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U.S. OPEN

September 5, 2007

Anna Chakvetadze

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. We asked your opponent, Peer, what's so good about you. She said, oh, you'd have to ask Anna, but she couldn't figure it out. All you do is you win matches. How are you doing it?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I'm doing good. I'm doing good. I'm so happy that I got through. The question is how am I playing or what?

Q. Yes. How are you doing it? You're not serve and volleying and you're not explosive, but you keep winning you're and No. 5 in the world.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: No 6.

Q. Excuse me. You'll be 5.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yeah, just, you know, I don't have this like powerful groundstrokes and I just, you know, fight until the end and trying to play smart.

Q. You seem to know though where the ball is. You anticipate well I would say, because you're there. When the ball is there you're there.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yes. And I'm trying to change the pace a lot.

Q. You were talking going into the match that Shahar had given you a very tough match in March. What did you do to change it around? Did you change your tactics?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Actually, I need to say that that match in Indian Wells I played really -- I didn't play well. Today when I was in the rush a little bit from the beginning. I was -- I wanted to hit very hard. Wanted to blow Shahar from the court, but that's not the way how I'm playing.
So I just had to play smart and not easy and not rush myself. So, yeah, then I just started to do less mistakes, easy mistakes, you know. And on the other side also I was aggressive especially on the second set. That's why I think I won it so easy.

Q. How do you learn to play this way? It's almost like Martina Hingis-type tennis.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Again. Yeah, a lot people compare me with Martina. I don't know. You know, I change it because I never played like this when I was a junior. I was hitting really flat balls, and after that I couldn't just win a match. That's why I change it. I knew that needed to do something else, you know.

Q. Had you watched lost the Martina Hingis when you were a junior?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yes, I did, but not more than all other players.

Q. You've had two matches with Svetlana Kuznetsova. Is there a common theme in both of those matches? Did the matches progress in the same way?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I think the last time I played her I won -- no, I mean I lost really easy, like 6-2, 61. It was on a clay court in Warsaw. I believe it was one year ago. So, yeah, you know she's a favorites in this game, in this match, so I have nothing to lose and no pressure.
For me it's much easier to play with no pressure, so I will try to do my best.

Q. Is that the way you felt all season, that you have no pressure?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yes.

Q. Can you talk about that a bit, because you've made such a great rise. There must be more expectations?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Well, I mean, I played top 10 players and I mean, I played maybe top 20 players. Still, you know, it's much easier to play when you have no pressure and you're not thinking about, oh, if I going to win this how will -- which ranking will I have and all this stuff.
Just be more relaxed and think about next point and that's it, and next match.

Q. You also always seem to be in a good mood.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Well, today I was a little nervous because all crowd was against me, but I thought to myself, I will die on this court but I wouldn't lose, because the crowd was against me so I have to win. I have to prove that I can win that.

Q. But is there anything this really gets you down? You seem so bubbly and happy.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Well, it depends on the mood, you know. Depends when you woke up how you feel. I woke up today with a good mood, very good mood. That's why I won maybe so easy, straight sets.

Q. You were saying no pressure on yourself depending on how the players you play are, but you're also the type of player if you don't play well you get upset with yourself. You have high expectations of your own level, correct?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yeah, that's true, but you can't play good and well during all matches. For example, here I didn't start that well first and second match I didn't play well. But then I just felt better and better with every day.
Today I'm happy with the way I played. I think it was a good quality and good level.

Q. Why did you think the crowd -- or feel -- that the crowd was against you?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I guess it's so many people from Israel came to New York.

Q. How old were you when you decide that you needed to stop hitting the ball so flat and change tactics a little bit?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I think I was 15, 16 years.

Q. It a was coach that sat down and talked to you about that?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yeah. Actually, I change my coach after that and I just began to work with coach from Sweden with Aspelin. Yeah, I just want to win some matches. You know, I didn't want to lose all the first round, so that's why I change my game.

Q. How long did it take to you get comfortable with this new style?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: A while, of course. You know, it doesn't change really quickly and really fast. But I was working on it and I'm happy that I improved in that.

Q. You're going into your first Grand Slam semifinal. What does that mean to you? This is as if far as you've got in a Slam before.
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: You know, I should be so excited but it, but I think just pretty normal like always. Of course it's a big match, it's a big win, and I'm so the happy to be in the semifinal. But I just thinking about the next match.

Q. To go out and play under the circumstances you did today with the crowd so in favor of her and you're twenty years of age, to be able to go out in that environment and to play the way that you did and prevail, how do you feel about that in terms of your own development as a player mentally?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Well, I knew that I have to stay concentrate and confident and I have to stay calm. I knew that Shahar going scream after I losing easy point, like, Come on, like this. The crowd will be like, Oh, come on.
But I knew it will be like this so I was prepared for that. I knew in my mind it was most of the crowd will be against me.

Q. Your probably answered the question, but why do you think the girls from Eastern Europe are so successful?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: First time this question actually. From Eastern Europe, I never thought about that. I never thinking where is my opponent coming from actually. You know, I never thought about that before.

Q. Are you upset that there are so many players in this tournament in the quarterfinal? There are six players in the fourth round from Eastern Europe. Are you upset about this fact?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: You know, I never thought about that. Never thought about that.

Q. Here's something else you probably never thought about. Everybody said there's nobody good in the bottom. Nobody any good down there after Sharapova lost. What do you think of that, to be among the bottom feeders?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Of course she was second seed and she was -- I mean, for sure everyone thought she would be in the quarterfinal, but it just didn't happen. I guess just Radwanska played better that day than her. This girl deserved to be in the fourth round as well because she beat Maria and she can beat top players and win these kind of players. I just took advantage of the draw.

Q. Do you think since Wimbledon you maybe have been playing the best tennis on hard courts all summer long, and if you play to your level you should get to the final?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Yes, I'm thinking that, you know, I'm playing well, but still, you know, I'm not feeling that I'm playing my best.
Because even I think in Stanford I played better. But because these two weeks I'm getting like I'm feeling better the ball with each day, so hopefully I will do well on Friday and I will play even better than today.

Q. Do you think that you will feel no pressure as well on Friday and maybe even Saturday?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Well, I hope I will have no pressure. But, I mean, all players I think have a little pressure before the match. But when they go on court it doesn't really matter if they still have that pressure. It's just gone and they concentrate on the match.

Q. If there were just a few Russian girls doing well it might be easier for everyone to be close and social. But there are so many good Russian women on the tour right now. Does that maybe make in more difficult to get close to people from your own country because you're competing against them all the time?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Well, you know, me I'm such a friendly person and I'm in good relations with everyone. I mean, we are seeing each other every week. We practice together. I don't think that -- I ht ink on court you're fighting against each other, but when you go off court we're in a good relations.

Q. Is Lansdorp coming now?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I don't know. I didn't speak with him yet. I'll call him and ask if he comes.

Q. How much has he been helping you?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: He help me a lot. He change my serve a little bit before Toronto. It was -- we had just few practices with him and he did change my serve, and I think on this tournament I'm serving much better.
So he helps me a lot. He gives me confidence, you know, and he's a great guy.

Q. Did you visit him or...
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: I visit him in L.A.

End of FastScripts

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