NEW YORK (AP) — Mirra Andreeva remembers looking up to Anastasia Potapova well before they became rivals on the court.
So when Potapova fell and was injured late in their fourth-round match Monday at the U.S. Open, Andreeva put aside the tennis and went to assist.
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The French Open champion helped Potapova up so she could get treatment, then finished off a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory that sent her to the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows for the first time.
“It’s not the perfect end to the match,” Andreeva said.
Andreeva led 5-3 in the final set when Potapova lunged to hit a running forehand and went down holding her left knee. As Potapova sat on the court in pain, the 19-year-old Russian came from the other side of the net and rested her hand on the 25-year-old's shoulder.
She helped the No. 24 seed up and Potapova was able to limp to her bench, where Andreeva asked if someone could bring her ice. Potapova was treated and eventually able to continue with her knee bandaged, though with limited movement she didn't win another point and didn't even attempt to get Andreeva's final shot.
Potapova appeared to be tearing up as Andreeva came around the net for a long embrace after the final point.
Potapova now represents Austria, but she was born in Russia and still played under that flag when she won the junior Wimbledon championship in 2016.
“For me, Nastya, she was always like a prodigy,” Andreeva said. “She came on tour early. She also had a lot of wins. I also remember we were all watching and cheering for her when she won juniors Wimbledon title. I remember watching that match. For me, she was always, like, a little star that I was kind of always looking at.”
Potapova won their first meeting on tour in 2022 but Andreeva has won the last four. This one prevented Potapova from reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“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.
“Then since then we would practice together, and just like that, the more you see each other, the more you spend time together, then you just talk about everything, discuss everything. Then just like that, I feel like we have a good connection off the court.”
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See AP’s full tennis coverage here
