QUESTION: Amanda, how good does it feel to do this in your adopted hometown?

COETZER: Especially good, especially because I've had quite a few battles with her here, and that's been difficult. So it's really nice to walk away with a win.

QUESTION: You must feel good about your game right now, the way you're playing. You've had a great tournament. Just comment about your game in general right now.

COETZER: I feel very confident. I think that really helped me today. I felt I didn't have to rush into points because I felt I had a lot of faith in my game. Just overall I feel like I'm hitting the ball really well and probably playing some of my best tennis.

QUESTION: What were you doing in the third set to basically just take control of the match?

COETZER: I came out of the second set, and it was very close and lost it, and I just was really trying to concentrate hard not on getting mentally down or anything and just go on to the next point. I had another set to play and just try to do it as best as I can by competing every single point.

QUESTION: Do you think this was your best match ever here?

COETZER: My best match?

QUESTION: At this tournament.

COETZER: Probably at this tournament, yeah. I think so.

QUESTION: Did it help playing in front of a hometown crowd?

COETZER: Yes. I think so. It's really nice playing such a competitive match here in front of everybody, but I think the crowd was really into it. We both had our little cheering sections, and it's just really nice when you play a match like that where people get really excited.

QUESTION: Do you feel you beat her at her game? She usually is so patient and forces other people to make a mistake, and today you just were so patient.

COETZER: Yeah. I think so. And it's like I said earlier, I felt because I had confidence in my game, and I felt like I wouldn't easily get hurt. It was easy for me to do that. Obviously I think she rushed into a few points, but hopefully it's because I felt like I was putting quite a bit of pressure on her.

QUESTION: She's been in sort of a slump this year, hadn't been playing that well? Did you think going into the match that you had a really good shot because of that?

COETZER: I've played her before when she's been in a bit of a slump or something, and I really respect her as a competitor, and even though I know she's struggled a little bit this year, this is on clay, she's defending champion. So I've never really counted her out of anything. But it's in the back of your mind, obviously.

QUESTION: You two have very similar games, and you play long points, a lot of moon balls. Is it difficult to maintain your focus in points like that? It's almost like you two could just close your eyes and just keep batting the ball back and forth.

COETZER: Yeah. It is very similar, and that's the tough part of it. We've had some close matches in the past, and I think we both know before we go out on the court that it's going to be a long, hard battle, and I guess it's tough dealing with that mentally, but you just have to be willing to stay out there and just work every single point.

QUESTION: Is it all the more satisfying that she's beaten you two out of the two straight years here? Does that mean a little bit more to you to finally beat her here?

COETZER: Yeah. I think so. Every time you go back to a place you definitely remember the past experiences there, and we've had some really tough matches. So it's especially nice to win here.

QUESTION: She was like 13 and 2 against you coming into this match. Why has she been able to dominate you so much and what was the difference today do you think?

COETZER: I think I didn't have the game that I have right now in the last couple of years that I've played her. I've worked hard at my game, and we've developed my game quite a bit, and I think I have the weapons now to beat her, and I also have a little bit more confidence because of that.

QUESTION: You made it to the quarter finals here once before, but is this more satisfying to get into the quarters this year? I think you were like the seventh seed then.

COETZER: Yeah. I think so. Just the win itself. I haven't really paid too much attention to the draw. I've just really played match by match, so yeah, it's just really satisfying to get this win.

QUESTION: Do you think she was getting tired in the third set at all?

COETZER: I don't know for sure. I felt like I played really well the first couple of games. I think it's always tough. She had to work really hard to win the second set, and I think it's always tough if you have to work that hard to get right back in the next set, and I think that was quite crucial because I was ready to start out the third set and ready to go.

QUESTION: Did you get tired at all? You didn't look like you were tired.

COETZER: Definitely. We worked really hard and you get tired, but I think my recovery is pretty good after long points. I can recover pretty well. But yeah, I definitely get tired.

QUESTION: I think you said the other day coming into this match for whoever survived that this would probably be good preparation for who's left. Do you still feel that way, that this really could be a stepping stone for you?

COETZER: Yeah. I hit so many balls today, and it's very good for me to get a good rhythm going, and not only for this tournament. I think it'll definitely help me for the whole clay season coming up.

QUESTION: Do you think you can win the tournament?

QUESTION: Looks like you had taken control of the second set a little bit before the injury happened to her, but how did that affect her movement out there?

COETZER: I'm not exactly sure when she started feeling it. I think it was different in the second set fairly early, but I started to feel pretty good in the second set, just getting my rhythm and just focusing a little bit better. It was very unfortunate for her. She was playing pretty well, and it definitely did affect her. In the third set she didn't go for a lot of shots.

QUESTION: How different is it playing on the grandstand court as opposed to the stadium court?

