Elena beat Nadia Petrova 6-4 4-6 7-6

Q. Congratulations with your victory! What can you say about todays match? You announced more than once that you don’t like to play your compatriots, didn’t you?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Thank you. I didn’t say, that I don’t like to play our tennis players, it’s mostly journalists suggestions, as for me I don’t care. Moreover I had to get used to it long ago as five tennis players in top ten are Russians that’s why it can happen at any gross match. As for today's match it wasn’t easy at all, there were many emotions. And when emotions come into the game it’s rarely influences on the level of tennis positively. And what a gripping tie-break at the end! It was a very difficult match.

Q. Were you surprised by your opponent today?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Nadia always shows tennis of very high quality. She does well with her first serve. Besides I think that double matches ,in which she takes part, influence her game skill at the net positively.

Q. Why do you advance to the net so rarely? Can it be considered to be your formed style?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Here the surface plays the great part, and it’s very slow in at the Kremlin cup, it’s rarely possible to find a moment for advance as there is a possibility that your opponent will take the ball and the draw will finish at her advantage.

Q. Elena, your next opponent will be defined in the match between Jelena Jankovic Flavia Penneta.Who would you like to play? It’s clear that Jankovic is Number One in the world and the match with her will definitely be more difficult, but may be this fact will make the match more principal and interesting for you?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I think, that Jankovic must win today. She’s very strong and maybe she’s really Number One in the world for this moment. She plays a lot of tournaments a year and it doesn’t prevent her from displaying constant results. Not so long ago she won two tournaments at a run and at this moment she moved from Asia to Europe and played almost every day. Certainly as a player I’m interested in trying my efforts with the best tennis player in the match.

Q. Yesterday Vera Dushevina who lost Jankovic in three sets accused her opponent almost in simulation. Do you agree with her? And if you meet her in the semifinal are you psychologically ready to such development of events?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I can understand Vera, who had a very difficult match yesterday. But I can’t agree with her as it’s possible that Jankovic had a backache. In the end she didn’t break the regulations , she took those breaks, which are allowed by the rules and Vera shouldn’t have paid attention to it. The other question is that even traumatized Jankovic was difficult to upset as the level of her game doesn’t fall no matter how many matches she has played. As for my readiness to it, I’m in WTA ten years already and I think there are few things which can surprise me.

Q. Now five top players are fighting to be ranked first. Do you intend to take this position?
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: I always wanted to become number One in the world. Now notwithstanding the end of the season all the tennis players are fighting for every match, just look, how many tree-set matches are. I think, everything will be decided at the final tournament of the top eight in Doha.