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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 6, 2019

Lesia Tsurenko

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

K. PLISKOVA/L. Tsurenko

4-6, 7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Lesia. How is the ankle?
LESIA TSURENKO: It hurts a little bit, but I will be okay.

Q. So it's not too serious?
LESIA TSURENKO: I don't think so, and yeah, I'm hoping to get back on court in maybe two days.

Q. Can you talk about not finishing the matches to preserve --
LESIA TSURENKO: No, not like this. It was hurting a little bit, but I said just fight till the end. It wasn't an option for me.

Q. You were dominating for a lot of that match, it felt like, until you got the opportunity to serve it out. Can you talk through just how you were feeling up until that moment and then maybe what happened in that game?
LESIA TSURENKO: Actually, I was feeling the same all the way. But I don't know what really changed at 5-4. I think we had the great fight until 5-4, and then suddenly, I don't know, maybe she raised her level so much that I was not ready for that. It's going to be a big lesson for me, and I'm trying to stay positive. Of course, I'm disappointed with myself, but in general I'm happy with the way I played, and I have to think a little bit more about what exactly what happened there.

But this is just the first premier final for me. So hopefully next one will be more successful. I almost did it.

Q. You said you have to take some lessons from it. Do you know what that is yet or do you more, I guess, reflection?
LESIA TSURENKO: I'm just thinking that Karolina, she raised her level, a lot. And I was even more lucky before that with many challenges. I mean I was just more lucky before. And then suddenly it turned around. But nothing really changed in my mindset or I didn't -- I was not thinking too much about the title, you know, because I'm trying to find the answers. But I don't have it yet. I just think that I was not really ready for the level of the tennis she suddenly start to show me.

Q. Did the ankle affect you at all in that last set?
LESIA TSURENKO: In the final set, of course it did. But when I will analyze this match, for sure it will be not about the ankle, for sure.

Q. How does it feel to kind of have this start to the season, even if the result today didn't go your way?
LESIA TSURENKO: Of course, it feels great. First of all, I love this tournament, and I never -- no, I did actually. I played well here. I've been in semifinal, but that time I was so lucky, I got in as a lucky loser and I got the spot of Maria Sharapova who had bye in first round. So this time it was different. I had to fight for this position in the final, and I just love this tournament. I mean, I'm coming here every year a lot in advance just to practice here and to feel this atmosphere, and then when I'm getting matches on the centre court or at the show court, it just feels great for me. Of course, it's a good preparation for Australian Open, and I'm really happy to make this result here, because it's one of my favorite tournaments.

Q. You said that your goal for this year is to be Top 10. I wonder how much far you feel from them? Like today you played Karolina, who probably had a little bit more experience in these kind of matches. So I wonder how much far you feel from a Top 10 player.
LESIA TSURENKO: I hope that my level is getting closer. My position, of course, is still far away from there. I need to show good results consistently the whole year long. So it's just the beginning for me, I hope. And I improve my ranking, but still, you can see how much I have to work on it, because I start this tournament as 27th in the world and I will be 24th. I did the final but I improved three positions in my ranking. So it means that I will have to work hard, and for sure I have to work a little bit more on my serve and on my attacking game because I feel that I can get a lot of advantage with that, and of course, on my mental part of my game, because next time when I will be in a situation like this, I would like to win.

Q. You said that this is your favorite tournament. You love it a lot. There's a possibility that it might not be here next year. Do you know anything about that and do you have any feelings about it?
LESIA TSURENKO: Next year? I will be here, for sure.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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