COETZER: It's about the same thing, I think. The stadium might be a little more difficult just with the backdrop that it's a little bit easier to see in the back of the court on the grandstand, but then there's always great atmosphere on the stadium. They're both pretty nice courts.

QUESTION: Had you played on the grandstand any last year?

COETZER: No. I don't think I ever played on the grandstand.

QUESTION: The conditions are a lot different today than they were the last time you played, were they not, in terms of the wind, if nothing else?

COETZER: Yes. It was a perfect day to play. Yes. It wasn't a lot of wind or anything. It was a nice temperature, cool.

QUESTION: You were feeling good about your game after that first match. Do you still feel that you're on target to be where you want to be?

COETZER: Yes. I feel like I'm hitting the ball really well, just keeping myself mentally focused and keep encouraging myself, because I really feel like I'm playing some good tennis, and I'm hitting the ball really well.

QUESTION: You're scheduled to play Arantxa next. You played her a couple years ago.

COETZER: Yes. I've played her quite a lot. We obviously both know what to expect from each other, and hopefully it will be a good match. I think for both of us, we know we're going to have to work hard to win the match. Obviously Arantxa doesn't give away easy points and she hits it really hard, and I like to think of myself the same way.

QUESTION: You would both be good preparation for future matches for each other, would you not, whoever survives the next match?

COETZER: Yes. I think so, because definitely I think we'll probably hit a lot of balls, and definitely give whoever wins some good rhythm and good opportunity just to get yourself hitting a lot of balls.

QUESTION: Which is better for you in terms of preparation for the clay? Is it better to practice a lot or do you really need the matches to reach your target?

COETZER: You can only do so much in practice. Obviously you need to practice to get yourself going, but there's nothing like match practice. Just the adrenaline in the match and just the competitiveness, even if you play practice matches, you can never really duplicate that whole feel of an actual match. So it's definitely something different if you actually get matches behind you.

QUESTION: How important is positioning on the court? Do you feel that it's very important in your game?

REYNOLDS: Amanda's been extremely loyal to the Family Circle Magazine Cup and will be making her eighth appearance there at the end of March. She's one of the few players that will probably be able to say that she's playing at home that week. Earlier this year she reached the semifinals at the Australian Open where she handed Steffi Graf her first loss of 1997, and she's the only player ranked outside of the Top 10 who has beaten Graf twice while she was ranked Number 1 in the world. So that's a pretty impressive statistic there.

Q: What did your recent victory over Steffi do for your confidence? That's your second in about a year and a half.

COETZER: It's been really good for my confidence. It's nice beating her one time, but to do it twice has really done a lot for me because sometimes you feel like one time is maybe a little bit of luck, and to just really get out and have some good matches with her in the past, and it's just really good, especially at a Grand Slam event, to actually pull out a win.

Q: Amanda, just looking at your record at the Grand Slams over the last year and a half, you have done really well. Last year you had a good year, got to the semifinals at the Australian, the quarter finals at the Open and then this year in the Australian. Could you just talk about how your game has improved and especially your performance in the Grand Slams of late?

COETZER: Okay. I think definitely that was a goal for me in '96, specifically to try and do well in the Grand Slams. I think those are very important tournaments, and that's what I felt I did really well last year to be able to have consistent results, other than probably Wimbledon where I lost in the second round. So I feel very happy about that. Once I started working with Gavin Hopper, that's what we set out to do is to really try and do well at those, and my game has really come a long way. I feel like I can play with the top players now. I can actually beat the top players because I do have more of a weapon in my game. And we've cut out a little bit of my weaknesses, so I just feel like I can play with them, and it's great.

Q: Amanda, you beat Steffi at the Canadian last year. That really seemed to kind of launch you. What did that do in terms of putting you where you are today? Was that sort of the launching pad for you to where your game has come today?

COETZER: Definitely. I'll just tell you a little bit of what happened before that Canadian tournament. That was probably the best tournament of my career because not only did I beat Steffi, I went on to beat Novotna and Pierce and Appelmans before I lost to Monica, but I started working at the beginning of that year with Gavin Hopper, beginning of '96, and we made some technical changes in my game, and that's always hard to do, and I just felt I was struggling a little bit. I had a few ups and downs. I felt like my game was improving a little bit, but I still hadn't seen any results, and at that stage as I went into the Canadian tournament, I think my ranking dropped to the lowest that it's been in probably three years or so. I think it dropped to about 28. So it was very crucial for me. I think I was feeling a little bit down, and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing trying to change my game, trying to be a better player, and so it just came at the right time. And it really did a lot for me. Other than beating Steffi Graf and beating a great one, there was a lot of other things going on before that. That's why it really meant a lot to me, and I definitely got back my ranking, and it gave me a lot of confidence.

