QUESTION: Amanda, how does it feel to win your home tournament?

COETZER: It almost feels a bit unbelievable because I've only played three days. It doesn't feel like it's over yet. I feel like I have to come back for some more matches, but it feels really good. If I could have picked a tournament, this would really have been the one.

QUESTION: You could give her a rematch.

COETZER: Give her a rematch? Play a few more? No, I'll take it.

QUESTION: Yesterday you had a couple matches where you made quite a few unforced errors and today your game seemed to be much sharper than it was yesterday. What was the difference?

COETZER: Yes. I think just mentally I felt a lot calmer out there. I wasn't really thinking about the title. I was just really playing and accepting whatever came my way, and she'd hit a winner, I just accepted it and played with a lot easier mentality and a calmer mind and just really more focused than what I was yesterday.

QUESTION: What was your secret in this tournament? Your matches never really lasted that long. It seemed like the top seeds struggled quite a bit. What was the secret to your success?

COETZER: It's hard to say because I really didn't feel like I was playing my greatest tennis, so maybe that was the secret. I came in with no expectations. If I played badly, I wasn't that surprised by it. I just kind of tried to play the next point and just make the best out of the situation.

QUESTION: Did you say you were before telling Bud that you came here just for practice basically?

COETZER: Well, I was really debating whether I was going to play this after the Lipton. I just didn't feel ready. I was honestly thinking maybe I should just use a week and practice, not even play at all. And I figured, well, why not. Just get ready and try and get a few matches under my belt.

QUESTION: How close were you not to playing?

COETZER: Right after the Lipton I didn't feel really good, and I really didn't feel like I was going to be fair to myself to enter such a big tournament that I really loved playing if I was feeling that low. So for a couple of days I really debated, but after that I was hitting a lot of balls on the clay and I was feeling stronger and stronger and mentally I was getting better and better.

QUESTION: When did you finally decide to play?

QUESTION: Did you basically just out steady her, just keep the ball in play longer than she could?

COETZER: Well, I think no. I think the first set was pretty steady, but I think the second set I felt a lot better and I played a lot more aggressive, so I don't think that the second set was just out steadying.

QUESTION: How did you feel about the match this morning? You had a lot of unforced errors and you had a tough time out there and then she had the injury.

COETZER: Yeah. Not that good about this morning's match. That one was pretty much just trying to stay in the match as long as I could. I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball very well and she was hitting the ball really well, playing aggressive. So I wasn't feeling that great. But luckily just hung in long enough to get through it.

QUESTION: How did you feel about when she had the injury and then had to retire?

COETZER: I mean you never feel great when you win a match like that, but I have to admit that a day like today where I had to play another match, I was really relieved.

QUESTION: How tough was it to play two matches today like that, even though one of them was short?

COETZER: It was really tough, and it was the second time that it happened to me this week, so I wasn't feeling really good going into the match, but you just have to accept it and try to make the best of it.

QUESTION: How do you match up with Spirlea? She's playing awfully well obviously right now.

COETZER: Yeah. We've had some battles in the past. I think the last time I played her was at the U. S. Open where she won in two sets, two pretty close sets.

QUESTION: Was that last year?

COETZER: Yeah. And so yeah. We've had some tough matches. I've beaten her a few times, though.

QUESTION: Does this surface favor either one of you do you think?

COETZER: That's hard to say. Really you know, she's from Romania and she probably has a little bit more aggressive game than I do, but she grew up on clay and she plays as well on clay as anywhere else.

QUESTION: You struggled a little bit with your confidence coming in to this tournament, you've changed coaches. Are you a lot more confident now? You've had kind of an awkward -- you've only played two days this whole week really and yet you're in the finals. Has your confidence grown from where you were or are you still kind of working through some things?

QUESTION: Amanda, looked like you started out a little sluggishly out there. What was the problem?

