2026 French Open
Potapova Dominates Boulter After a Shaky Start!
Anastasia Potapova has reached the third round at the French Open! She struggled in the first set against her opponent Katie Boulter, but ultimately defeated the Brit 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. This sets up a match against defending champion Coco Gauff, which she approaches with confidence: “I’ve won the last two matches between us.”
It wasn’t a break that Potapova was chasing for so long in the first set, but rather a service game won by Katie Boulter. The Brit served out the first game of the match to go up 1-0, after which the returners dominated with the powerful groundstrokes both players possess. There were six breaks in a row before Potapova broke serve. Nevertheless, she narrowly lost the first set 5-7 after a hard-fought 53 minutes.
After making errors, the spirited new Austrian repeatedly berated herself—and her opponent. “It’s unbelievable. She always hits the lines. This can’t go on like this!?” she exclaimed, repeatedly turning toward her box. From which came words of encouragement, tips (such as moving more), and shouts of “Bravo” from coach Henner Nehles.
“Balu” was also watching this time
And Potapova was right. Boulter, whose best surface isn’t clay, began making more errors, while “Anna” continued to play her game. She broke Boulter at the start of the second set, then confidently held her own serve. She wasn’t even fazed when she had to re-serve because, of all things, her poodle “Balu”—who was sitting in her box this time—barked into the court. Understandable: he’d been interrupted from his nap, leaned against the barrier, saw his owner, and wanted to join her.
Potapova raced to a 5-1 lead but briefly struggled to close out the second set. She squandered three set points in a row, letting the Briton claw her way back to 4-5, but then served out the set brilliantly, finishing with an ace.
The 25-year-old was in complete control in the third set as well. She raced to an early lead and this time had no trouble holding on to it. After 2 hours and 1 minute, she won 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Two recent wins against Gauff
In the third round, however, a far greater challenge awaits Anastasia Potapova. On Saturday, she will face defending champion Coco Gauff. Gauff’s parents were on Court 13 to get a sense of their daughter’s next opponent. Potapova rightly has no fear of the American. “I’ve won the last two matches against her. I have a plan, and if I stick to it, I can do it,” she says, approaching this match with her usual confidence.
And she’s also looking forward to the big court, which she’s sure to play on. “We play tennis for matches like this,” she says, explaining that even as a child, it was her dream to always play on the big stage. “I feel comfortable with crowds, love being cheered on, and don’t mind being the center of attention.”
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