Hi !
The trip to Malaysia didn't start off very good, but in the end turned the best way possible :) I went there alone, my coach wasn't able to come, the weather was so humid and hot that during my first practice, a couple of my racquets slipped off my hand and broke. So I went on my first round match against Alicia Molik with just one (!) racquet in my bag. It was quite stressful, but I managed without troubles. Every day was really hot and most of my matches I had to play around 1pm, towards the end of each day we had some rains, so many matches were deleted, and we had to stay till very late. It was difficult for all of us, but the most important is that I stayed there and kept fighting point by point, even that I didn't play my best every day. We didn't go too far in the doubles with Yan Zi, it was the first time that we played together, but it was nice to try together. I didn't get disappointed about it also because I could just focus on my singles, and in those conditions you really need to save as much energy as possible. I was excited to be in my first final, especially against Elena Dementieva, because she was one of the players that I always looked up to when I was a junior. But I didn't have too many emotions about it, probably because by the time I reached the finals I had spent so many hours on court that I didn't realize any more which round I was playing. So it was just another day and another match for me. I played well and I enjoyed the match a lot. After the last point I had tears in my eyes... I didn't have any emotions, I left everything on the court. I just felt like all the years that I had been working hard trying to reach my goals paid off right there, at that moment...
I'm at home in Moscow now, my family and friends are very happy for me, and I'm proud of myself that I did another step forward in my career. I hope this gives me confidence for many other great wins. I have Indian Wells starting next week, so I don't have much time to celebrate; I'm getting ready for a long trip to the US.
See you there!