U.S. OPEN

September 11, 1992

Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere

Q. Manuela, was she just putting too much pressure on you, or didn't you feel you played as good as you should have?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: She was putting pressure on me by not missing very much. And I was a little bit impatient. I tried to hit winners, but I was not always in the position. I was just a little bit overdoing it. And actually, in the second set I tried to make less mistakes; just to keep the ball deep, and we started having some good rallies, but it was a bit too late.

Q. How disappointing is this match for you? First time in the semis, Grand Slam tournament, in a match like this?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: Well, I tried everything I could. So I am disappointed that I lost, but I tried my best today and this was all I could give. So I am going out from this tournament with a good feeling, still.

Q. Are you surprised by how well Arantxa is playing?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: I am not surprised, because she has been playing like this for a few months already now. And maybe -- actually, I was expecting a little bit more from her, and that is why I was kind of rushing it a little bit, because I had more often expected short balls and I was just rushing it too much.

Q. Do you think Arantxa is ready to go up to the next level; to be in a level of a Graf and a Seles?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: Well, if she wins a few more matches, like beating Seles and Graf, she probably can.

Q. But do you think she is capable of winning the final?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: Yes, I think so, yes. She has a lot of confidence right now and she is mentally tough, right now.

Q. Is that her best attribute, mental toughness, or has she -- is her -- the rest of her game better than before?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: It must be also the rest of her game. It could not be only mental, and she is making few mistakes and she is hitting well, her backhand, and she is moving around with her forehand, so I think overall, she has improved.

Q. How would you compare her -- her baseline game to Seles? She hits with a lot more topspin. How tough is she compared to Seles?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: It is just too different games you play against each one of them. Both are very, very tough. Against Arantxa, you go on the court knowing that you have to run around a lot, and you will have to make fewer mistakes than her. And with Seles, you just have to stand the pressure of all the hard-hit balls.

Q. Do you think Seles is vulnerable at all, or do you think she is playing really well?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: Tell you the truth, I have not seen any of her matches during this tournament, so I don't know exactly how well she is playing, but--what was the question? I am sorry.

Q. Do you think she is playing the best? Is she vulnerable at this time?

MANUELA MALEEVA-FRAGNIERE: I think she is vulnerable because she lost to Sanchez two weeks ago, and she knows it, yes.

Q. Thank you very much.

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