Samantha Stosur lost to Maria Kirilenko 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Q. Samantha, you played real well first set. The second set, did she just cut out her errors and did your level come down a bit?

A. Maybe a bit of both, I think. At 2-1, then I lost serve, she actually came out with very good shots in that game to break me for the first time. Then the momentum just kind of switched around. I think I got a little bit passive with the way I was playing, and she stepped it up a little bit and became more aggressive, and kind of just continued, through to the, you know, 4-0 in the third. And it got to the point where I felt you know, you’ve got to stop this and change it, and then I started going for it more and trying to step up into the court, and be more aggressive and take some time away from her and got myself back in the match.

Q. Congratulations on reaching the final this week.

A. Thank you.

Q. Today, you recorded an ace of 197 km/h. What was the fastest serve you ever recorded?

A. I think that’s it.

Q. In the third set you came back from 4-0 down to 4-3. At that point, did you think the match was within reach?

A. Oh, definitely. I think when you’ve gone from 4-0 to 4-3, you definitely have got to believe that you’ve got a chance to win. And then I had a close game at 4-3, and then held for 5-4, and I think, you know, I think 4-0 is a little bit too far to come back from. But when you kind of switch the momentum like that, for sure you’ve got a chance.

Q. Do you think you had a lot of problems with your forehand today?

A. Not a lot, but I think sometimes I just made some errors when I couldn’t afford to make errors, just too many balls into the net. I had to try and keep her back behind the baseline as much as I could, but today it didn’t happen after the first set enough.

Q. You lost today, but you reached a final for the first time since you have come back from illness. What are your goals from now on?

A. Well, by the end of the year, I’d like to try and be close to 50, top 50. I don’t know where I go after this week, but definitely it was a very good week for me. I played very well. And disappointed not to win, but yeah, a good week, and definitely something I can try and build on for the future.

Q. Samantha, what do you need to do to get into the top 20 or top 10? And number two, your slice backhand, sometimes it landed a little short, gave her a chance to get on the offensive. Your two-hand was really aggressive. What’s your thinking on using the... I’m wondering why wouldn’t you use the two-hand all the time?

A. Well, I think against a lot of these girls, you give them the same ball all the time, they get rhythm off it and then it doesn’t really bother them. So the slice I try and mix in, and not always use it defensively. I try to use it to set up the point a bit more, and sometimes the short one works well, because a lot of girls don’t like coming to the net. But yeah, if you go short, you have to keep it low so they don’t get a hit at it. But that was that, and what was the other question? (laughter)

Q. To get into the top 20 or top 10, what would you have to do?

A. I think just, improve everything. I don’t think I’ve got one huge weakness at the moment. I’ve improved my backhand a lot, and my movement, and my serve... I just think everything needs to get that little bit better, a little bit more consistent, and play the right way more of the time. So that’s what I’m going for, and today I tried to do that as much as I could during the match, but you know, you come back next week, and do it all over again.

Q. You’re a great doubles player. Why did you choose not to play the doubles in this tournament?

A. Because I want to try and focus more on my singles. You know, I think I can improve my ranking in singles, and my usual doubles partner wasn’t here, so I felt this was a good opportunity just to play singles and focus on that a little bit more.

Q. And that would be Lisa Raymond?

A. Yep.

Q. From now on, how will you balance the singles and the doubles on the tour?

A. Oh, just the same as I always have. I want to play, I play singles every week, and where I can play doubles, I will do that. But next, I only play singles again in Japan, and then when I go to Europe for Zurich and Linz, I play singles and doubles there. So it just depends on the week, where I am, and how I feel, to whether I play both.

Q. Out of all the players, you changed the strings most frequently.

A. With the stringer?

Q. With the stringer. Why did you change the strings so much?

A. Oh, I always do. Every tournament, I have a new racquet for each match.

Q. You’ve got a good first and second serve. You served and volleyed once. Are they just returning too well for you to consider serving and volleying?

A. It’s something I’m working on that I need to keep improving and feeling comfortable doing in matches. Earlier in the week I did it a lot more, and today, I guess I just felt a little bit more under pressure from her returns, and sometimes when I tried it, it didn’t work, so I kind of stayed away from it. But I think it’s definitely something I need to keep improving and keep just, when I’m out there, trying it, no matter what the score is.

Q. Is that a kick serve? You’ve got a nasty hop on it.

A. Yep.

Q. Is that just 100% kick?

A. Yep. (laughter)