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AUSTRALIAN OPEN


January 25, 2008


Kateryna Bondarenko

Alona Bondarenko


MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. A poor start, then you got back into the match. Tell us your thoughts on how you thought everything went today.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Went back to our side. I think I just started to play better and try to hit more shots, not like to make a winner then it's mistake, because I was playing really bad in first set (smiling).

Q. How many years have you been together?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Always.
ALONA BONDARENKO: (Nodding head.)

Q. How long have you been playing on the Grand Slam circuit together?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Maybe it's --
ALONA BONDARENKO: -- second year.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah.

Q. What do you think makes you such a good team?
ALONA BONDARENKO: Because we are sisters. Last year we play not very good doubles because sometimes we fight on the court. But now we start to listen each other and understand, and maybe that's the key.

Q. Was the time you spent in Poland helpful to you?
ALONA BONDARENKO: I don't know.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: We spent in Poland --
ALONA BONDARENKO: -- two years.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: No, one and a half years, just because some people invite us there. Then after one and a half year, we decided we want to just stay in Ukraine and keep practicing there. Doesn't matter who invite us there.

Q. What does this win mean to you both?
ALONA BONDARENKO: We don't know yet.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, probably not really know yet that we won a Grand Slam. I mean, we know, but --
ALONA BONDARENKO: -- we don't understand it.
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, not realizing.

Q. Have you played each other in singles at all?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, like six or seven times.

Q. How does that go?
ALONA BONDARENKO: 3-All, I think (smiling).

Q. Is it pretty tough competition against each other since you know how each other play so well?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, I don't like to play against my sister.
ALONA BONDARENKO: Yeah, for me it's not easy because she play like more winner, good serve, good shots. For me it's very tough because she knows me and can easier win with me.

Q. You both bring something different to the doubles game?
ALONA BONDARENKO: Yeah, I think so.

Q. You used to fight each other in the doubles. Do you fight when you play singles against each other?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: No, we try to focus to the match, not on fighting.

Q. What role in this win did your mother have? She still coaches you?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Yeah, she's coaching us all the time, for whole life. She will keep coaching us.
We don't know what it means to her yet. But I think tomorrow we'll find out.

Q. Medvedev was a model for you or do you think it's time for you to be the first Grand Slam winners?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: I don't really know. Actually, during the tournament, I didn't think about Medvedev.

Q. An important fashion question for you. Why does one have a stud in your nose on one side and the other one on the other side?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: That's because she saw that I have on one side and she decide to do the same thing, the other side.
ALONA BONDARENKO: I do it later, like one year later than her.

Q. You didn't want to be the same?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: At least some difference.

Q. Are you going to concentrate on doubles or play singles and doubles?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: I think we'll continue to do everything.
ALONA BONDARENKO: Yeah.

Q. Also when you reached the final, you said now it's time for beer. Will there be a champagne celebration tonight?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: We already start.
ALONA BONDARENKO: But we have a flight tonight. I think tomorrow at home we have a celebration.

Q. You play Fed Cup next week against Belgium. Who else will be on the team?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: Perebiynis and Koryttseva. They also played the main draw here.

Q. What are the prospects?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: We'll see.

Q. How much are you going to win?
KATERYNA BONDARENKO: We'll see. We cannot really tell anything right now.

Q. Do you know any one of the girls from Belgium?
ALONA BONDARENKO: Yeah, everyone. No, just one girl is younger, we don't know her.

End of FastScripts
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