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When the match ended Monday, with an injury playing a role in Anastasia Potapova’s U.S. Open dreams ending, the 25-year-old wiped away tears while she walked toward the net.
Her opponent, Mirra Andreeva, who aided her after Potapova suffered an injury in the final set, gave her a big hug while the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium showered them in applause.
“Nastya, she’s my good friend. Seeing what a battle we had and in the last game seeing her fall like this, it’s not easy,” Andreeva said during her on-court interview after the match. “I can’t imagine what she’s going through and when I remember I have goosebumps on my body.
“It’s not the way obviously you want to finish the match, or you want to see one of your good friends finish the match. I just told her that she’s been playing amazing so far, she’s been having one of the best seasons. I’m sure that she’s going to come back even stronger because she’s a warrior. I think that she’s even a better fighter than me.”
The lower-body injury Potapova battled through before ultimately losing in the fourth round provided a rough ending to a bittersweet tournament for the youngster.
Potapova, the world No. 25, made headlines in the third round when she downed 2025 finalist Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
That win — which included a debate over whether she had mocked her conquered foe with a hand wave celebration that Potapova contested was instead meant for a friend — put her one victory away from her first career Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.
Potapova took the first set 7-5 against Andreeva before falling 6-4 in the second to set up a dramatic third stanza.
But she received a cruel blow when her left knee seemingly gave out on her while she ran to her right to return a volley while trailing 5-3.
Andreeva immediately ran over to check on a crying Potapova, helping her to her feet.
Potapova limped off the court to sit on the bench and received treatment before returing.
Andreeva, 19, won all the remaining points to close out the 6-3 win in the last set, with a hampered Potapova not even contesting the final ball to her right.
“It’s not the perfect end to the match,” she said.
Andreeva complimented Potapova after the match, mentioning how she always admired the “prodigy” and celebrated when she won the 2016 Wimbeldon Girls’ singles title.
They have practiced together in the years since, helping grow that bond, and Andreeva has now won the last four contests between them, per the Associated Press.
This latest triumph earned Andreeva, who just won her first Grand Slam at the French Open in May, a quarterfinals match with Coco Gauff.
“For me, (Potapova) was always, like, a little star that I was kind of always looking at. First, she just beat me. So after, I just kind of knew that she’s a tough player to play, but at the same time, she was so nice,” Andreeva said. “You know, she said a lot of nice words. … The more you see each other, the more you spend time together, then, you know, you just talk about everything, discuss everything. Then just like that, I feel like we have a good connection off the court.”
English (US)