Z. QINWEN/D. Yastremska
6-4, 6-4
THE MODERATOR: Dayana, not the result you would have been looking for today, but could you also explain your thoughts on the match and also the injury you had in that first set that you were treated for.
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Yes, well, the results, I'm happy about it. I'm not sad about the loss, but I still think it was a great tournament for me. Usually get in Grand Slams seven matches to play, and I have played nine matches, so I'm very proud of myself.
Not really sad about the loss, but very sad about that I didn't have enough emotions and enough physic and enough recovery for today's match because there was some important moments where I had to give a little bit more than she did. I felt like I just couldn't take it for myself.
The injury, you know, after the warmup today I felt a little bit I had a pain on my stomach, the muscle here, and first set after two games I felt like I did a forehand shot and felt like I started to have a lot of pain there.
So I took -- how do you say, medical time --
THE MODERATOR: Medical timeout?
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Yes, medical timeout. It's got a little bit better, but still, I felt that, like, deep inside I felt that I would not be able, really, to give my everything, because there was not much to give.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. A great tournament. You had mentioned I think almost two rounds before that you were already feeling quite fatigued and tired. So, I mean, how pleased are you that you were able to kind of get as far as you were able to get to the semifinals, given that, you know, your qualifying and everything, you played a lot of matches here?
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Yes, I didn't have, like, a huge preseason, because I played in Andorra and Angers, and for me it was something like a preseason to play matches and stuff.
I'm happy with the result. I'm happy about the way I felt on court. I really enjoyed. I think it was a nice, I will say, comeback for me to get into the top 30, because for years I couldn't get back even to top 50 or 60 even.
So it's a nice bonus, because now I can play finally main draw at the Grand Slams, which gives me really priority to feel a bit more fresh. I could feel that I can really play well at the Grand Slams. I'm not going to look too much forward, but I feel like I can, one day I can win a Grand Slam.
Q. Congratulations on this good tournament. As you said that your ranking is going up because of this result. So how much does this ranking affect your schedule throughout this year? Which one is your next tournament?
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Oh, yeah, the ranking actually is playing a very big role, because the last four years I didn't know my schedule, I didn't know where I will get in, where I'm not going to get in. I had to play, like, week after week. I can say I was living at the tournaments, and I didn't know exactly what my schedule is going to be.
So now I, for example, know where I can play, where I can rest, and it's more comfortable to live like that when you know, like, for a while your schedule.
Q. You have now obviously faced Zheng Qinwen, can you talk about what makes her a difficult opponent. You have very good success against Aryna. I'm just curious, do you think Zheng Qinwen has the tools to compete on Saturday and win?
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Yeah, definitely she has a lot of nice opportunities to win a Grand Slam. I think she's a great player. She has powerful shots and really good serve.
If she will be able to stay stable emotionally and if she will be able to hold her level up like she done today pretty well in important moments, she can win and she can win, I will say, even pretty easy (smiling).
But it's going to be a good fight between them both. She played great today, but I think if I felt a little bit more fresh the win would be on my side.
Q. Have you had any messages from back home following the match?
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: Oh, yeah, a lot of messages. I had a huge support from a lot of people from Ukraine and even not from Ukraine.
I don't remember the last time I got that much messages (smiling). So I think I made them a little bit happy. These are tough moments right now in Ukraine. I think they got some nice moments to enjoy watching me play, and I did my best here. I tried to bring them a little bit of joy.
Of course I'm sad that I lost, and I'm sure that they are also a little bit sad, but I think it still was a nice run here.
Q. What do you think is going to be the key for you, what are you going to tell yourself going forward, to hold this level, to be able to do this, you know, regularly, having done it across whatever, eight, nine matches that you had already here?
DAYANA YASTREMSKA: My goal is not to hold same level. I don't want to stay, like, in the past and think about the way I played here, because every day is different, every tournament is different, every draw is different and everything is different.
So I will be just focusing on a moment. I will be in the present, and there is nothing special that I will tell myself. I just want to improve, and the most important is I want to hold this feeling of myself, how I felt here about enjoying playing.
And before the last couple of years, I couldn't really feel these emotions when you're playing the Grand Slam, you know, and you're playing not the qually, not first, second round, but when you're playing already matches like quarterfinals, semifinals, when you're really close for the win, but you're losing, it's also nice emotions to feel sometimes.
But yeah, I don't know, I'm just moving forward. I have a lot of tournaments in front of me, and there is still three more Grand Slams. I will try to do my best.
(Phone ringing.) Sorry. Father. (Laughter.)
I think he's already interesting, he wants to talk to me I think about the plan and stuff, because I'm planning to go to Linz, so we are deciding now.
So yeah, what I was talking about...
Well, I don't know...
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