Q: What about Martina Hingis? She's one of the most improved players over the last year. What do you think about her game? Have you been able to see her that much, and what has she done to improve?

COETZER: Yeah. I think she's improved tremendously. I played her last year at the Australian Open, and then I played her again I think towards the end of the year in Europe. And her game has just really improved a lot. I think she's definitely stepped up the court a little bit. She's striking the ball a little bit earlier and she's not giving you a lot of time. So you constantly feel rushed, and she's coming to the net a lot, and I think she's improved her serve. And together with all that, and she's got so much confidence at the moment that she's really going after the Number 1 spot, which I think is very admirable at that young age, and she feels like nothing is going to stop her. So I think it's going to be extremely interesting to see how she handles this year, and I definitely would like to have another chance at playing her. I played her in Tokyo and lost pretty badly. So I'd like to take a good look at her game and really try and put myself up against her more often.

Q: Amanda, looking at your ranking over the last five years, you've been pretty consistent between like 15 to 20. I think you're currently ranked 12, but do you think this year you can make the breakthrough into the Top 10 and then stay there once you do?

COETZER: Yeah. I think coming off the tournaments that I've had, I can definitely say I feel like I can, but it's a long year, and you never know what's going to happen, but I feel pretty confident that I can do it. I think also this year there's a bit more insecurity going around with the whole ranking change, and people aren't really sure what it's going to do and how people are going to react to how much they're going to play, but I feel like my game is ready to handle that. And I think a year ago or even about two, three years ago when my ranking was 12, my game wasn't actually ready to go into the Top 10, but I feel I'm ready physically and mentally, so with a bit of luck I feel like I can do it.

Q: Amanda, you mentioned technical changes in your game. I wonder if you would talk a little more specifically about that, and too, along that line, your strength has always been your ability to cover the court, to get to balls, to run balls down and things like that. But have you in the last year or so been able to develop what you would classify as a more penetrating shot, a particular weapon to really enable you to beat the top players?

COETZER: Yes. The specific change that we've made has been my forehand. I really feel like these days you really need a weapon because all the younger girls coming up are just hitting the ball harder and harder, and they're able to keep the ball in play at the same time. They don't make a lot of errors, and I've always been good at not making errors, but I've never really had a penetrating shot. And we started working on this in the beginning of '96, and it's just come a really long way. When I started out, I didn't know that this is where my forehand could go, that I'd be able to hit the ball this hard and still have so much control over it, and I just feel really happy about that. And I feel like it's still developing, and I'm really excited about it. And on top of that, we've worked hard on my serve. It's still probably not near where I'd like it to be, but it's improved a lot, and I feel good about it.

Q: One of our sports writers actually saw you at the "Star Wars" movie last Friday in Hilton Head. How often do you come to Hilton Head during your time off? How many weeks would you estimate you stay here?

COETZER: Well, since about '92 when I was training at Van Der Meer, I was here pretty much full time, and just in the last couple of years I've played a lot more on the Tour. In '95 I played about 23 tournaments. I specifically tried to lift my schedule up a little bit, and so I really haven't been here as much as before. I mainly come here now when I relax and just for a bit of training here and there, but with the tournament being here and so many tournaments in the States, I spend about seven weeks.

Q: Is it nicer to come here just to relax now rather than training here all the time?

COETZER: Yes.

Q: Kind of a getaway?

COETZER: It's a bit of a change. I look at it a little bit differently, and yes, it's very nice. If you want to find a good place to relax, this is it.

Q: How long did you work with Dennis Van Der Meer?

COETZER: I worked with him probably full time I'd say '93 to '95.

Q: And you started working with Gavin Hopper when?

COETZER: Yes. I said earlier beginning of '96, but it was the beginning of '95.

Q: So you've been working with him about two years now?

COETZER: Yes.

Q: They're going to have night matches for the first time at the Family Circle Cup. What do you think about that?

COETZER: I think the players are definitely going to struggle a bit playing night matches, but I think it'll be great for the tournament. I think it'll bring a great atmosphere, and the players will just have to bite the bullet and play those matches. I actually enjoy playing at night, and I think it'll be very interesting and very exciting, I think especially with the field they have. They have so many choices of who they can play at night. I think it'll just be great.

Q: Why are you leaving so early to go out to Oklahoma City? Is there a special reason?

COETZER: I am going out there to be a guest bartender for Valentine's Day.

Q: Are you actually a licensed bartender?

COETZER: I am. I had to apply while I was down in Australia for the license, and I have my license, and I think it's valid for about a year.

Q: I'm sure you're the hottest bartender on the COREL WTA Tour. You're probably the only licensed bartender on the Tour. Why did you decide to be a licensed bartender?