COETZER: Well, yes. Very sluggish, but I think she started out playing well. It was a tough match for me, first match on clay, and with all the rain delays yesterday, and on top of that, I played at the Lipton and lost to her, so it was a tough match for me, so I'm really, really happy to get out of there.

QUESTION: There have been so many players seeded here who lost first match in the second round, but any fear there going out?

COETZER: Well, I think maybe I was in a lucky position because I haven't been in top form lately, so I wasn't surprised when I went down 4-1. I kind of expected it. Coming into this tournament I haven't had very high expectations, so I think that kind of helped me out because I already had some bad tournaments. I wasn't looking for excuses when I decided to get tough. I was just kind of accepting it and playing with it.

QUESTION: What turned it around for you? Seemed like she was making a lot more errors later in that first set. What was the difference for you from down 4-1 to winning that set 6-4?

COETZER: I just really tried to keep a positive attitude. I changed my game around a little bit, started to move the ball around a little bit. I think also just hitting a little bit heavier, hitting a little bit harder.

QUESTION: You're rubbing your knee. Is there anything wrong or is that just a nervous habit?

COETZER: No. There's something on it.

QUESTION: What do you do now? You have another match later in the day. What do you do between the two matches to stay focused?

COETZER: Just recovery, get cleaned up, make sure you eat something and get ready. I'm not playing doubles here, so.

QUESTION: Did the early loss at Lipton help you get ready for the clay court? Seems like some higher seeded players have had trouble coming from the Lipton and onto clay courts here. Did that help maybe a little bit?

COETZER: Well, in some ways. I really had a tough time after the Lipton, at the Lipton, so it was just really sorting everything out. And once I got all the off-court stuff situated, I was able to really start practicing and I've had about four good days on the clay. So I felt pretty well prepared.

QUESTION: Is it not true that you might adapt to this surface a little quicker or a little more easily than some because you play a lot and because it seems to be suited to your game.

COETZER: Well, that's debatable. I think because I rely on my movement so much, the movement really takes a lot of time to get used to.

QUESTION: Because it's so different?

COETZER: Yes. It's very different. It's completely different. But last year I had a very, very long clay season. I think I still have that in me. I think if you put yourself on it that long, you really learn a lot, so I think that's helping a little bit.

QUESTION: You mentioned you needed to get some off-the-court things situated. What was that?

COETZER: Well, mainly just my coaching situation.

QUESTION: Have you changed coaches?

COETZER: Yes. It's kind of last minute.

QUESTION: Why? Do you want to go into a little detail as to why that was?

COETZER: No. I don't really want to go into details. It's over. I just want to look forward.

QUESTION: Who are you working with now?

COETZER: I'm working with a friend of mine from South Africa, Michael Dejongh.

QUESTION: Can you talk about the crowd support after today's win? A lot of fans out there. You get a lot more attention here at Hilton Head?

COETZER: Yes. It's nice. It helps get through tough matches like that. If you're down and you win a point, they really support you and that keeps you going.

QUESTION: Your side of the draw sort of opened up, Sanchez Vicario went out. Did that give you a little more confidence? If you can just get past this first match, you can get deeper into the draw?

COETZER: No. It's such a long way and having to play the two matches in one day, it's just really one by one, and I'm not really looking forward to anything other than that.

QUESTION: Have you played Farina before?

COETZER: Yes. Last week in Lipton, played her three other times as well.

QUESTION: You say you're taking it one match at a time. Can you look back a little bit over the last 18 months? Your rise has been pretty dramatic up the rankings. What was the key to that at the age of 26? Did your game change so dramatically?

COETZER: Yes. My game changed a lot. I think basically just the commitment to try and get better, to work hard and to see how much I can get out of my game. I'm at a point where I realize what my capabilities are and I realize how much longer I probably have to play. So it's just really a commitment to try and improve and get the best out of what I have.

QUESTION: After around ten years on the tour and various rankings from 15 to down into the hundreds, do you appreciate where you are now more than you might have ten years ago?

