shot over and over, eventually you're going to get burnt. I tried to hit my first serves, be aggressive with that, and just be aware of where I was hitting my seconds. I guess that's pleasing to hear I did everything right. Q. A few times you got frustrated on your groundstrokes. Do you have some trigger points to get back in the groove? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, you're going to miss some balls, but you have to just keep moving forward. Sometimes it gets a little bit frustrating when you feel you have the shot there and then you maybe pull off it or something like that. So just tap aside, say c'mon, whatever it is, and keep going forward and do whatever you need to do. Q. Probably the biggest crowd you played in front of all week. What was it like for you on court? SAMANTHA STOSUR: It was great playing out there today. It was definitely the biggest full crowd I played in front of. I think they were really enjoying the match, and especially from 5‑2 really got a little bit vocal. You could hear the cheers when she'd save a match point or something like that. Yeah, it was a really good atmosphere out there. Certainly keeps you going. Keeps that adrenaline pumping. Q. You crossed paths with Azarenka. You were out of there; she's going in. Funny to see your next opponent looking like she's getting ready for a Rocky movie or something? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I actually didn't know they hadn't gone on yet. That was a bit of a surprise to walk through the tunnels. Yeah, I guess I'm happy I'm off the court before her and she's still out there playing. Q. What do you do tomorrow? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, just have a practice as usual. Try and not make it too early so I can have a bit of a sleep‑in. Have a pretty easy day really. Q. Are you going to make a habit of doing this dance after this one? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I'm not making a habit after this one. That's something special for a couple of matches. If I do something really spectacular, you never know what might happen next. Q. He was still there, though. Is he booked in for the quarterfinal as well? Will he be there every step of the way? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I knew he had tickets. He showed up late today. I might have to have a word to him about that. See if he hangs around for the rest of the week. If anything, it probably puts a bit of a smile on your face when you look towards your box and you see that big hair and all that coming straight back at you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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