COETZER: Actually it's part of a promotion for the tournament in Oklahoma City.

Q: You can't serve drinks without being a licensed bartender; right?

COETZER: Yes. You have to, because we actually do it in a bar. Last year we did the promotion with the local hockey team there, the Blazers, and this year they decided to make the promotion bigger because it's on Valentine's Day.

Q. Amanda, recovering from 5/1 down, to get to 5/5, what were your thoughts at that point?

A. At 5/5 or at 5/1?

Q. Getting back up?

A. I felt, coming out, Mary started - she started off really well, she played extremely well. And I felt if I can just somehow hang in there, with the way the sides were going, felt that I could - there was one crucial game. I felt if I could win that and I had the next two games on the other side, I could still be close. Of course, she gave me a few points then, I was able to get back. But then she just didn't give me enough to take the set. She played a really good game at 5/5, served a really good game and just didn't give me an opportunity to get in there.

Q. Is that the best you've seen her play, Amanda, the strongest?

A. I think, yeah, compared to - I think she's definitely getting back to the form that she was when she did well a few years ago, in '95 and '94 when she got to the finals of the French. I think she's getting back to that form. Obviously she did let off a little bit today and gave me a chance to get back, but I think she's gaining confidence as she's going on and she'll probably be back to her old form soon.

Q. You know her quite well because you've played doubles together. How low did she get last year when she was off the tour?

A. I actually didn't - we started playing doubles in Tokyo, and I didn't really see much of her during the year. She didn't play a lot of tournaments, so I can't really tell you. I know she's just struggled physically with her shoulder. But she seems in good spirits and I think she's doing quite well.

Q. Is she the sort of player who needs to be in good spirits to play at her best, from your knowledge of her now, playing doubles with her?

A. I think she's a type of player that really thrives on confidence. I think she's - once she gets confident, she's very hard to stop.

Q. What aspect of her game troubled you most today?

A. I think she hit her backhand really well and I struggled to read it, right from the start, and she just really hit the ball well off the ground. And, you know, I just felt like I got a little flat-footed every once in a while, I didn't know where she was hitting the ball, I just couldn't read it very well.

Q. What do you think about her position on the court? She's standing right on the baseline and you are usually quite a bit behind the baseline. Do you think it's crucial to the match? Because you will always have to do more than she has to do?

A. Um-hm. I felt that right from the start, in the first few games, especially like you said, one side you could feel a little bit of a breeze behind you and she was just taking advantage of it, and it took me a little while to try to do the same from that particular side, to just really get on top of the ball. And I'm sure that's what her game plan was and she did it really well today, just stepped into the court, and I didn't feel like I could get enough pressure on her to back off a little bit.

Q. Amanda, the last couple of days it seems to have been pretty hard to serve into the wind from that end. So do you think maybe she was just a bit strong for you today?

A. I think she probably just used it pretty well right from the start, where it took me a few games to get the hang of it. I feel if you're not one side and you are able to step up and take the ball early, that you are in a pretty good position and, you know, just coming in on that side, it was hard to pass somebody, and you had a lot of pressure. The wind wasn't very - I mean, it wasn't much going, but I just felt like - she just played really well.

Q. You trained for really hot weather and then you get a cool day like this; does this tournament drive you up the wall, or what?

A. No, I think today was just a perfect day to play. It was nice and mild, you know, just a really nice day. I was ready to go out there and enjoy it, but I just ran into a very tough opponent.

Q. At this stage of your career is the semifinals satisfactory or do you now expect to go further and look to go further?

A. I knew, going into a match like this, that Mary is playing really well, it would probably be hard for me to beat her. But I have beaten her before and I felt like if she gave me a bit of a chance, you know, who knows? And then looking forward, obviously Hingis is playing really well, but I felt like I played her here last year and won that match; even though she's improved quite a bit, I hoped that that would still be in the back of my mind. So, you know, I felt really good going into this match, but I knew that it might be hard if she's playing well.

Q. How would you sum up your tournament from your point of view?

A. I think, once I get a little chance to really look back on it, I think I will feel very good about it and hopefully I can take that into this coming year. You know, it could have been - it easily could have been a complete turnaround. I came in and I looked at my draw, I felt like I had a tough draw, with Kournikova first round, I lost to her last time I played her; I lost to Kandarr the last time I played her; so I felt like I overcame some obstacles, and also I didn't - even though I felt really good about my game, I hadn't had many wins coming into the Australian Open, I lost the first round in Sydney. So I think, you know, just looking back on it, I think it will really give me a lot of confidence and you know just really, I can go into the year feeling pretty good about this tournament.

Q. Amanda, the length of time that Mary takes on serve, is that off-putting?

A. I think it's definitely a little bit difficult to keep your focus but it's just a matter of getting used to it. I probably should have just been more prepared for it. But it takes a while for you to get used to it and not get yourself too ready at the wrong time.

