CHASE CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THE COREL WTA TOUR

November 19, 1998

Dominique Van Roost

Q. Were you nervous in the beginning?

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: No, I was not nervous today. Maybe a little bit nervous, more nervous than in my first round, I don't know why because I had nothing to lose again today. But I don't know. It may be because I wait two days so I had time to think about the situation probably. So of course I knew today was a match that it was very important because I could go to the semifinal and she played very well today. I didn't know exactly -- last time I played her she was playing very good in the backhand and she was making a lot of mistake with the forehand so I said this time I am going to go to the forehand; see what is going on there and she played unbelievable on both sides so it was very hard for me to find a solution begins her today. But afterwards I think the two, three first games I was nervous. After that, I was fine.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: I was not tired. Physically I was feeling very good. I had two days to recover from my match. But mentally maybe I was a little bit tired. Maybe start thinking too much about the match.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: She played very well. She played very solid today. The forehand was -- she was playing long and the backhand, she was very solid as well. Sometimes she can miss with the backhand, but today she didn't really make any unforced error. I had always the feeling that during the whole match that she was very strong; that I didn't -- I didn't have any chance to do something against her today because she was playing too good. She was solid from the baseline. She was serving very good. She put a lot of pressure on my serve. I knew if I was not serving good that she will just go for the shot and that is what I was feeling during the whole match because sometimes I was serving second serve and she just killed me. So I had to take a lot of risk with my serve, so I made a couple of double faults, so then you are a little bit down or so. I think she was very impressive for me today.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: Well, it is hard to say that I was happy with my game because she didn't really let me play my game. She had a lot of variation in the game that she is playing and it is hard for me -- she plays very solid from the baseline; then I have to play too good and then I start to make mistakes and then it starts to be very hard because then she is using my mistake to make the point and she is just waiting because she is more powerful than me from the baseline, for what I was feeling on my side today.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: Very good experience, of course. It is amazing for a player who reached for the first time in her career the Championship this year. And to reach the second round is even better than just participating. So I am very happy that I passed the first round. Even if I lost today, for me, it is a very good tournament that I played here.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: That was the best season of my career, definitely. I played an amazing tournament. I played very good during the whole year. And I beat a lot of top players. So this is for me the best I have done since now.

DOMINIQUE VAN ROOST: I think physically I have to work even more getting stronger and for the rest I have to improve my games at the net; trying to come more at the net, so to put more pressure on my opponent. For the rest to try to be as regular as I am on the baseline.