On a packed Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open, some top seeds progressed while an unexpected result shook the draw. Anastasia Potapova delivered a significant upset, defeating the eighth seed, Zheng Qinwen, with a score of 6-4, 6-4. This victory marked the end of Potapova`s streak of eight consecutive losses against players ranked in the Top 10 and represented her most impressive win this year based on her opponent`s ranking.
The match was Zheng’s first appearance on red clay since winning the singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics the previous summer. Historically, Zheng held a favorable record against Potapova, having won three out of their four previous meetings.
Potapova demonstrated strong form in Madrid, securing her second consecutive win after withdrawing from a match in Stuttgart a week prior due to an undisclosed injury. Following her first-round win against Ashlyn Krueger, she maintained solid play against Zheng, capitalizing on five of her nine break point opportunities during the 100-minute contest.
“It means a lot because it’s my first win against Top 10 in quite a long time,” Potapova commented after the match. When playfully questioned about her previous Top 10 record, she initially guessed incorrectly. Upon being told the streak was eight losses, she responded with a lighthearted “Well that’s not such a bad number — it is my favorite number.”
Ranked World No. 39, Potapova captured the Transylvania Open title in February and has now accumulated 15 wins compared to 6 losses this season.
Potapova expressed that the win didn`t feel entirely surprising given the competitive nature of their past encounters. “This win doesn’t feel crazy and something out of this world,” she stated, “only because the last matches that we played it was such a battle, always the tiebreak was involved, over three hours. Maybe this gave me the feeling that I’m actually on the same level as her.” She added, “I think it’s just the mindset that I can do it. I didn’t try to convince myself — I knew it. That was the difference. In the key moments, I was not afraid of hitting the ball because I knew deep inside that it could be my match.”
Potapova`s next challenge will be against 32nd seed Sofia Kenin in the third round on Sunday. Kenin advanced after defeating Lulu Sun 6-3, 6-2.
Paolini Cruises into Third Round
Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini comfortably secured her spot in the third round, needing just an hour to defeat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-2. Although their previous four meetings were split evenly, Paolini dominated their first-ever clay-court encounter.
Paolini, who reached her first major final at Roland Garros last year, started the match impressively, hitting five clean winners to quickly take a 2-0 lead. Boulter, who had just achieved her first career tour-level clay win earlier in the week, managed to break back with a strong rally ending in a backhand winner.
However, this was the peak of Boulter`s challenge. Paolini proceeded to win the next nine consecutive games without facing a game point. Her powerful forehands and effective drop shots consistently troubled Boulter, whose movement on clay appeared less comfortable. Boulter struggled with errors, accumulating 21 unforced errors. Despite a brief lapse at 5-0 in the second set where she double-faulted, Paolini efficiently served out the match on her second attempt.
Paolini, whose previous best result in Madrid was a fourth-round appearance last year, will aim to match or surpass that performance in her next match against either 31st seed Magda Linette or Maria Sakkari.
Former Finalist Pegula Rolls On
Third seed Jessica Pegula also advanced to the third round with a decisive 6-2, 6-2 victory over Germany`s top-ranked player, Eva Lys.
Madrid holds positive memories for Pegula, as it was the location of her first career WTA 1000 final in 2022. Since then, the American has gone on to win three WTA 1000 titles and achieve significant results in Grand Slams.
In the match against World No. 68 Lys, Pegula faced six break point opportunities in the first set but successfully saved five, maintaining control of her serve. Pegula`s return game was particularly strong, winning an impressive 77 percent of points when Lys hit a second serve. The second set saw a similar pattern, leading to Pegula`s victory in 1 hour and 12 minutes.
This win marked Pegula`s 27th match victory of the 2024 season, placing her ahead of World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (26 wins) as the current leader on tour for match wins this year.
Pegula is set to face Moyuka Uchijima of Japan in the third round. Uchijima`s upset win over Ons Jabeur meant a rematch of the 2022 Madrid final would not occur. This upcoming match will be the first meeting between Pegula and Uchijima.
A strong performance for Pegula this week could have significant ranking implications, potentially allowing her to climb to the World No. 2 spot for the first time in her career.
Rupert Caldwell