R1: [Q] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-0 Hana Moataz (EGY)

[Q] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-0 Hana Moataz (EGY) 11-5, 18-16, 11-9 (46m)

Marina

“I’ve played Hana many times. We went to school together [Harvard] and she used to beat me in school.

“She’s a really good friend and it’s tough to maintain that cut-throat mindset on court. I feel I did it well, it’s just about trying to keep momentum. Obviously, she got that huge run of points at the end when it was a little dicey, and I just tried to keep my composure. I was definitely lucky at the end!

“I think [playing on tour] is more of a ‘do or die’ mindset. Playing in college, when I’d play a tournament, if I lost, I would feel like I was going back to school and would have things to do. There was always an upside, in a way, because I wouldn’t miss as much school.

“Whereas now that I’m playing for a living and for the glory, I guess you could say, it feels a bit more real. This is my first full-time season, and I’m just trying to do the best I can and show people I can make it to this stage.”