COETZER: Yes. I think so. I think that probably just comes with age and experience. I really had a very gradual climb, so it's been a good career and I'm really happy, and I think I have a pretty good respect of it.

QUESTION: How did things change for you when you hit the Top 10? I know the Prince endorsement and things like that. Did you notice a change in the way you were perceived?

COETZER: Yes. I mean in some ways it makes it easier. You get seedings that are probably a little bit more favorable. You're not going to get the top seed the first few rounds. I think people respect you a little bit more, but at the same time, there's added pressure. If you lose, people really go after you. It's extra bonus points and it's a big win. And it's high maintenance to keep your game up there, to keep performing every week, but it's been fun. I played a lot last year and luckily won a lot. So it's kind of just been taking it all in stride and just really having fun.

QUESTION: You said you could see the time beginning to end for you. Have you actually set a time table?

COETZER: No. I haven't. I still feel like I can improve and I still feel like I can enjoy my game a little bit more, so I haven't really set a time. There's some young girls coming up and it's pretty much how long I can stay competitive and how long the desire is there.

QUESTION: What about off the court? How have things changed for you? I know the big deal last year with the poster and Prince and all that. A lot more extracurricular things to deal with?

REYNOLDS: Family Circle Cup will be celebrating 26 years in women's professional tennis this spring and will feature one of the best fields so far this year on the COREL WTA TOUR. Nine of the Top 10 players in the world will be competing at the Sea Pines Resort between March 28th and April 5th. One of those top stars will be Amanda Coetzer. Amanda will be making her ninth appearance in Hilton Head. She has had a very successful history at the Cup and last year she posted one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by defeating the number two seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the third round. Amanda's results on the COREL WTA TOUR last year were even more impressive, including two singles titles, three wins over Steffi Graf and a victory over Martina Hingis. By the end of the year she had reached a career high No. 3 in the world. I would like to thank Amanda for participating in this call, and now we can start with questions.

QUESTION: Amanda, you and Lindsay Davenport both had terrific years last year. I think you all are the only two players that beat Hingis and Graf when they both held the No. 1 seed. What do you think of Davenport's game right now? Do you think she's in the position to be a number one player?

COETZER: I definitely think so. She's been one of my toughest opponents that I've played over all these years.

QUESTION: Do you think that her maturing in years has affected her game as well?

COETZER: Yes. I think just maturing and her game is better. I think her biggest improvement is in her confidence level.

QUESTION: Amanda, talk about your year last year and breaking into the Top 10, because for a long time you were sort of stagnant around 12 to 15 and then you made a big jump last year. What were the reasons for your improvement do you think?

COETZER: Well, I think probably just the work I've put in the few years before that. I actually felt a bit stagnant for a while. Still I was ranked in the Top 20, but then I felt like I really wanted to put forth a bigger effort, and I really tried to improve my game, and for a while my ranking dropped a little bit, but eventually came out very well.

QUESTION: Did you do anything different technically as far as your strokes or anything like that?

COETZER: Yes. It was quite a big change, something that's different over probably about two years I made some technical changes in my ground strokes. I worked hard on my serve. Just the lowest level of my serve I felt like I was getting way too much on that. I improved my fitness. So it's just a lot of things that really helped my all-around game.

QUESTION: Amanda, since Hilton Head is home for you in a lot of cases, you really enjoyed it there. Do you find the other players really enjoy coming back to Hilton Head and playing in the Family Circle?

COETZER: Yes. Very much so. All of the players that come down there always look forward to it. It's such a great atmosphere, the springtime, and I think a very successful tournament, too. I think not only the players, but the spectators love to come out there. It's really a nice atmosphere, and it's also the first clay court tournament for us. It's definitely one of my favorites and also a lot of other players.

QUESTION: Amanda, you've had a lot of success against Graf. Why is that? Does she just get tight when she's playing you or what causes her to have so much problems with you?