Q. Amanda, given that that's part of the pattern of her game, to slow things up like that, I'm surprised that you wouldn't - or if you'd known about it, that you wouldn't have been ready for it, because that seems to be what everybody talks about; it's part of her game, basically.

A. Yeah. It's just something - I haven't played her for a long time and it's something that you can hear from other people, but, you know, it's just something that you have to be prepared for, and I guess I just wasn't - I didn't feel like it really affected me that much. So it's just, you know, I don't think it really had any change - it would have made any change to the outcome. I don't really think it affected me that much but, you know, you just have to be prepared for it.

Q. Given that you've played doubles together for a while and I guess you know her game reasonably well, was there anything that happened today that she did that surprised you?

A. Not really. I think just the one thing. She moved pretty well, I thought, and she picked up quite a few balls and I just, you know, a couple of times I felt like I was in a winning position and just got a little bit flat-footed and I wasn't quite prepared when she picked up a ball here and there, so I felt like she moved quite well.

Q. Does that come from what you talked about earlier; her being confident and therefore just moving better and reacting and anticipating better?

A. Maybe - I can't really say, maybe she just had good anticipation and knew what I was doing, knew what to expect. But I felt like she got to quite a few balls, but I was just somewhat surprised.

Q. With that fast start she got, do you put that solely down to how well she played or were you feeling a little more nervous than you thought you might have been or you felt a little bit flat?

A. I won't say real nervous, probably just not quite as ready as she was. And, you know, I felt that I wanted to go out there and maybe just feel my way into it, and I couldn't because she was hitting winners pretty much right off the start, and you know, I just couldn't quite play myself into it.

Q. Amanda, it looks like Hingis will be playing her. In these kind of conditions, what would Hingis have to do to be able to beat her?

A. I played Hingis at the Hopman Cup and I think she's playing extremely well. She's taking the ball early and she's coming into the net a lot and she will definitely rush Mary a lot more than what I did today. I think her game is really good at the moment, so I think it will be a very interesting match. I definitely will be very interested to see what the outcome will be.

Q. Can I ask you about your doubles arrangement. You didn't play here together; you played in Sydney?

A. Yeah, we played here. We unfortunately drew the top seeds first round and didn't quite get through that.

Q. How did that come about, Amanda, the doubles partnership?

A. Just by chance. In Tokyo, Gavin suggested that we play together because he feels that we could probably - he felt that we could do well, and we ended up winning the tournament and just thought that we should try it again some time.

Q. There is a report that your coach has been offered a job with Mark Philippoussis. How do you feel about that? Do you think you would be able to keep him, or what?

A. I think it will probably all depend on, you know, what demands they make on him. He's never coached just me, only me, he's always been coaching on the men's tour and he's always been pretty good at combining the two. So I have faith in him, that he will be able to continue the system that we've had, the way he's done it, and I think it will just depend on how much they will expect of him. I don't really know too much about that at the moment.

Q. How many weeks a year were you working with Gavin?

A. The last few years, probably close to 30 weeks. A lot of the tournaments are combined, men's and women's, a lot of the weeks, so there were quite a few weeks that we got.

Q. But having got to this stage, two Grand Slam semifinals, do you think you need a full-time coach with you?

A. I think - I mean, the time that Gavin has put in, it's pretty much been like a full-time coach. I'm not sure if I could - you know, I think the work that we've done, the weeks that we've done it, it's been quite intense and I'm not sure if that's something I would want to do every single week of the year. So it's just - it's worked really well and I just don't want to change too much about it if I don't have to, you know; I would like to continue the way it's been.

Q. What aspect of your game would you change now? You have rebuilt your serve, you have developed your forehand; now what?

A. I think my serve still has a long way to go, and obviously just getting to know what I can do with my game. I think I still - I'm surprised and I'm still not at the point where I feel exactly where my game can go. I feel like I'm slowly getting an idea, but I think if I can play a few good matches, like I did this week in this tournament, I think I could gradually build up the confidence and really get a good idea of where my game can go.

Q. Has it taken you until last year here and this year here to believe that that's what you can do; that you would be a player capable of reaching at least the semifinal level in Grand Slams, whereas before last year did you believe you could do that?

A. Yes, I think the combination of a few things. I think - it started out just seeing it in practice. I know I've gradually built a lot of confidence in just the work that we've put in and I've felt that my game has just improved tremendously. But then you do need the results to back that before you can actually believe it, and every time I've had a good result it has really pushed me up and pushed up my confidence levels, to just match it with the expectations that I get out of my practice sessions.

