6-2 6-3

Q. What did you learn out there today?

A. Well, I can see I think it shows up, Martina's

experience. I played Martina once before, this time

last year in Sydney. I think to do well and to get a

good scoreline and to beat her I knew I had to do

something special. It probably showed up in my unforced

errors and my game falling apart a little. You know,

you have to expect a better ball to come back at you, so

I think that extra bit of pressure threw me off a bit.

Q. How did you find the crowd?

A. Home town crowd is always fantastic, a little bit quiet

at the start. Coming up to that rain break, it really

got me in there. Walking out there today I really felt

comfortable. I don't think it was such a bad thing to

get a rain delay at 2-0 and serving. I actually walked

out there a lot more relaxed than I thought I would.

Maybe a bit too relaxed, I'm not sure.

Q. You weren't too nervous?

A. No.

Q. You actually played your best points of the match to get

to 30-0 when the rain came. It was a shame to stop

there?

A. It was a shame, but on the same token, it was my serve

and I was 30-0. Coming back out and being that far up I

was feeling confident coming back after the break.

Q. How long did the rain break last and did you have a

chance to talk to your coach?

A. I think the rain break lasted a good 30 minutes by the

time the cover closed, but I just went back in the

dressing room and had a think about the game that I was

in and had a think about the remainder of the match.

Q. In terms of return of serve, is she as good as anyone

you've played?

A. She would have to be up there, I think so, yes.

Q. I mean constantly, are you putting in your best 150,

160, 170 and it's coming right back at you?

A. You would have to call Martina if not the best, one of

the best return servers in the world. Again, as I

said,, you know, that quality return is coming back all

the time after every serve, so you push that little bit

harder and you don't get the same results.

Q. What else does it tell you about your game? What else

do you take away?

A. If I had to look back on that match and review it, I

think I fell apart in the returning department. Martina

served very well today. I have to give her credit

there. I was guessing all the time and she put a lot of

first serves in today. I think she's got a bit more

stick on her second serve now as well which I really

noticed.

Q. Is it that disguise of Martina's serve, you say you were

guessing all the time. Is that her biggest weapon in

terms of the serve?

A. She didn't serve a lot of first serves. She had a good

first serve percentage, so when you are constantly

returning first serves, you don't get a good look at the

second serve. Today if I saw anything short, any weak

or second serve, I was going to attack that. I wasn't

able to do that.

Q. Your parents can go home after all now, they don't have

to extend?

A. Well, I'm still in the mixed doubles. I'm playing

actually this afternoon, so I'm not sure what their

plans are, I wouldn't know, but I think they will be

heading back to work soon I think.

Q. You have won a couple of major matches here which you

haven't done before. Do you think that's a bit of a

springboard to something good in the next USO?

A. Yes, I lost today to the number one player in the

world. I always walk away from a loss - you are

disappointed, but you walk away with a lot of things you

need to work on and a lot of positives. I'm actually

heading to Japan after the Australian Open, so again,

there's always plenty of things to work on, but it's

nice to come out and win a few major matches in a Grand

Slam. After Hobart I was hoping to play a good few

rounds and hopefully get far in this tournament. It was

nice to get my racquet up there. I think it will fall

back into place now. I'm heading off to the States

soon, so hopefully it will be warm and it will be quick

so I will have some results there as well.

Q. Where do you want your ranking to be by the end of the

year?

A. I haven't actually thought that far ahead to tell you

the truth. I'm around 90 now. I was to be inside 50

but I don't think that eventuated. To tell you the

truth, I haven't thought that far.

Q. What type of tournaments do you play in Japan?

A. I'm just going over there for the one tournament and

then back to Adelaide again before the States.

Q. Do you know what sort of tournament?

A. I'm pretty sure it's TO1. A lot of the players, a lot

of the top players from here are actually going over. I

think Martina will be going over and Lindsay, so it's

going to be definitely a strong playing field.

Q. Do you have to qualify for that?

A. Yes.

Q. Where in the States do you intend to play?

A. I think I will start off at Scottsdale and then

following that Indian Wells and the Lipton, and I think

I am on for about five or six weeks there.

Q. Is Hingis the player to beat, do you think, here?

A. I haven't actually watched much of her this week or any

other players, but going out today and having a look, I

am pretty confident that she will go the distance, yes.

Q. So, is she in a league on her own here?

A. I don't know if you can call it in a league of her own

but you have people like Lindsay, she is playing very

well at the moment and I think - it's going to be a good

contest, a good fight to the end, but there are a lot of

good players. Obviously from playing Martina today,

seeing what she can do out there and what she's been

doing this week, she is definitely one to look out for.

Q. Alicia, you said that there was more kick on her second

serve --

A. More stick.

Q. Can you quantify how much that was compared to when you

played her last time?

A. It's just one of the parts of her game that really stuck

out and something I noticed from playing her last time.

But, it's a credit to her and it certainly works well.

I found it difficult out there today. I wasn't actually

looking at many second serves as well, but when I did I

found it harder.

Q. Going into the match, does it give you a wake up call

that you are perhaps a little bit further away than you

thought or are you still the same distance?

A. Going out there today I fell confident I was going to do

extremely well and practising this morning and this week

I have been hitting the ball better than I have been

before, but today I don't think I showed a lot of my

best stuff out there today, partly because I think

Martina didn't give me that opportunity, but I found it

difficult out there today and as I said, it wasn't some

of my best stuff, but I hope I can produce it in the

future, and next time I do play Martina, hopefully it

will be a close contest.

Q. All up is it satisfactory to lose the third round of the

Australian Open where you are?

A. I don't think you can ever call a loss satisfactory, no,

but it's unfortunate, and one of the players going out

there has to lose, but I wouldn't call it satisfactory,

no.

Q. Alicia, when you look at these speed stats which they

compile here, fastest serves hit through the tournament,

I guess some of us might look ahead to Wimbledon. What

are your thoughts there about trying to have a good long

preparation and have a good Wimbledon this year?

A. Well, I am looking forward to the grass. Wimbledon is a

long way away yet. It hasn't even entered my mind yet.

I will get through this American summer circuit. Grass

is one of my favourite surfaces, and I do enjoy the

surface and it works well with my game style, but

certainly if I can serve well and if my serve volley is

coming along and if I am pressuring and playing my

aggressive second game, I hope I can have a really good

result. I certainly do feel comfortable on those

courts.