COETZER: It's hard to say. I think over the years we've played each other a lot, and I think I gradually got to know her game better and better, and obviously she's been struggling a bit with all sorts of things over the last few years. So maybe I was just lucky I got to play her a lot in that period, and I was really able to take advantage of it.

QUESTION: Your success last year, you played in a lot of tournaments and you also changed your game a little bit as far as your fitness routine. Are you planning on doing anything differently or are you sort of following if-it-isn't-broke-don't-fix-it line of thinking?

COETZER: Well, yeah. I think I will probably follow more of the same schedule. I just came off a bit of a break right now because I have a very long stretch ahead of me, and I'll go the same way I did last year. I really want to gear up for the clay court events, Indian wells, Lipton, Hilton Head, Amelia Island, those are tournaments that are very good tournaments. I've done well at them, and then get myself ready for the French. And after that I'll give myself a little break in the summer.

QUESTION: How do you stay fresh mentally?

COETZER: Well, I'm 26 years old, and I realize I probably won't be able to keep this up much longer, so right now I really appreciate what I'm doing and I'm enjoying it.

QUESTION: You had already mentioned that Indian Wells has been a good tournament for you. Is there anything specific about the tournament that seems to agree well with you when you play down there?

COETZER: Yes. Well, I love the court surface. I like the atmosphere. I grew up on high altitude, and I think the way the ball flies in the air, it's the altitude. It's a bit lighter, and I think it suits my game.

QUESTION: And you just mentioned that your age and you probably won't be able to play long. Has that become a big concern for you at all?

COETZER: No, not really. I feel very good physically and I'm really very grateful I have not had any problems with injuries. So I feel like I can still go. I still feel fresh. But I think you just realize as you get older, you realize it's not going to last forever. So you count the tournaments and really appreciate them.

QUESTION: Martina Hingis probably is not going to be at the Family Circle, do you think that that's going to change the tournament this year or how do you think it'll affect it?

COETZER: I think it's always a bit disappointing for a big tournament like that to not have the Number 1, but I think the field with the women has really improved so much over the last few years. I think there are so many other players that are big draw cards. And I think the competition has improved a lot and there are a lot of big players and big matches.

QUESTION: Amanda, just sort of following up, is this tournament with Hingis not here, do you think it's pretty wide open as far as who's going to win this thing?

COETZER: Yes. I think so. I think like I just said, I think the competition as it stands right now is anybody can win on any given day, depending on how Hingis is playing, but I definitely think it's open for anybody.

QUESTION: Can you answer that question again, Amanda, about Lindsay Davenport, the number seed and what do you think of her game and the chances of her being Number 1?

COETZER: I've always respected her a lot. Even when she was younger, she's always been a very tough opponent for me, and I definitely think she's got a good chance of becoming Number 1, if she stays confident. I think she has gained a lot of confidence over the last few years and she's really improved her game. She's doing everything very well, she's serving well, she's hitting a lot better. She's a very dangerous player.

QUESTION: Amanda, we were talking about how you think other people will do. How do you think your game is shaping up right now? Do you feel fairly confident in the way things are going for you so far?

COETZER: Yeah. I'm very excited about my game. I started off pretty well in Australia. I didn't feel like I was playing my very best tennis down there, but I felt like I was playing pretty well, and I was really excited that not my very best game still did pretty well. And on to Tokyo and played on a surface that I don't normally do always that great, I did very well at. I did quite well and I'm very excited about my game. I think it's really coming together and I feel like I have a lot more variety than I used to have.

QUESTION: Amanda, I've heard some people say that Venus and Serena Williams are the future of women's tennis. How do you feel about that and how do you feel about the way they play?

COETZER: I haven't played them myself, so it's a little bit difficult for me to have an exact view on how I see their game. It's always harder to just watch and not having played them, but yeah, I think they are the future. But I also think there are so many other young talents coming up. I hope to see lots of competition for them in the future.

