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Patty
Schnyder beat Jennifer Capriati 6-4 6-3
Q. Patty, yesterday as big a win as that was, how big was today?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I don't know. It's huge. I mean I just played so great, from it was 4?3 back, I played so great in the end and I never had such a performance in a match, and especially on this court because it's a great crowd and playing Capriati, I mean it's just amazing.
Q. Surprising yourself?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I think so, but I kept doing and I wasn't thinking too much during the match, but now as I go over the points, and I'm going to watch some on the television, I mean I played a great game.
Q. You seem to be using the same strategy against Capriati that you used against Williams in terms of setting the points, keeping the ball deep, making her make mistakes and sort of negating the power advantage. Do you think that kind of game worked well again today?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. Of course. I mean I cannot compete with them by hitting the ball as they can because they are much bigger, they are much more athletic and taller than I am, and so I just tried to play my game and angle them to the backhand and forehand, angle my backhand early, make them run to the forehand side, and it worked out so well, and I mean I was playing unbelievably deep all the time, so that was just great.
Q. Did you ever hit the lines so well as you did today?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I think I hit all of my shots like five centimeters before the lines. I never did that before.
Q. Why do you think everything is coming together now? Is there anything you've been doing?
PATTY SCHNYDER: No. I mean I just keep working. Like I was playing really good in practice for six or eight months, and I just kept believing that I can do it, and in a match, too, and now this is the week I could do it, and I'm so happy, and I just love playing tennis and enjoy my life.
Q. Can you talk about the break you got at 4-3? She had you down 40-0. You were able to fight back and you get that and go on a string of wins together. How did you actually look after the comeback?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I don't know. I mean I played unbelievable rallies. We had great points at the net and drop shot, and it was an amazing point. And I mean I was just lucky to win those three games in a row, but I played great and I deserved to win.
Q. You've upset the sixth, third and now number one. Talk about your week.
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. It's been a great week. I think I have beat all the tough players here, and especially all the good clay court players, Mauresmo starting in the second round and now getting through all those great players and champions, so I don't know. I'm just trying to focus on tomorrow and then everything will like go off me, I think, all the pressure and all the efforts I had this week.
Q. Should we add clay court specialist to your resume now?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I think I was that before, but I couldn't really beat the top players, and it's my favorite surface anyway, and I think I'm playing so good on clay at the moment.
Q. She came in here and said you beat her and you forced her into making all the mistakes and she didn't say she played bad or whatever. It was all you. The No. 1 player saying that about you, how does that make you feel?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I mean she's a great champion, and I think that if you can't really appreciate the opponent's performance also ?? you have to have that to be a great champion. And she's a really nice, nice person, and I was also surprised by Serena yesterday when she told me at the net. I mean she was really nice, too, and I was surprised as well, but I think, yeah, a lot of players they learned a lot about their attitude, and it's really nice being around them and playing Serena also.
Q. What did Serena tell you also?
PATTY SCHNYDER: She was really looking into my eyes and saying, "yeah, you played a great match and I hope you're going to make it through to win the tournament."
Q. What did Jennifer say?
PATTY SCHNYDER: That was really nice because she was not looking at me in the beginning. She was kind of arrogant. So I was really impressed with that sentence at the end.
Q. What did Jennifer say today?
PATTY SCHNYDER: No. She said, yeah, congratulations. Good luck, I think. I was so excited. I don't remember.
Q. Patty, would you like to face yourself at this point as well as you're playing?
PATTY SCHNYDER: No. I don't think so. I prefer to play the right-handers, and yeah, just try to play my game and win it.
Q. You say you've gotten here through hard work, but can you elaborate on that a little bit? Have you changed your diet? Have you changed your exercise routine? I mean what's different?
PATTY SCHNYDER: No. Like I said, I've been playing really great in practice and I really knew that I have the ability to play that good in practice, but I couldn't really do it in the matches, so this is kind of a breakthrough for me, and last week I lost to Dementieva really close and I was just too nervous to win it, and I really couldn't play my best tennis because I was too nervous and I put too much pressure on myself, so I tried to do it different this week, but I don't really know why it worked out, but I'm just trying to keep it.
Q. With all the upsets that have happened that can be kind of overwhelming. How do you regroup one more time and to go out and win tomorrow?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I don't know. I'm going to do the same thing that I did yesterday and the day before, and try to relax a little bit and have fun and enjoy and talk about the match today, so yeah, to keep me in the tournament.