Q. You said Hingis may come to the net against Mary. You didn't come to the net. Are you working on the net game at all?

A. I think so. It's something I would love to be able to do a little bit more. I think finally I have the game that gives me a lot more opportunity to come in, and that's something that I would like to test out a little bit and get a feel of what people do off specific shots that I hit, what they're able to do. And that's something that's going to vary from player to player, so I think it's a long process. But it's definitely something I would like to try out a little bit.

Q. You didn't seem quite as decisive today as you were the other day?

A. Decisive?

Q. In your play?

A. I feel pretty happy with the way I played. Definitely it was a little bit difficult going out there, not knowing too much about Kimberly. I haven't played her, actually. I know how she plays but I haven't played her, so it's always a little bit difficult to know what to expect.

Q. Have you thought about, if you win a couple more matches you'll be champion?

A. It's such a long way and I know how hard it is to just really keep your focus on one match. To keep it on each point, it's pretty hard, so it's really a long way for me to think about that.

Q. Do you think the fact that you have been at this stage last year will help you in the next match?

A. I think so. Last year I felt like I had somewhat of an opportunity, I won the first set and I just got a little bit anxious. But I feel like it definitely makes a big difference being there before and I feel comfortable on centre court, so who knows. I feel like if I do get an opportunity, I'm a little bit more mature than what I was last year in some ways.

Q. Amanda, what was your reaction when you were told about the roof being closed?

A. I think I definitely probably would have preferred to play outside, that's my main, probably my best surface outside, I love playing out in the sunshine. But it was probably a bit of a break for both of us not to be in the heat and the wind.

Q. Do you think it is unfair that the roof should be closed for some players and not others?

A. Well, I guess from now on the rule is, once all the matches are being played on centre court, it's fair to do, so I guess I'll just go with the rules.

Q. Your coach has said on television that you had trained for these very circumstances and weather.

A. Yeah, definitely, you know, I was prepared. I feel like I got out of that match with Steffi and that was very crucial for me. So I guess all my training and hot work was not quite in vain, so I did get something out of it and, you know, I think I just took it as it came. It's not much use in getting worked up for me and getting negative about playing inside. Plus the conditions outside today were pretty difficult with the wind, so who knows what could have happened.

Q. Amanda, from what I can work out, there aren't any South African media representatives here. Have you got any reaction to that?

A. No. I've been doing a couple of radio interviews that went back. Hopefully I think it will create some interest. I think probably it will take a little bit more than just myself. I think Wayne has always done really well, he can generate a lot of interest and hopefully in the future we will get a little bit more.

Q. How is it at grassroots level there? Can you speak on behalf of South African tennis?

A. I can't really. I haven't been there a lot lately, in the country itself, I only go back about once a year. But I can say a huge effort is going on to promote the sport. A lot of the players have helped just to give some younger players the opportunity, because the economy is not great and we are struggling to get sponsorships. So we've tried to, a lot of us have tried to put back a little bit into the sport, so hopefully it will help eventually.

Q. Amanda, you were able to play a couple of the rising stars in the first couple of rounds, Kournikova and Kandarr, and you yourself are making a move in Grand Slam tennis. Can you talk a little bit about the depth of women's tennis and how it is coming up and what are your thoughts on it?

A. I think we are at a very exciting time. You see some players getting towards the end of their career but luckily there are a lot of them coming up that can fill those gaps. A lot of interesting players, a lot of different type of players, so I think we are at a very, very exciting time. I hope to be a part of it for quite a few more years. I still feel, even though I'm 25 years old, I feel like I can relate quite well to the younger players because I've felt like in the last couple of years I've made a lot of changes to my game. So I feel in a way, I still feel quite young, so I think it will be very exciting.

Q. Does it surprise you to see so many foreign names in the quarter finals of the women's - not foreigners in countries, ones you are aren't used to being in quarter finals, van Roost and Appelmans, a couple of times now?

A. I don't think I have seen a Grand Slam like this. Here it's very strange to see. But I think in a way it's exciting, too, a few new faces. And we're heading into a year where nobody really knows what's going to happen with the new ranking system, so I think it's just going to be an exciting year and it will probably work itself out towards the end of the year. But it's very exciting. The first Grand Slam of the year you always see a few surprises, I think.

Q. In years gone by, do you think there was, among the players perhaps ranked 5 to 30, a greater respect, sort of verging on awe, with regard to Monica and Steffi?

A. I think so, but more and more you see, not just down to 30 but all the way down to players ranked 100, you see - I think people are becoming more athletic, you see a lot more stronger, physically stronger, girls coming up and, you know, I just think it's great for the sport, I think it should be competitive.

Q. Obviously when you first picked up a racquet, Amanda, and decided to go serious with your career, you would have dreamed of one day being a Grand Slam winner. How fierce does that dream burn inside you? You are not too far away from it now.

