Ana Konjuh: My confidence is growing

Croatia’s Anja Konjuh moves into the quarterfinals of the Serbia Ladies Open after beating Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in straight sets 6:3, 6:4.

This was the 188th ranked Croat’s fourth win of the season against a seeded opponent.

“Putintseva is a great fighter, she doesn’t give up a single point lightly and she doesn’t quit. I knew what I had to do, I played offensively and patiently. I am happy because of the victory and because of that, my confidence is growing. All in all, I am satisfied with how I played,” said Konjuh after defeating the no. 35 ranked opponent.

“It’s always good to beat the no. 1 seed. I played well, and of course, she is an excellent player. I wouldn’t say I’m currently playing the best tennis of my life because I’ve had a long lay off due to injury”.

She has had big problems with injuries in the past, so she’s not too fond of playing on clay.

“I still feel pain from time to time, but that is normal. In fact, it will never be normal again, it will always hurt. For that reason, clay is my least favorite surface because the points are longer. Other surfaces suit my style better, but my coach loves clay and helps me play smarter on it”.

Konjuh will face Argentinian Nadia Podorska in the quarterfinals.

“When you play against someone for the first time, you don’t know what to expect, but the coach is there to prepare me. She is a player who likes to play on this surface, I know it will not be easy. We trained together in Miami, she seems like a great girl. I expect a good match and I hope we enjoy it”.

In Miami she defeated Iga Swatiek, last year’s Roland Garros winner.

“Good result in Miami means a lot to me, especially when you beat a Grand Slam winner. Such victories bring me a lot of confidence, they show me that I can compete at the top level,” said the Croatian.