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Anastasia Potapova of Russia reacts during her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pablo Garcia\/AP<\/p>\n
Anastasia Potapova of Russia returns the ball to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pablo Garcia\/AP<\/p>\n
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic reacts during her match against Anastasia Potapova of Russia during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pablo Garcia\/AP<\/p>\n
Anastasia Potapova of Russia returns the ball to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pablo Garcia\/AP<\/p>\n
Anastasia Potapova of Russia reacts during her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pablo Garcia\/AP<\/p>\n
MADRID (AP) \u2014 Anastasia Potapova dropped to her knees, put both hands on her face and started crying.<\/p>\n
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The \u201cexplosion of emotions inside\u201d came after the 56th-ranked Austrian became the first \u201clucky loser\u201d to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal by defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 on Wednesday at the Madrid Open.<\/p>\n
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She almost gave up the victory, squandering three match points in the second set and having to overcome a 1-3 deficit in the decisive set.<\/p>\n
\u201cI (had) a few match points in the second set, on serve, but I couldn’t manage my nerves at that time,\u201d the 25-year-old Potapova said. \u201cIt seems that this tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them. So yeah, supper happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Russian-born Potapova said she got a huge boost when her boyfriend, Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, arrived to watch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little bit gone mentally in the third set. I didn\u2019t believe in myself at that moment,\u201d she said. \u201cBut big respect to my boyfriend who came just on time. He saved me. He kept telling me, \u2018You can do this, we are all together here, just keep going.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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Potapova said Griekspoor is \u201cnot scared\u201d of telling her anything and deserved some credit for her victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just played, and mentally he kept me there,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just happened at the such important moment, and it gave me a lot of energy. Mentally, I think he got this match. I did it physically. He did it mentally.”<\/p>\n
She will face either Linda Noskova or Marta Kostyuk for a spot in the final.<\/p>\n
Potapova got into the main draw as a lucky loser despite losing her second qualifying match in Madrid. She became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 or Tier I semifinal since the Tier format\u2019s inception in 1990, according to the WTA.<\/p>\n
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Potapova went on to win four straight matches, including against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the round of 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I didn\u2019t expect myself being in the draw again because at first they didn\u2019t take my name as a lucky loser,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then the days kept on going and nobody was injured or pulling out. Then the last moment I got the information, literally 30 minutes before the match, that I was given a chance to step on court here again.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she had been just enjoying \u201csome nice days\u201d in the Spanish capital, with no expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that\u2019s the key, you don\u2019t need to be always so zoomed in and so locked in on the tournament,\u201d Potapova said. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s just a matter of sometimes just enjoy yourself and enjoy the journey, and maybe that\u2019s how the results can also come.\u201d<\/p>\n
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She said it feels like \u201ca miracle\u201d to have made it all the way to the semifinals.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s pretty rare when you get the second chance and that you go almost all the way until the end,\u201d Potapova said. \u201cBut also at the same time I always say, if you got it, maybe you deserved it. So I did work hard. Also, you know, anyone can get a second chance, but how many of those will actually take it? So I\u2019m happy that I didn\u2019t waste it, and I was able to convert it and to be here now.\u201d<\/p>\n
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