Saturday, August 10, 2019
B. ANDREESCU/S. Kenin
6-4, 7-6
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Can you describe the difficulty of dealing with the variety of shots that Bianca was handing you today?
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, she gave me a lot of different variety. It was obviously a tough match. It was a good battle. You know, I knew it was going to be a tough one.
She’s the favorite here. And, yeah, obviously the crowd wasn’t for me, which obviously I knew was going to be the case.
But, yeah, honestly, I just felt like it could have gone either way. We were just battling out there. And it’s just unfortunate it didn’t go my way today.
Q. So you showed the competitor that you are by saving those four match points. What injury did you suffer in terms of going off the court? How did it feel when you came back on with how you battled in there? And if you could describe what you thought just your forehand today as being off was maybe the reason why this 50/50 match didn’t go your way today.
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, I just felt like as the match was going, I pulled my groin in my left leg. It was just getting really tight. I know what it is. I always — on close matches, I always feel like my leg is, you know, sometimes bothering me. It was holding off pretty well these past matches.
Today, obviously it was fatigue. It was a lot of moving. You know, every point was like — so, yeah, I had to go off court and just get it taped to just somehow hold it together. Yeah, I could still feel it, but I feel like with the tape it was better. It gave me some support.
And, yeah, I just tried not to think about it. I was fighting for every point, like you said, saving four match points.
So, yeah, I didn’t want to pay attention to the leg. I knew I didn’t have time to focus on that. I needed to play every point because, I mean, if not, I would have lost, which I did still.
Q. Right after a loss, people are going to ask you what are the positives that you take away, but this was a big week for you, wasn’t it?
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, obviously it was a good week. I’m happy. I beat some really tough players. And just today didn’t go my way, but I’m going to take all the positives that I have from this week and play Cincinnati, try to have a good run there.
And, yeah, I mean, I just feel like everything is positive right now. It was just a tough match, tight match. But, you know, I think it’s really good what I’m doing. And I feel like I’m having a really good year.
And, yeah, I feel like I’m playing well, so I’m just going to try to have a good run next week.
Q. You mentioned that obviously the crowd wasn’t going your way, going for you. How difficult is it for a player when you know the crowd is partisan and cheering openly and wildly for your opponent? Is it more difficult on your game?
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, obviously it’s tougher. You know, I don’t play in those kind of conditions, so it’s obviously not like I can practice.
But, yeah, I didn’t want to pay attention to that. I knew it was going to happen, so it wasn’t like a shock. I obviously expected this.
But, yeah, tried to just block it out and do the best I can. And, yeah, just try to block it out.
Q. It’s the second time you have played her this season. What were some of the key differences between the first match and this one?
SOFIA KENIN: You mean when I beat her in Acapulco or in Miami?
Q. I meant Acapulco.
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, I mean, honestly I just felt like I was playing well. I felt like I was there. It’s not like she beat me and I walked off court saying I don’t know what to do. Obviously I had it and just a few points didn’t go my way.
But comparing it to Miami, I made too many unforced errors in Miami, and I did not play as well as now. So obviously it’s a positive. And I knew I can beat her.
And obviously it was a good win, a good match for her, but I still believe I can win, so…
Q. You’re going to Cincinnati where you have Gorges in the first round. In terms of not only Cincinnati but the week before the Open, do you plan to think about playing Bronx if you go deep in Cincinnati or will you give yourself a week off regardless what happens in Cincinnati?
SOFIA KENIN: I wasn’t planning to play Bronx. I didn’t sign up. So I’m just going to do Cinci, and hopefully take all the positives from this week and use it when I play Julia.
And depends what happens. We’ll see.
Q. When she was serving for the match and you won that game fairly easily, it seemed as though she was starting to get nervous. Did you sense that on your side of the net and think, okay, here is my chance now?
SOFIA KENIN: Yeah, obviously I felt like the momentum was going my way. And I could tell that she was getting nervous and everything, but it doesn’t mean anything. She’s going to fight. And I knew it’s going to be a battle out there.
And like everyone said, it’s going to be a battle of youngsters.
