Just after midnight Tuesday, Anastasia Potapova closed out a stunning upset of Elena Rybakina, saving a set point in the first set and rallying from a break down in the second to defeat the World No. 2 in straight sets.
Madrid: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Potapova’s 7-6 (8), 6-4 win in 1 hour and 53 minutes — her fourth career victory over a Top 5 opponent — sends the lucky loser into her 32nd WTA quarterfinal and fourth WTA 1000 quarterfinal.
She is the first lucky loser to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals since the tournament’s inception in 2009 and the third to reach a WTA 1000 quarterfinal this season, following Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Doha and Antonia Ruzic in Dubai. Before 2026, only Taylor Townsend (Toronto 2024) had achieved the feat in the format’s history.
Next up for Potapova is former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Solana Sierra in straight sets Monday to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2024.
More to come…
