Ankita Raina lost a titanic battle against Jelena Ostapenko with a scoreline of 26 75 57 at the Billie Jean King Cup tie against Latvia in Jurmala.
Ankita shared her thoughts on the match via the press conference. Notes below
Thoughts on the match
It was a good match from both of us. When you play for your country, one fights for every point. That was visible in the match. I could have done a bit better in the first set. Regardless I did catchup and I gave it my all.
Between the first and the second set – what did you change? Was there any nervousness involved?
When you play for India, you want to do your best. That is why we have got this far and put ourselves in this position. As the first set went through, I figured out what I needed to change and what she was doing. It would have probably been a bit better if I had done these changes earlier but regardless, there were chances.
Ostapenko is an animated player and she had some injury as well. How did you take out those distractions and stay focused on the job?
When you are playing on the professional level and week on week, even I had a few issues a week earlier, it is sometimes normal and sometimes players use it as a tactic. I am used to it and so tried to be in my zone.
Could you sum up the last 3 games?
I was completely zoned in and was not thinking about anything and focusing on point by point. However, Jelena plays such matches at the highest level and she played some really good shots to get few crucial points.
You’ve beaten some top-100 players. How would you describe your level today and what were some of the aspects of the game that you were most pleased with?
Starting this year, I’ve had some good performances on the WTA Tour. I’ve said before that I feel that I belong to this level. I feel that my game has improved and that I am playing at a better level now.
I felt confident going into the match. I felt that anything could happen. Its natural that when you are representing your country, it is natural to have some nervousness.
Given your level of the game today, how do you feel about match 3 tomorrow?
It’s a new day, new match. I will be ready and more than prepared. I will do my recovery and everything to be ready for the match tomorrow.
