US OPEN

September 4, 1998

Irina Sprilea

Q. That screech at the end of the match, was that in English or Rumanian?

IRINA SPIRLEA: I don't know. I think it was Italian -- something. Italian/ Spanish, mix it up.

IRINA SPIRLEA: No, I get another penalty. Another fine. I don't know what I said.

IRINA SPIRLEA: No, it was a regular match. It was -- it was tough because I lost two times against her, so --

IRINA SPIRLEA: No. It is already gone. Everybody is talking, but --

IRINA SPIRLEA: Well, I think you are happy after every match you won, so I was happy after I beat Likhovtseva first round, so, you cannot be sad if you win a match.

IRINA SPIRLEA: The net, she miss.

IRINA SPIRLEA: She served, I returned with the net and then she missed the ball. So how can I --

IRINA SPIRLEA: Well, yeah, but, you know, I put it over there, so, you know, she missed the point, so it is not now that I can make a story.

IRINA SPIRLEA: I was, you know, quite, keeping everything inside, so at the end you just let it go and you just, you know, you just relax, I think.

IRINA SPIRLEA: I think my serve was working pretty good, so maybe I had a little bit more patience, except the second set. And I was quite into it, so I didn't let myself going down and -- I wanted to win so I said I am going to give everything.

IRINA SPIRLEA: After what?

IRINA SPIRLEA: Well, as -- I am happy and everybody is expecting that I -- I know, you know, Spirlea will win it, is like oh, good match, everybody is like that, but I think what it was last year it is already, you know, so we have no problems anymore.

IRINA SPIRLEA: It was hard to get back into the match because I was completely out of the court so I was trying to get that second game in the third set with my serve so I was trying to get it back, put the ball into the court and try to play the point because I was -- I don't know, trying to kill every ball, so it is not working with Serena so, I need more patience and I was trying to get back into the match.

IRINA SPIRLEA: Well, let's start because I know that she is going to get every point, but inside of you, you think it is automatically -- you think it is finished, the point. So it is something, you know, in between you say, okay, I won the point, then you see the ball coming, it is like, oh, it is coming back. So you know it is hard to finish that point after. But I think it helped me because you know that -- they are everywhere, so, you are a little bit more focused on the ball then when you play them first time.

IRINA SPIRLEA: I mean, they serve well and they hit the ball pretty hard. Sometimes it is like you can just play with their power, but I think Serena has a better forehand. The one crosscourt, when she is running like she is getting unbelievable angle and they can -- they are not similar. It is, okay, they hit the same, but they are not quite similar as the game.

IRINA SPIRLEA: I think what is tough to play the next tournament after U.S. Open than this US Open. So, no, I had a tough first round actually playing Likhovtseva, so was I like, ooh, ooh, it is not too easy to get into the match, but maybe it helped that I was more concentrate than when you know that you play with somebody that it is so and so, so -- I didn't think about what happened last year so much. So far everybody leave me alone so nobody was --

IRINA SPIRLEA: What do you mean?

IRINA SPIRLEA: No, I tried to take all the time what is positive and what you do, you do and then you try to make it back if you can and then, you know, I mean, but I think it was the best tournament I played last year, so, I have to enjoy it.

IRINA SPIRLEA: Yeah.

IRINA SPIRLEA: Another story: Okay. (laughter). Actually I never beat her, but you never know what is going to happen about -- I can play well and she can be in a bad day and she can play so and so, so, you know, it is not the kind of player I like to play, but I give a try. Once I am there, you know, everything can happen.

IRINA SPIRLEA: End.

IRINA SPIRLEA: This year, you mean?

IRINA SPIRLEA: From the beginning of the year.

IRINA SPIRLEA: At the end of the year last year I played I think well. I had two, three semis and semis at the Chase, so, I think I played well. I had a lot of points to defend this year, so, I don't think I played, you know, bad.

IRINA SPIRLEA: Now?

IRINA SPIRLEA: Well, I don't feel like I play like last year, but I am happy about the way I play. You have to take it -- take something positive about what you do anyway, so, you know, I am happy now and I try to make it better if I can.

IRINA SPIRLEA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is like again -- (laughter). Okay, next time we have both interview here and okay, I don't know what to do anymore. We shake hands already. We talked, so everybody is like, are you talking with her? Yeah, I am talking with her, yeah, she is talking with me. She is answering? So, it is like -- yeah, I mean it is normal. And I think everybody else, it is normal with them and they are normal with everybody else, you know, everybody is happy.

IRINA SPIRLEA: Don't go so far. (laughter). That is like, you know, I don't have time to have dinner tonight. I have room service, so I am going to call her in my room and have room service. This is like -- (laughter)......

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