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WUHAN OPEN

September 30, 2017

Ashleigh Barty

Wuhan, Hubei, China

C. GARCIA/A. Barty

6-7, 7-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A tough loss, I'm sure, but talk through the match. Where were you able to get that set and a break lead and where was it she was able to peg you back?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think my serve let me down when I was serving for the match. My first serve deserted me a little bit. I put myself in a position where I was only a few points away from a title.

Disappointing not to come away with it in the end. Sometimes the cookie crumbles that way. It was a hell of a match. Cara is a great friend of mine. I wouldn't want anybody on the other side of the net.

Q. Talk about the backhand a little bit. Between slicing and going over on the backhand, tactically how did you decide what was going to work better against her?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think it's important to have the right mix. Obviously you can't just go topspin over everything or chisel everything. For me it was about getting that mix.

I had it right. I put myself in a position where I could win the match, and tonight I couldn't finish it off, which is disappointing. For us, still a hell of a week, probably the best week of my tennis career. So, yeah, we move on and we live and learn.

Q. What does it week like this do for your confidence and everything going forward?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I've had some of my best results. Played some of my -- arguably some of my best tennis ever. Disappointed tonight. But like I said, I put myself in a position where I was really close to come away with a title. You got to keep putting yourself in these positions to come away with it. Tonight it didn't fall my way.

Q. Breathing down Dasha's neck to be Australian No. 1. What would it mean to get there?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, obviously it would be very cool. I think in my eyes Sam is very much still our leader, has been for so many years. Sammy struggled these last few months with injury and whatnot.

For me, I just go about my business and try and play the best tennis matches I can, and the ranking will take care of itself.

Q. The next few weeks, what are you hoping to achieve?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Obviously we got next week in Beijing. Then Case and I are eyeing off Champs. We've got a big couple of tournaments coming up. It's been a fantastic week this week, really good preparation. We'll do the best we can to get to Beijing and get ready for my next singles and doubles matches.

Q. You said in the first part of your career you weren't exactly comfortable in the locker room around the other players. What does it mean for a player like Cara to have goodwill for you?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I don't know if last time maybe I wasn't comfortable, but I'm certainly more comfortable this time.

I've known Cara for a very long time. It's always good to see her face around the locker room. She's a genuine friend of mine. Like I said, it's nice to play your friends and see them having success. Obviously I would like to be holding up that trophy, but it's not meant to be tonight. We've had a great week, and obviously, you know, I think one of the best weeks for me.

Q. Have you surprised yourself at all this week?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think this year's been just amazing. We've had a really good year and a really consistent year. It's just another sort of peg week and another final for us, which is really exciting. We've had some good success in singles and doubles this year. It's been a really good year for us.

Q. You're one of the few players who speaks in first person plural saying 'we' and 'us'. How much of your tennis feels like a team sport compared to an individual sport?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, there's no chance I would be here without my team, without that support around me, my coach, my family, my loved ones, sort of those who help me, sort of give up their time to try to achieve what we're trying to achieve. For me, this isn't a one-person show at all. There's a lot that goes in the background that people don't realize, the hours that we put in.

I'm the one out there that gets to try and enjoy it and do the best that I can, put on a show and try and sort of show what we've been working on, what we've been working for. For me, this is very much a team effort.

Q. Hope you didn't spend too much emotional energy barracking for the yellow and black. Did you watch them, and what was that like?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I watched them from bed in the hotel. It was pretty amazing for the Tig's, a pretty amazing day. An amazing week for everyone over there in Tigerland. I can't wait to get home and see some of the guys.

Q. There were lots of breaks of serve, especially in the second set. Did you feel freer playing from behind? And how much of a factor were nerves or tension?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Actually, didn't really feel nervous serving out the match or trying to, I think. The serve, when we made a lot of first serves, we were having success. When we were both hitting second serves, the other was able to get on top.

Even in the first set, I think we were able to both squeak out of a few long, tough service games. In the second, they just fell the other way, there were a lot of breaks.

Yeah, I think for me, personally when I was serving out the match, it's just another service game for me. I try and do the right things and the best things I can. I just wasn't able to execute tonight.

Q. Talking about Caroline, what did she do particularly well tonight against you that caused matchup problems? And her as a person, sounds like you know her from the doubles and singles circuit, but talk about that.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I really think it was a high-quality match. There were ups and downs and twists and turns. But I think when you split the first two sets 6-6, Cara probably should have served out the first set and I should have served out the second. That's just the way it goes.

I think it was just a really high-quality match. A few things I wasn't able to implement in the third and late in the second. But credit to her, she changed a few things up and was able to get on top.

Like I've said before, she's genuinely one of my best mates. Say g'day to her and make time to talk to her when we're away from the courts. It's really nice to see her having success. Just sort of starting to see the tip of the iceberg where she's going to end up in her career.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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