A. I can't say I had that when I was young. My career just kind of progressed. And it is definitely something that would be great. You know, I can't say that the dream has been burning for years and years, I have to admit.

Q. How does it progress from Hoopstad, a little town in the Karoo? How did you get the coaching, first up, to even be a top junior; was that difficult?

A. I think I had great opportunities. My parents really made it easy for me. My dad started - I have three sisters and he started all of us out and gave us whatever we needed. My mum took us to tournaments. So I had a lot of competition when I was growing up and just so many opportunities. We had a tennis court at home and it was really the easiest thing for me to do was to play tennis. So I owe a lot to my parents for the beginning.

Q. There must have been a lot of travel, because Hoopstad is not very close to major centres.

A. It's not very close, but it's still fairly centrally located. We drove around. Johannesburg is about three hours north of us and my mum drove many kilometres to take us to tournaments. But there were three of us playing these tournaments so I guess it made it worthwhile.

Q. You grew up playing in a sort of dry heat similar to Melbourne?

A. Yes, very similar to this. Also where I grew up it is high altitude and most of our tournaments were played at high altitude and the heat is a little bit different than the heat you see in the States, with all the humidity. Yeah, this is something I'm somewhat used to.

Q. Amanda, you said you made some changes in your game in the last couple of years. Would one of those changes be your forehand? It looks to be as big as anybody. You took Steffi on.

A. Yeah, that's the main change we've brought about. It's just a gift I got from my coach back there, he gave me a new forehand, plus a few others. We've worked very hard and I owe it all to him - thanks.

Q. Have you always twisted the racquet between every shot? You twist the racquet 100 per cent between every shot.

A. I think I've done it for a long time. I don't know why I do it but I tend to change my grips a lot, so I think it's just easiest to change it.

Q. That must be even better than Toronto, mustn't it, last time?

A. It was a little bit quicker this time. So yeah, it was better.

Q. Just take us through, as far as you were concerned, the various parts of the match, particularly when you were down in that second set and had to claw back?

A. I think definitely the first set coming out, 4/0, I think Steffi made a lot of errors and she really gave it to me in the beginning, and lifted her game immediately after the first set. I was 4/0 down and I think just the crucial game was one at 4/2, it was a long game and I felt at that point that if I won that game, that I had a chance to get back in the match. Luckily she played not a great game again at 5/2, and that really gave me a chance to get back again in that second set.

Q. She seemed to be struggling a lot with the heat, going into the shadow. Did you feel it very badly?

A. I definitely felt it. It was very hot and you really feel it on the court, but I felt pretty good. I tried to ice down a little bit on the changeovers, just get a bit of ice on my neck and face, but I felt good.

Q. Did you sense Steffi was in trouble before she requested treatment?

A. No, I didn't really. I mean, it was very hot. I felt that both of us would probably be struggling a little bit, but I tried not to think about it too much. She was playing fairly well at that stage, and I tried not to get distracted too much by it.

Q. Have you played in heat like that before, or much like that?

A. I think probably the last time we played was a very hot day, and I've done a lot of training in very hot weather, so I felt fairly prepared for it.

Q. Where was that training, Amanda?

A. We've done a lot of training in Florida, this type of heat, and probably a little bit worse humidity than this.

Q. With Melbourne specifically in mind, with a day like this specifically in mind?

A. Any type of day. I mean, probably in the summer in the States, you can get yourself in quite a lot of trouble. I think Melbourne is a little bit different because you get these hot afternoons, the courts get really hot in the late afternoons, where other places it's probably a little bit worse just around midday for a couple of hours.

Q. Do you feel it coming through your feet?

A. Yeah, you feel it quite a lot on your feet. But I trust my shoes; I'm wearing a great pair of new shoes, so they were really good.

Q. You seemed to play a lot to Steffi's forehand, making errors on that side. Was that a conscious effort to do that?

A. Yeah. I felt comfortable playing forehand to forehand with her, and she definitely was making quite a few errors off that side and her backhand has probably been vulnerable in the past, but she slices it really well, keeps it really low, and she doesn't make that many errors. I was just reacting to what she was playing and I wasn't really playing to one specific side.

Q. Was there any point in the match where you sensed that you had her, that you were going to win?

A. I think the last shot that she hit and I saw it coming through the air, it looked like it could go long, and that was probably the last one. She played a great point on my first match point, 40/15, she hit a great forehand down the line. You never know with her. It was so close in the second, that you never can really tell.

Q. What was it like watching it going long at that moment?

A. It was just a great feeling, probably a little bit of relief, but just a really good feeling.

Q. You said that game at 4/2 in the second was very important. What was going through your head once you lost that game? How difficult was it to get back up and keep that effort going?

