CHINA OPEN

October 5, 2025

Linda Noskova

Press Conference

A. ANISIMOVA/L. Noskova

6-0, 2-6, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Linda, tough one today. Can you reflect on your two weeks here.

LINDA NOSKOVA: Yeah, well, definitely today was the toughest match out of all my games throughout these two weeks. Obviously Amanda is amazing player. She has been playing just too strong throughout this whole season. It's been really tough to kind of find my rhythm, let's say.

The first set was really tough. There was not much that I could do different. I just had to come up with a little bit of a different plan.

But yeah, other than today, I think it was just amazing tournament, two weeks. Definitely an unforgettable one.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Speaking on Amanda, obviously you're a very powerful baseline player as well. How different is her power compared to some of the biggest hitters in the game? What is it that makes that power? How early she takes the ball, the depth?

LINDA NOSKOVA: I think it's just the fact that she comes after every point that she possibly can. It's definitely her powerful serve that she starts the rally with. Then she just continues to play as much down the line as possible. Sometimes it's just hard to come up with anything, just with any plan, in fact, against such fast groundstrokes.

I just had to kind of keep my rhythm and keep my length of the balls. I feel like that's why I won the second set.

Obviously in the third, it was much more like it was in the first one. That was tough.

Q. You said on court that you didn't expect to be in the finals. Can you explain more about that.

LINDA NOSKOVA: Yeah, well, this tournament, I mean, I've never really played the Asian Swing before. Two years ago I had to actually withdraw from this tournament and come home immediately. Last year I skipped all these tournaments.

This is definitely a different experience for me now for the first time in my career, playing throughout the whole season. It's just really tough and long, this calendar that we have. To kind of prepare mentally and physically for each match is just almost impossible it seems sometimes.

So yeah, I came here with just a feeling I just want to enjoy my time on court and whatever happens happens. Maybe the great strategic move from me is to kind of let it go and enjoy my time (smiling).

Q. Here is a question about your team. I noticed one of your friends is on your team with you, Cerna. There's an interesting pattern this season. When she's with you traveling around tour action like in the Middle East swing, you play well. When she's with you here in the Asian Swing, you have the run in the China Open. How much does she help you throughout the tournament? How much does this friendship build you here to have this achievement?

LINDA NOSKOVA: Yeah, actually yesterday she said to me, I'm kind of like your lucky charm.

I was like, Okay, let's just keep it casual (smiling).

But yeah, she's nice. We have been friends forever. We've played a lot of junior tournaments together. She still moves around tennis. She really enjoys traveling, so it's always nice to have a different or new face around.

Since I don't really have like, I don't know, five or four members of my team that I travel with, it's always just nice to kind of have a little distraction. She understands tennis, so it's quite easier. And that was all.

Q. During the game we heard a lot of fans cheering for you. Is it going to help for you or you're just focused on your own game?

LINDA NOSKOVA: Well, it's tough to say that I want to kind of block out the noise. Since I've been playing on the center court that has thousands and thousands of people, so yeah, it's definitely quite tough to kind of focus on little things sometimes.

Fans have been nothing more than supporting, fun, very, very nice to me throughout these two weeks. Yeah, a lot of them actually told me that they are coming to Wuhan, as well. We all might just move from Beijing to Wuhan and it will be the same atmosphere (smiling).

Yeah, nothing but great.

Q. Because of your run in Beijing, your ranking shot up. You're in the top 20 for the first time. Is this ranking going to change anything in the way that you think, prepare, choose tournaments to play at?

LINDA NOSKOVA: Well, going into the top 20 this year have definitely been a big goal for me. At the same time I just didn't want to put really any pressure on myself.

A couple months ago I told myself it would be nice to be in top 20, but it would be nice as well to be in top 30 or 40. I mean, just playing these top tournaments and these best players in the world is just quite a dream come true. I still have to remind myself of that.

I'm not really focusing on what number in the world am I. I don't feel like that's that much important. I'm just enjoying my time on court. Whatever happens happens. I feel like this might be my motto now (smiling).

Yeah, I'm just enjoying it.

Q. You were talking about luck before, also the fact that this is your first full Asian Swing. At the start of the tournament you went to an art museum, saw a little bit of the city, given a good luck pin or something. Could you talk about that experience of spending two weeks here and what that specific experience was like of getting out into the city.

LINDA NOSKOVA: Yeah, definitely was a great experience. Even before I started my first practice, I feel like I went to a museum first. It was a nice distraction definitely just to show me some traditional art and some monuments, very important things for China. I feel like that was a nice kind of start into this tournament. Since I've never done such a thing in Asia before, I definitely enjoyed it.

I also wanted to do some off-court things, as well, but we didn't have that much time. We wanted to go to the Great Wall of China. I don't think we will do that because we're moving to Wuhan tomorrow. So yeah...

I'm kind of like a cultural person, so I like to go to museums in every city. This might be my new routine.

Q. Since your ranking is cracking into the top 20, throughout these two weeks you played several top-10 players, what do you think you need to improve to help you to maybe move into the top 10 next season?

LINDA NOSKOVA: I mean, it's everything. I mean, c'mon, you got to improve forehand, backhand, serve, volleys (smiling), overheads, dropshots, everything all at once. My physique, some more drills. It's just a big mix of everything at once.

It might seem that I'm top 20 in the world. Wow, what an athlete I must be. When no (smiling). It's I just was at the right place at the right time sometimes.

There's a big, big gap between top five let's say and top 20. I definitely am not putting any pressure on myself. Again, let it be. C'mon. I have a lot of peers in front of me.

So yeah, I'll take it easy.