Anastasia Potapova, an Austrian who entered the Mutua Madrid Open as a lucky loser following her qualifying loss eight days earlier, reached her first WTA 1000 semi-final on Wednesday. Tennis Majors reported that Potapova defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 in a match that proved far more competitive than the opening set suggested.
Potapova controlled the first set decisively but faced a tougher challenge in the second. She led 5-3 and held three match points on serve, yet Pliskova fought back to force a tiebreak, which Potapova won 7-4. The Austrian closed out the match in the third set to secure her place in the semi-finals.
The Madrid Open is a WTA 1000 event, one of the tour's premier tournaments. Potapova's run from qualifying loss to semi-finalist represents a significant breakthrough in her career trajectory.
Sources
- Tennis Majors: From lucky loser to semi-finalist – Potapova's Madrid dream continues. Published 2026-04-29.
Reported from public sources.