A. I was prepared to play a third set from there on. I knew that if I can get to 4/3, I'd probably feel pretty good. But I was prepared at that stage to go into a third set.

Q. Do you think the game before that was pretty important, too, you served three double faults and still won that game. That must have hurt Steffi?

A. Definitely. My service was very shaky at that stage and, coming out of a game like that it really lifted me up and probably it really - she had a lot of opportunities and I just felt really good coming out of that game.

Q. Were you feeling nervous at that point or cool or both?

A. As an excuse to why I served that many double faults? No, I think just we have done a lot of work on my serve and I think it's come a long way, and I feel really good on it, but it's still not 100 per cent. You never really know. I just lost a bit of feeling on it, and you never know.

Q. Before this match you were at 40/1 to win the championship. Do you think they're fairly good odds?

A. Yeah, obviously a good bet. You know, I wouldn't have put - well --

Q. Is this the biggest win of your career?

A. Yeah, it's always great to beat somebody like that for the first time. But to do it twice, really makes me feel good, it gives me a lot of confidence. Because a lot of times it looks like a bit of a fluke, but it feels great to do it twice.

Q. Would you say this is the best win of your career?

A. I think so, and especially at a Grand Slam. You often tend to see the top players come out of tight situations at Grand Slams, so this is very important for me.

Q. Does this give you the confidence to say take that next step and win the title?

A. I think it's a long way from here, but I'm going to take it match by match from here. You really never can tell what you do after a win like this. But it gives me a lot of confidence to go ahead.

Q. You must be feeling pretty confident in regard to your next opponent?

A. She's done really well lately. It's a little bit difficult. I haven't played her, we haven't played each other for a while, and it's always hard, you don't know exactly what to expect. I know somewhat what type of game she has, but just match by match, it's another match and I have to go out and concentrate hard.

Q. In a previous round, we spoke to you about Steffi's record at this tournament, that she has gone behind in the first set and it happened again today, and we asked what you thought, how you could possibly exploit that.

A. Yes. Definitely she came out and she gave me quite a few points in the beginning, but I think it was really important for me to win it at 5/2, to win that set, because right after that she went on a bit of a roll to go up 4/0. So if I'd lost that game right there, I would have been in big trouble.

Q. Do you plan a match strategy with Gavin, or does he just look after your fitness?

A. No. He's been my coach for the last two years and we have done a lot of work physically, but he's probably been one of the best - probably the best coach that I have ever worked with. Technically, tactically, he's been really good and I have a lot of faith in him.

Q. Is there something about this tournament for you, because semifinals last year and now you have beaten Steffi. Is it the surface?

A. Yeah, I really like the conditions, I like the surface, and I think it really suits my game. I like coming down here this time of year. I always go back to South Africa for the month of December and the conditions are fairly similar, so it's also a very relaxing time for me, I enjoy all the tournaments I played before. So I really enjoy coming here.

Q. You have been a very consistent performer in the last four or five years, your ranking has finished around 15, 16 or 17. What has stopped you from going on to finish in the top 10 and taking that next step?

A. I think matches like these and just consistently being able to beat the top players, setting yourself up against them. I've put myself in a good position to play Steffi because I've had some not easy matches before, but they have been all two sets, so I think I have given myself a good opportunity to play her and I think that's really important for me right through this coming year, to be able to put myself in a good position to beat the top players.

Q. Has the time finally come for you to break into the top 10 this year?

A. I hope so. I'm really not going to get too caught up in the rankings and all that. We have a different ranking system, and I don't know what is going to come of it, but I know I have to perform consistently every tournament. So that's what I'm going to be focusing on.

Q. Does playing in the Hopman Cup, where you get an opportunity to play with some men there, would that have helped you in today's match to combat the power?

A. Yeah, that and a few other secrets up our sleeve. I think that's a great opportunity for the women, to get to play with the men. I think it's a great tournament and it's really great for women's tennis. I think the men enjoy it, too, to some extent; but it is definitely great for us.

Q. What did you discuss with Gavin? Can you be more specific? What did you work on?

A. Just basically my game plan was to go out there and to work really hard, not to try and go out and hit too much with her, but to work hard on every point, and a few tactical things that I felt I could exploit. I felt like I could go out and see how good she's hitting her forehand and see if she might make a few errors, and then just to use my topspin and that type of thing, and a few things on the serves and returns as well.

Q. There has been some criticism of women's tennis. Now we have three of the top four seeds out of the quarterfinals, what do you think that says about the game?

A. I think it says that the depth is really grown quite a bit in women's tennis and I think it's good that some of the top players - some of the other players can come up and beat some of the top players. I think it will make it a little bit more exciting in the long run, to see a bit more competitiveness out there.

Q. You played great tennis today. Do you think this is one of your memorable matches?

A. Definitely.