QUESTION: You talked a little bit about your age, even though you're a young 26, you're pretty young. What's it like to be in a sport right now where there are so many teenagers and how does that affect you when you are in a tournament like that?

COETZER: I know it probably bothers some players, but it hasn't really bothered me that much. I think I draw energy, a lot of energy from all the younger players. I think it's nice to have them around. They're so enthusiastic and excited about what lies ahead of them, and I like practicing with them, and in a way because I've made some changes in my game, I almost feel like I relate a little bit better to the younger players because I feel like I still can improve.

QUESTION: I just had a quick question. I know that you've won some sportsmanship awards, Amanda, and I'm just curious, do you think grace and sportsmanship still play an important part in the game of tennis? Do you think fans expect it or even care about it?

COETZER: I think it's very important. I think anytime you see a different personality on the court, it's extremely important. I think different people are going to relate and identify with different players, and some people like more grace and more sportsmanship and others might like more of a McEnroe attitude. I don't know. But I definitely think all the different personalities are important for the game.

QUESTION: You don't think that maybe it's changed over time, that people maybe don't expect what they used to?

COETZER: Well, I think the game of tennis has come a little bit from where it's been in the past, and I think it's good. I think it allows for a little bit more excitement and we definitely need that, but I think people still look for sportsmanship. I think in all sports still, that is still important. It might not be the most important thing, but I thought for myself it's definitely something that people really appreciate because I've noticed how many people have commented about it and that type of thing. So I think it really still does matter.

QUESTION: I was looking at the media guide. You made it to the semifinal in ten tournaments last year. What do you have to do to get to the next step and get through to the finals?

COETZER: That's a good question. I think what I'm looking for this year will definitely be trying to make it past the semifinals. That's what it's going to take to gear myself up more for one specific tournament, maybe sacrifice. You know, maybe that's what it'll take, so I'm probably going to really focus on the right time.

QUESTION: Do you think it's that instead of doing something specifically with your game itself?

COETZER: Well, I think, yeah, it's a little bit of everything. I'm going to need a bit of luck, too, with my type of game, it's easier for me to have consistency. My game never really goes up and down very much. It's normally on a pretty consistent level. So it's a little more difficult.

QUESTION: Did getting to the semifinals of the Australian Open last year to start the year off, did that sort of give you an impetus for the whole year starting off like that the first major tournament of the year doing so well?

COETZER: Yes, definitely. I've always enjoyed playing the Australian Open. It was a great way to start off my year, but yes. It's always great, no matter if it's the first tournament of the year. I think doing well at a Grand Slam is one of the best ways to start.

QUESTION: Last summer you had talked about you were rethinking where you were going to be based in the United States, and I'm wondering is that still on hold or have you decided to make any moves in terms of that?

COETZER: I haven't. It's still on hold. I've really been traveling so much and really been missing being in one place, but yes, definitely, I probably will just be traveling a lot this year, and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to be doing.

QUESTION: So not likely to make a move this year?

COETZER: No.

QUESTION: And the other question, if you can answer this one, but I was thinking that this year must be about as demanding for you mentally as any year you've had considering I guess two things. One, how well you played last year, and I just wondered whether it's only human to think, wow, can I top that, number one, and also the fact that the tour is probably going to be tougher this year with Graf coming back and the Williams are going to be playing better and even Hingis might be better. Have those thoughts gone through your mind?

COETZER: Yes. I think the way I try and look at it is to really face the challenge, and I think I'm pretty realistic of how I had such a good year last year, but I think I will enjoy it just as much, as long as I face the right to challenge. I've never really been too concerned about my ranking. That's always something that kind of comes along with it. Going out every day and challenging players and now there's so many that all these young ones coming up, it's all about the competition, and I think that's how I will go into this year and try and top what I did last year. Take it at face value what's at hand at the moment.

REYNOLDS: Amanda, thank you very much for being a part of the teleconference. We really look forward to seeing you in Hilton Head in a few weeks.

COETZER: Thank you.