Here is Sara’s press conference commentary on today’s semifinal won against the Romanian  Monica Niculescu (credit to SpazioTennis for partial content):

“To play against a player like her is definitively challenging. You have to find the perfect balance between aggressiveness and consistency. Her forehand is not just a simple slice, the ball is really spinning that much, even on the side, so it gets hard and harder to push onward.”

“At 3-3 I got a bit nervous on that longline referee call, I had got lots of pressure on my shoulders, especially considering the fact that she was playing at home and of course the whole crowd has been cheering her for the entire match. Obviously I understand that, but still, it makes it more difficult for the other player to remain focused.“

“I kept trying faking how much I felt tired. Even though I could see she was  progressively about to lose attention, I was feeling almost the same. I guess those two points at 3-2, 30-30 have probably been the real turning point of the match, I couldn’t almost breathe right but I tried my best not to let her seeing it.”

And here is also her opponent comment:

“It has been an unbelievable week for me. I felt great and the crown’s been simply amazing. I think Sara has got a strong backhand, the courage to fight and the energies to run everytime she needs it, in fact I am happy I could play such a quality match against her. I was hoping I could win and try to celebrate the title among our home fans but she has been just too good”. 

Meanwhile Sarita’s second season final has been officially scheduled tomorrow at 5pm (local time) and it will be a rematch of the Brasilian clash won against the very same Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, who took over Polona Hercog in the other semifinal and would step on the other side of the net to meet the top-seeded of the tournament:

“Schmiedlova may be still a young player but I keep seeing her improving her game. I don’t forget it was a true fight against her in Rio”.