QUESTION: Monica, she was able to move you around, get you on the run in the first set and then seemed like you sort of overpowered her in the second set. What changed things around?

SELES: Well, I think I just started serving better. It was really mostly my serve I feel that let me down in the first set. I really didn't hold just once, but thank goodness I returned well, so...

QUESTION: Did you play a lot better today than yesterday you think?

SELES: I played a little bit more aggressively, I think, today, definitely. I wanted to step up. I didn't want to try to stay out there that long because whoever wins tonight's match I knew would have to come back, and that's always tough. And I've played already a night match, so I just said just really try to be aggressive out there.

QUESTION: Any different playing at night than playing a day match? Are the conditions any different?

SELES: It's different. The court plays a little bit different, it plays a touch bit faster, and some players like to play, some players don't like to play, most players don't like to play at night. It's always a struggle to play some night matches. But I like the conditions here at night. I think the lights are fantastic, so it was really fun playing out there tonight.

QUESTION: You mentioned your return game. She was able to break you twice in the first set and you were able to break her three times. Is that something relatively unusual to be able to do that?

SELES: No. I returned really well in the last couple of weeks, so that has helped me really win a couple of matches because, you know, you have to do that when things go the way they went today.

QUESTION: How will playing tonight affect you tomorrow afternoon?

SELES: I'm just looking to have a good night's rest, sleep well and tomorrow is another day, another match and just try to do the best that I can really on every single point. That's all I can ask of myself.

QUESTION: How do you see your match against Mary?

SELES: I haven't played Mary in a while. Last time I played her was in Moscow and I lost to her, and she's playing some really good tennis and I'm sure it's going to be a very difficult match.

QUESTION: She was able to move you around with her drop shots quite a bit, but there at the end you gave her some of her own medicine. I think it was the second to the last point you drew her up and then passed her.

SELES: It felt good, but I mean going into the match I knew that's Ruxandra's game. She's probably one of 3 the best movers out there, and she got me I think probably four times and I got her back two times, and then when I was up 5-1, I said, well, I'm just going to try a drop shot and if she gets it, great, and she spins some great shot back, because she really has great legs and hands, but it's not something that I would use against her a lot because she's just so quick, but it was just nice to win one point like that.

QUESTION: She mentioned in the second game she got you at break point and was not able to get that.

SELES: Yes.

QUESTIONS: Was that where the momentum kind of shifted do you think?

SELES: Definitely. I think that was one of the very hard-fought games and that was a big one for me to hold, especially because I served two doubles to go down there, and once you break, it's not a thing to really do, so once I held that, I think the other one was the other game to go up 2-1 when I broke her. That was a huge game that we had so many ads back and forth.

QUESTION: You didn't seem to have up and downs today that you had yesterday. Was that something you really concentrated on, staying up?

SELES: Yeah. I just tried to stay a little bit more positive mentally today out there.

QUESTION: How do you feel about your game right now overall? You're just hanging on the lines. Of course, two weeks ago was one story and then last week you were able to win.

SELES: Well, two weeks ago is just really one match because of certain circumstances, and it's not going to affect me the same way it doesn't affect me winning tonight's match. I just still have a way to go. I just have to keep working hard, but for me that's really irrelevant. It's just that I enjoy being out there and I just really enjoy playing tennis, competitively and noncompetitively.

QUESTION: You have to be proud, though, you know, of where your conditioning is at right now to be able to beat her at her own game.

SELES: Yeah, I know. It felt really great, especially on the clay court, and she's a player that likes the surface, and I knew that it's going to be a tough one tonight, long points for sure, so it feels good to come through and still feel really fine physically.

QUESTION: Do you feel better now than after the previous two matches you've had here this week?

SELES: I think the other match before this one I played Elena was a tough one, both emotionally more I think for me than physically. I mean I recovered fine this morning, but emotionally it was such a roller coaster, so I tried not 4 to get into that roller coaster ride today.

QUESTION: Not to get you off on a tangent, but while it's not a case at this tournament with the large purse here, there's a disparity between the men's and the women's tennis. Why do you think that is?

SELES: I think the men they've got this big sponsorship deal. I think it's with Mercedes, but I'm not sure, now, that really has huge guarantees. I think that women in any draw, in general, life or in any sport we're still so far behind and we've seen that in women's soccer, women's basketball. Tennis is not as bad as compared to other sports, but I think here we're making headway slowly, but hopefully the young girls now will not have to fight that battle, but we can't forget where we came from, thanks to Billie Jean, where our tour is right now, so hopefully my generation will be able to give something back, too.

QUESTION: You've achieved just about everything in tennis. What really keeps you going now?

SELES: I just really love to play tennis. It sounds so, I don't know, maybe simple, but that's really the only reason that I started playing with my dad and the only reason that I ever played it. It was never the titles or anything else. I personally never knew this would come and I don't think my father ever imagined it, too, and it's just a joy that I love to play the game. I will play it once I stop competitively, and that's one thing I hope that young kids see that, that it's really truly about any sport that you play, that you love the sport. It's not that everything else that comes with it, the fame, the money, the success. It should be just really a very simple thing.

QUESTION: Is this something that still ties you to your father?

SELES: Oh, definitely, for sure. I mean he was the one who introduced me to the game. But then it was really my love for it that I think continued and he let that love grow which is terrific. I wish more parents would have that towards their kids.