Shortly after the three-and-a-half-hour match – the most spectacular of the tournament so far – which she lost to No. 7 seed Xiyu Wang, Gabi Ruse opened her press conference by thanking the audience for coming out in large numbers to support her.
“I’m glad that for the first time I was able to play at home without thinking that I’m going to disappoint. Even after 6-1 in the first set, I thought people came to see me, to enjoy my tennis; so I said to myself – let’s just have fun and do my best. People already know me, they know what I can do. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for what they have done these days. I thank them for encouraging me everywhere I go”, Gabi said.
And then she added:
“It was an incredible atmosphere, I felt great on the court and it was the first time in my life that I really enjoyed being here and playing at home. I fought until the end, I gave my best. Of course, this defeat hurts, but there is nothing to blame me for. She played very well until the last moment, and I tried to do the same, but today she was better. Tomorrow, back to work!”
Gabi believes that the first set – which she lost rapidly, 6-1 – was an adjustment set for her.
“It isn’t easy at all to play against her. She is moving very-very fast, she has great service, and it took me a while to adjust to her pace. I knew that at some point I would start playing better because I was a bit slow in the beginning. And I believed in myself until the end. I really thought I was going to win, but that’s how it was. I think luck is just a matter of time, and everything that happens to me is a lesson.”
She was then asked how does she feel about the tough defeat in the final tiebreak, after saving two match points along the way.
“I’ve asked Iulian (Vespan), my coach, if I could have done something better there. He told me no, that I didn’t do anything wrong. I tried to stay aggressive, considering it was the end of the match and we were both very, very tired. The aggressiveness was important, including the serve, but I really have nothing to blame myself about. I’m going home happy and I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved, considering that after 3 and a half hours I’m fine physically, and tomorrow I could play again.”
