"I went through a rollercoaster of emotions—from crying to telling myself, 'Just shut up and work'" - Lucky loser Anastasia Potapova comes through traumatic clash

Ahead of the Madrid Open, Anastasia Potapova had not even qualified for it. Now, she is now celebrating defeating former world number one Karolina Pliskova to reach the semi-final stage for the first time at WTA 1000 level.

After winning the first set in brilliant fashion, she was pegged back in the second set after failing to convert three match points. Fortunately, she was able to come through a very tense final set to secure one of the biggest wins in her career.

She spoke to the Tennis Channel after the match. "Not time to celebrate yet—there’s still more tennis to be played. But it was an unbelievable fight today," she began.

She was in utter delight about her first set performance, labelling it as one of the best in her tennis career. "To be honest, looking back now, the first set was one of the best sets I’ve ever played," she said.

"Physically, mentally, tactically, everything worked great. Then the match became more tricky because she started playing better in the second set, especially on serve. I was doing well up to 5–3, and then all of a sudden I kind of stopped serving—like, “I don’t need that, it would be too easy… I need some drama.”

The second set, however, did not quite go to plan or follow the script of the first set. "Yeah, that was the plan, I think," she said with a smile. "But jokes aside, it was very tough. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions—from crying to telling myself, 'Just shut up and work.' I’m really happy that in the end I managed it and now I’m in the semifinals."

The raw emotions were flowing out for Potapova who was trying to keep it together in a remarkably tight and tense match with there so much riding on it. "I don’t think it was about tennis in the third set. What kept me going was seeing that it wasn’t easy for her either. Maybe she saw I was struggling emotionally, and that made her tense too. That break I got in the third set felt like a little oxygen—I could breathe again and start going forward. From that moment, I knew I couldn’t just give it away."

After the match, her boyfriend, fellow tennis player Tallon Griekspoor, said some words to her. "He came in at the most important moment and told me a few… not very nice, but very direct things," she explained. "I know they were said with love! He said the most important words that brought me back down to earth. Big credit to him."

It has been a truly fine clay season experienced by the Austrian. From reaching the final of her home event, the Upper Austria Ladies Linz, to making it further than she has ever done before at WTA 1000 level.

A big part of that came with a tactical change in her scheduling, and a bold one at that. "For the first time, I decided not to play in Miami Open," she commented. "It was a risk, but I felt I needed more time to practice and work on certain things. I went back home and had a really good block of training on clay. I’m happy it worked out—it’s helping me a lot."

To make all of this more remarkable, she did not even qualify for the tournament. Getting in as a lucky loser, she defeated the likes of number two seed Elena Rybakina to make it to this stage, agreeing that she was playing more freely.

"It’s true. After I lost, I didn’t know if I’d get into the main draw—it depends on luck. So I took a few days off in Madrid, enjoyed time with my family, good food, nice weather. Then I suddenly got a call saying I had 30 minutes before my match. I was given a second chance. It doesn’t happen often for me—I don’t consider myself lucky—but when I do get a second chance, I use it fully."

This whole process has been a knackering experience. "I’m so exhausted right now," she said. "Mentally it was very tough today. But at the same time, that’s what keeps me going—I don’t want to stop. I’m enjoying being here. It’s beautiful, and I was given a second chance, which makes it even more special. I just want to enjoy it and have fun."

Overall, Potapova felt like she was in a great mental space. "I do. I’m very strict. If you ask me how my life will look in 10 years, I can tell you day by day. I like things to be organised—I plan everything, and I absolutely love it."

She will be hoping that she can continue this quest for WTA 1000 glory in Madrid, making one of the most unlikely titles at this level.