Next up: Anisimova

US Open: Potapova Fights Her Way Into the Next Round

Anastasia Potapova(Bild: AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

Anastasia Potapova has advanced to the third round of the US Open for the fourth time in her career. The tournament’s No. 24 seed defeated France’s Leolia Jeanjean 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 on Thursday, dropping the first set in the second round.

However, the hoped-for all-Austrian matchup in the third round did not materialize. Although 18-year-old Lilli Tagger put in a strong performance on Thursday against last year’s finalist Amanda Anisimova, she ultimately fell short, losing 3-6, 6-3, 1-6.

(Bild: AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

Potapova, seeded No. 24, built on her commanding performance from her 6-2, 6-2 opening-round victory over Latvian Darja Semenistaja, conceding only one point on her way to a 2-0 lead. The Frenchwoman, ranked only 127th, shook off her initial slump, however, and broke back on her third chance to tie the score at 3-3. Potapova regained her lead with a break to make it 5-4 and didn’t let it slip away this time. With a bit of a nervous edge, the 25-year-old converted her third set point.

(Bild: AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

Erratic performance by the ÖTV player
However, she couldn’t really carry that momentum forward, and her play became increasingly error-prone. Jeanjean took a 4–2 lead with a winner and a break, effectively sealing the second set. After three “wild” errors on Potapova’s serve, Jeanjean capitalized on her second set point to take the set 6–2. Austria’s number one briefly left the court to regroup, and it paid off. Potapova suddenly stopped struggling with her game, played with the same intensity as at the start, and took a 2-0 lead.

Here are the match statistics:

Match point converted after 2 hours and 11 minutes
As in the first and second sets, however, she suddenly began making numerous unforced errors again. Jeanjean returned a lot of shots and waited for her opponent to make mistakes, which paid off. She converted her third break point to tie the score at 2–2. Potapova, who had already let out a loud cry of frustration, threw her racket away in exasperation. But the Frenchwoman’s performance also remained very inconsistent, allowing Potapova to earn four break points at 3–3; she converted the last one when her opponent misjudged a ball along the line and let it go by. That was the turning point. Potapova played solidly again and, after 2 hours and 11 minutes, converted her first match point into another break.

The final stats showed 54 unforced errors (to 41) and 31 winners (to 12). Both players committed a total of nine double faults in their first-ever head-to-head match. If Potapova wants to advance to the round of 16 for the second time since 2024, she’ll definitely need to step up her game in her next match. In 2025, Potapova’s run ended in the third round. Her only two matches against Anisimova took place a long time ago. Potapova won the 2017 Curitiba final, while the 25-year-old American came out on top in the 2019 Rome qualifiers.

US OPEN (Grand Slam, $108 million, hard court)
WOMEN – 2nd Round:
Amanda Anisimova (USA-10) – Lilli Tagger (AUT) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Anastasia Potapova (AUT-24) – Leolia Jeanjean (FRA) 6–4, 2–6, 6–3
Iga Swiatek (POL-8) – Nadia Podoroska (ARG) 6-3, 6-2
Naomi Osaka (JPN-13) – Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
3rd Round: Potapova vs. Anisimova

MEN – Second Round:
Jakub Mensik (CZE-17) – Yuri Rodionov (AUT) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Karen Khachanov (RUS) – Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN-3) 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
Taylor Fritz (USA-9) – Mattia Bellucci (ITA) 6-0, 6-1, 6-1