V. MBOKO/M. Bouzkova
1-6, 6-3, 6-0
THE MODERATOR: Vicky, congratulations.
VICTORIA MBOKO: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: An incredible performance today. How did you feel playing on court with such a crowd behind you?
VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, there were so many people today. It was a very difficult match I feel like mentally and physically for me. But no, I'm just really happy to have came out with the win and felt really great coming off the court with the tennis I was able to produce towards the end of the match. Yeah, I mean, that's all I can really say.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.
Q. Can you describe how you felt in the first set and what happened?
VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, I mean, in the first set, of course, it was a very shaky start for me. It felt one of those days where you couldn't really understand what was going on, and you feel very off, and nothing is really working in your favor. So that plays also a really mental role, and you really don't feel great with the tennis you're producing.
I mean, I took the opportunity after the first set to take a toilet break and kind of regroup and reset for the next set. It kind of helped me get everything back together and started playing a little bit better.
Q. During that break, what are you telling yourself that you want to do differently?
VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, I mean, in the second set I kind of wanted to make sure my movement was at least twice as better than it was in the first set, and my concentration as well.
I feel like I wasn't really as focused as I wanted to be, and I wasn't very sharp with my movement and how I was kind of moving on the court laterally, front and back, and side to side. Despite the tennis aspect, anything technical I just didn't focus on that, but I wanted to make sure I was moving great.
Q. In the second set she was still playing a really high level. It seemed like you were hitting the ball as hard as you could, and she was bringing it back all the time. During those moments, is it challenging when you seem to be hitting against a wall?
VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, Marie, she's a really solid player. I kind of knew that a little bit going into the match. She puts a lot of balls back in. That's really great tennis from her.
I wanted to stay as patient as possible and not kind of rush myself. I think it was a mental battle with myself too to kind of make sure to stay in there with her and find the right moments to kind of hit harder or put away the ball. I think for me I was just trying to find the right moment to do that.
Q. You invited people to be there on Saturday. There's apparently a big match waiting for you on Saturday against Coco. Can you describe your feeling about this upcoming match?
VICTORIA MBOKO: Yeah, well, I'm really excited for it. She's the No. 1 seed of this tournament. I mean, I've played her before, and I know what I'm going to expect. I'm going to really expect a hard fight.
I mean, it's always great to play such incredible athletes and incredible players like her. I think it's just going to be a really fun experience again, yeah.
Q. When you've played her, you played on clay. Now you're going to play on hard court. Is there a difference between the two surfaces where you feel you can be more at ease here than you were over there, or can you describe a different feeling?
VICTORIA MBOKO: Well, yeah, the surface is different, but I mean, it's not like you change the way you play just because of the surface. I mean, I'm going to kind of go into the match how I usually go into every other match despite the surface.
I'm going to show up with how I play, and I just hope for the best.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports