Louise
Bawden, Australia - “It was just a matter of staying really connected to the
moment and finishing off the plays. We knew what we needed to do but in the
first set it was a little bit windy and a little bit nervous I’m sure not
executing at the level we need to beat these guys. (Aussie vs. Aussie) It’s a different feeling
and it’s difficult because those barriers that you normally have with an
opposition aren’t quote the same so yeah, that was tough. And I want to see
these girls do really well here, too, so it’s hard to have to come here head to
head.”
Taliqua Clancy, Australia - “In the
first set I wasn’t feeling the rhythm with my ump serve and I wasn’t able to
create the ball speed I needed. I stuck it out over time and I was lucky enough
at the end when I got my service the wind did pick up so I was like ‘This is
the license, ust throw it up and hit it.’ It was good we found our rhythm and
did get the win.”
Nicole Laird, Australia - “It’s a
strange dynamic. We know each other so well, train with each other daily back
home so there’s a real determination to really crush. It’s a bit of a different
feeling. The focus is on ourselves and being out there instead of trying to
squish them down. It’s a strange thing to explain but it’s strong competition
still and no one’s foot was off the pedal.”
Jessyka Ngauamo, Australia - (On
coming back from a deficit to win the first set) “In the tech timeout we both
looked at each other and said we’ve got to put our foot down and stay to our
strength. We had a lot of unforced errors in the first half of the set and by
cutting those out we were able to capitalize on our opportunities.”