Potapova, First Lucky Loser, Reaches Madrid Semis

Anastasia Potapova became the first lucky loser to reach the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event on Wednesday, defeating former world number one Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 in a tense quarterfinal match at the Madrid Open.

The 25-year-old Austrian, ranked 56th and born in Russia, entered the main draw after losing in qualifying last week. Her victory over the 34-year-old Czech player lasted one hour and 54 minutes at the Caja Magica and capped a remarkable run that included earlier straight-sets triumphs over former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and world number two Elena Rybakina.

Potapova raced through the opening set but squandered three match points while serving at 5-3 in the second, allowing Pliskova to force a tiebreak and level the contest. In the decider, she fell behind 1-3 before reeling off five straight games, sealing the win with her 10th ace and collapsing to her knees in tears.

"This tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them," Potapova said. "I'm super happy. There's nothing better that could happen to me in my life at the moment."

She credited her boyfriend, Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, who arrived courtside during the third set,...