Anastasia Potapova finds herself in a WTA 1000 semifinal in Madrid as she continues a tremendous run through a wide-open draw at the event, after only getting in as a lucky loser.
Backing Up The Win
Sometimes it’s all about backing up that big win. After a heroic 7-6 6-4 victory over Elena Rybakina, all eyes were on the Russian to see whether she could reach the semifinal. Throughout the last 16 clash, she played a simply stunning match to cause one of the upsets of the season so far.
Maybe that was rivaled a day later when Aryna Sabalenka lost to Hailey Baptiste. That is to say, it’s been a tournament of surprises on the women’s side. The men’s side is unsurprisingly seeing Jannik Sinner easing through the draw, losing just one set on his route to the semifinal.
Either way, when such a major victory happens, it’s often difficult to back it up. There are numerous examples of that this season. After earning a three set win over Sinner in Qatar, Jakub Mensik went on to lose to Arthur Fils in straight sets the next day. After securing a terrific three set victory over Carlos Alcaraz in Miami, Sebastian Korda was then eliminated by the inexperienced Marti Landaluce. Nevertheless, Potapova found no such issues and got past Karolina Pliskova after three high quality sets.
“I do think it’s a miracle. It’s pretty rare when you get the second chance and that you go almost all the way until the end“.
A Satisfying Win
There was a real sense of opportunity from the off. Had you told both at the start of last week that they would be two sets away from a semifinal spot against each other, they would have bitten your hand off. Especially, Potapova, after losing in the second round of qualifying to world #104 Sinja Kraus.
The Potapova backhand was on fire from the start, a shot that has proven so helpful for the Austrian in her two-week journey. In just 23 minutes, Potapova secured the first set 6-1. She continued the momentum into the second set. Pliskova was playing well, using that effortless forehand to push Potapova back at times. It was a fascinating tactical battle.
Although it seemed like the clash wouldn’t even reach the hour mark, as Potapova served 5-4 and 40-15 at minute 58. In one of the most remarkable WTA 1000 runs in recent times, though, that would be too simple. Fittingly, Pliskova fought her way back in, saving two match points in the tenth game, and another in the twelfth game.
Resetting For The Win
Potapova admitted:
“I’ve never been in this position in my career. It’s for the first time when I’m set up in such an event, quarterfinal, serving for the match. And it’s not easy. I think you need to be here a few times to understand it, to learn it, and to get through it.”
The former World #1 may not be the player she once was, but the battle remains. It was that fact that allowed her to extend the game to a third set, even when she wasn’t at her best for periods of the match. She found her level in the tiebreak, gaining court territory and teeing off on both wings.
The pendulum swung back, and Potapova regained the impetus in the second set. The 25-year-old had to fight off early break points but when she came through that, she grew in confidence. With two more match points in the eighth game, this time she served it out with an ace and secured a semifinal against Marta Kostyuk. She becomes the first-ever lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal. She said,
“That’s what makes our sport beautiful. I was given a second chance and now I’m here. I’m super happy. There’s nothing better that could happen to me in my life at the moment.”
It’ll be a big ask against the in-form Ukrainian. She is on a nine-match winning streak and is set to break into the top 20. With two players so high on confidence, it’ll be fascinating to see who books that spot in the final.
Main Photo Credit: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
