There is no pressure on me in this match, ... And it can't get too much worse than when I played her in Paris.

I felt like I played well and did what I needed to win,

[Exerting pressure from the opening game, Pierce drove the ball deep with her forehand. She is supremely confident in her game and her life, and thinks she has tennis in perspective.] It's all great and this is what I love to do, and I feel like God has blessed me with this gift, ... At the same time, there are lots of things going on in this world. The last hurricane down south, there's people struggling with their lives . . . I'm very excited and happy to be in the semifinals. It's part of my life, but it's not everything.

Staying in shape is important to me because when I feel fit and light on my feet, I feel I can get to all the balls and hit my shots the way I want.

We played well. They got off to a slow start and we got the lead. When a team is struggling you almost feel bad for them at that point. Our guys just kept playing, They played hard. We're so young, I was worried about us losing our focus. I can't worry about them.

No match was played on this wicket in the last six weeks. Because of winter, there has been no grass. It has come on lately.