Serena Williams defeats Alize Cornet
Semifinal Round
7-5, 6-3

Q.      Questions for Serena.

Q.      Can you tell me about the first set and kind of how you came out,
whether you were surprised by the lead that she established or whether you
were just kind of trying to see what she could do?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, she played well in the first set and the second set.
 In just the whole match I thought she played really well, and I just wasn't
playing my game, I don't think, in the first set, and I got caught a little
bit on the defensive a lot, and I wasn't doing anything I should have been
doing.

Q.      What's the toughest thing about that match and about her style of play?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  She has has a really good style of play.  She gets a lot of
balls back, and those kind of players are usually around for a good 20 years.

Q.      So you'll probably meet her again?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, for sure.

Q.      Have you been happy with the way you've started matches this week and
will it be important to get off to a quicker start tomorrow?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  I definitely think tomorrow I need to get out to a much
faster start.  I'm playing a tough player.  Every day I've been playing a
tough player, but it's the finals, and everyone wants to win, so I'm
definitely going to have to start a little faster tomorrow.

Q.      Serena, can you just talk about your mind frame down 4 1 and what you
had to do to get back in that set?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  I just thought at that point I had nothing to lose, and I
just thought, okay, all I have to do is break and hold and break and hold and
break and hold and I'll be back in it, and so that's what I did.

Q.      Was the wind a factor at all, and if so, did you have to adjust for
that?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  It definitely got to be more of a factor in the second set
because it got really windy in the second set, and you do have to adjust your
game and just hope for the best because sometimes you never know.  Like some
balls get so windy you don't know what to do.

Q.      I asked you the other day I said when was the turning point in the
match.  You said you never doubted yourself.  You never thought
you would lose.  How does that contribute to your mindset?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah.  I've been really positive my last two matches, and
you know, I don't know.  Like sometimes I just have that feeling like I just
know I'm going to win the match, but like today I just felt like I just had
to play better.  Like I didn't feel like I was in it, and once I got in it, I
felt like I will be fine.  I felt like even when she was up 4 1, I felt like,
okay, I got the rhythm of her game and now I know how to play her.

Q.      But you never knew for one second you were worried about the match?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  I didn't even think about that today.  I wasn't a set down
like when I was get Srebotnik.  I felt like I was never going to lose in that
match, but today that didn't cross my mind.  I was just focused on the match.

Q.      Serena, how does it feel, yesterday you played against Sharapova in a
big, big match and then in the semifinal you're playing a player that nobogy
knows.

SERENA WILLIAMS:  Well, I mean I know where I've seen her.  I've seen her
play in France before against Venus.  It just tells me that she's one person
to watch coming up into the clay court season, if she can get this far in a
big tournament like this, you know, to work hard and keep your eye out for
these players.

Q.      Did your sister give you any tips that were of use today?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  Yeah, she definitely gave me some tips that was of good
use, but I'm not going to share them.

Q.      Is there any sort of letdown after such a big match yesterday and coming
back and playing again today?

SERENA WILLIAMS:  No.  What do you mean?  Like playing this match or do you
think I should have a day off or what?

Q.      No, I mean that the match was such a tough one and so much buzz and hype
around it and you had to come back the next day.

SERENA WILLIAMS:  No.  I mean that's what you have to be ready to play.  You
have to be ready to play everyone, you know, whether there's a lot of buzz or
not.  To be honest, I never heard the buzz, you know, so I'm in the same
position I've always been in.

END OF INTERVIEW