Q. Patty, you mentioned that you were too nervous last week and you didn't perform as well as you wanted. What did you do this time around this week to be relaxed and kind of take it as a different way?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I don't know. Actually if I knew, I would have done it earlier. I mean I really can't tell. That's so great about sports. I mean when I go now to the next tournament and play first round, I know it's going to be tough to win this round, and that's sports, and that's great about it.
Q. You obviously had a great period 1998, the beginning of '99 and then it kind of fell away. Do you feel like you're back to going up to the potential everybody expected for you?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I think I'm playing better tennis than I did in '98. I could never win against those hard hitters and the great players, so I'm really happy I achieved that here, and I am just enjoying life and tennis more than I ever did.
Q. Everybody loves an underdog and as you kept going today, it seemed like Capriati kind of had that crowd kind of all week, but you kind of stole a lot of it. Did you get a sense of that as you started to make a run there?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I mean I could feel it. They really like me here and they love my game and it's just ?? it's a great part of ?? it's just great for me to play here on the center court.
Q. Can you talk about Sandrine or Iva, dependent?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I've beat them always on the clay, so I don't know what else to say. I beat Iva all the time, all of our meetings, and I beat Sandrine twice on clay. So I'll see. Whoever wins, I'm going to take it.
Q. You win the first set. You know you're going to get her best shot coming out in the second set and yet you're still able to break her and go up 3-0. How important in your mind was that to get that lead in the second set?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I had some really good games, and we were both a little tired at the end of the first set because we had long rallies, and I just could feel that it was really important. But I don't know why it worked out today to make the break, yeah, right away, because I had these kind of situations in other matches before, and it didn't work out, so I'm just happy that I could do it.
Q. At what point in the match did you feel like you had taken her out of it? In that break in the first set or a little later?
PATTY SCHNYDER: No. I mean she's such a great competitor and she always can come up with some winners and break your serve, so I just felt that I have a really big chance to win and once the match point was over, it was over.
Q. But could you ?? she seemed to indicate you were frustrating her. Could you sense that?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Well, no. When she started arguing with the umpire, the ball was clearly on the line. I thought she was a little bit taking her time or taking the public on her side. So probably I knew at that point that I was really hard to beat for her that day.
Q. You said that in '98 you didn't do as well against the hard hitters, here you've done great against two among the best in the world the last few days.
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. Of course.
Q. What's different?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I'm just a better player now. I mean I never played such good tennis than this week, so.
Q. Is it patience, is it setting up the shots better against the power players?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I don't know. I'm physically better. My backhand is going better. I mean I'm ?? it's just all my games, prepares on every stroke and mentally I'm definitely better, and also I'm enjoying playing tennis more than I did.
Q. You mentioned that you preferred playing the right-handers. How much of a factor do you think being left-handed has been for you this week against your opponents?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I mean, yeah, it's a great factor, but I use it and that's my game. And they have some advantages, their bodies, they are tall. They are powerful. So I think my advantage is a left?hander and moving quick around the court, and that's my advantage, and I use it.
Q. What was your feeling after that first set, your mindset?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I was tired, but I just felt great because I played three unbelievable games, and we had some great rallies. The crowd was into it. It was just ?? it was a great feeling.
Q. Not talking about your game, but when was the last time you can remember feeling this confident?
PATTY SCHNYDER: I think I'm at the point I'm most confident now, because once you can beat Mauresmo, Pierce, Williams, Capriati in a row, I mean what else can you expect as a player? I mean it's the greatest thing you can do. I mean if you can do it in an event and win it, that's ??
Q. Speaking of Grand Slams, are you going to the French?
PATTY SCHNYDER: Yeah. I know now that I can go all the way and beat all the top players, but you never know. It's going to be seven matches, two weeks, different court. I mean I just take it slowly.
Q. Where do you go between here and there, what's your schedule?
PATTY SCHNYDER: After the Fed Cup next week and Hamburg, Berlin, Rome and I might skip one. I don't know really. |
Singles
1R beat Virgina
Ruano-Pascual 6-2
6-3
2R beat Amelie
Mauresmo 6-4
3-6 6-2
3R beat Mary
Pierce 7-6
6-2
QF beat Serena
Williams 2-6
6-4 7-5
SF beat Jennifer
Capriati 6-4
6-3
F lost Iva
Majoli 6-7
4-6
Doubles with Grande
1R beat de Lone/Schlukebir 6-2 6-2
2R lost
Martinez/Tarabini 4-6
3-6
Photos
Charleston 2002 gallery
Articles
Williams
crashes out to Schnyder
Schnyder
upsets Capriati to reach Charleston final
Interviews
19/4/2002 vs S Williams
21/4/2002
vs Majoli
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