Anastasia Potapova Upsets Zheng Qinwen at Mutua Madrid Open

MADRID — Anastasia Potapova upset No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen 6-4, 6-4 on Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open. This victory marked the end of Potapova’s 0-for-8 streak against Top 10 players and represented her best win of the year based on ranking.

This match was significant for Zheng as it was her first on red clay since winning the gold medal in singles at the Paris Olympics last summer. Historically, Zheng had won three of four prior matches against Potapova.

Potapova withdrew from a Round of 16 match against Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart last week due to an undisclosed injury but rebounded well, defeating Ashlyn Krueger in the first round before defeating Zheng.

In the match against Zheng, Potapova converted five of nine break points and maintained her composure throughout the 100-minute battle. “It means a lot because it’s my first win against Top 10 in quite a long time,” Potapova said. When asked about her loss streak, she joked, “I would go five?” then corrected herself, “well that’s not such a bad number — it is my favorite number.”

Ranked No. 39 in the PIF WTA Rankings, Potapova previously claimed the Transylvania Open title in February and has won 15 of 21 matches this season. Reflecting on her performance, she noted, “This win doesn’t feel crazy and something out of this world…it just gave me the feeling that I’m actually on the same level as her.”

Next, Potapova is set to face No. 32 seed Sofia Kenin, who defeated Lulu Sun 6-3, 6-2 on Friday.

In other action, No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini advanced to the third round after a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Katie Boulter in exactly one hour. The Italian player quickly established control, racing to a 2-0 lead before Boulter managed to break back briefly. However, Paolini took the next nine games with a combination of powerful forehands and strategic drop shots, forcing Boulter into 21 unforced errors.

Boulter, who recently earned her first clay win in the main draw against Katerina Siniakova, struggled to maintain her momentum throughout the match. Despite a brief recovery at 5-0 in the second set, her efforts fell short as Paolini served out the match effortlessly.

The victory marks a significant step for Paolini, who hopes to replicate her previous best performance in Madrid, which reached the fourth round last year. She will aim to continue her success against either No. 29 seed Magda Linette or Maria Sakkari in the next round.

In another match, No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula also advanced to the third round, defeating Eva Lys 6-2, 6-2. Pegula has a history of strong performances in Madrid, making her first WTA 1000 final here in 2022.

The match lasted 1 hour and 12 minutes, during which Pegula showcased her ability to manage her serve effectively, erasing five break points against Lys.

With this victory, Pegula maintains her rank as the tour-level match-win leader with 27 victories this season, just ahead of World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has 26 wins. Pegula aims to keep her momentum against Moyuka Uchijima from Japan, marking their first meeting.