Midnight coup: Potapova pulls of an incredible upset victory over Rybakina in Madrid

Anastasia Potapova pulled off an incredible upset win over Elena Rybakina just after midnight on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

Potapova saved a set point in the first set and rallied from a break down in the second to defeat the World No. 2 in straight sets. Potapova’s 7-6 (8), 6-4 win in 1 hour and 53 minutes, her fourth career victory over a Top 5 opponent, sends the lucky loser into her 32nd WTA quarterfinal and fourth WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

“I got my second chance during this tournament, and I think I’m using it pretty (well),” Potapova said in her on-court interview. “I’m just enjoying being here.”

Potapova is first lucky loser to reach quarters

She is the first lucky loser to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals since the tournament’s inception in 2009 and the third to reach a WTA 1000 quarterfinal this season, following Elisabetta Cocciaretto in Doha and Antonia Ruzic in Dubai. Before 2026, only Taylor Townsend (Toronto 2024) had achieved the feat in the format’s history.

Anastasia Potapova saved a set point in the first set and rallied from a break down in the second to defeat the World No. 2 in straight sets in Madrid. Pics: WTA Tour

Next up for Potapova is former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova, who defeated Solana Sierra in straight sets Monday to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2024. It’s a significant opportunity for both players, with one guaranteed a semifinal berth in what has become a wide-open section of the draw following the exits of Coco Gauff and now Rybakina.

“She’s number two,” Potapova said. “She’s one of the best right now. Of course I’m feeling grateful for this win, but I don’t want to stop. I want to keep improving and maybe get closer to these girls in the meantime.”

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Potapova can take the next step Wednesday against Pliskova. It would be her first win over the Czech, having dropped their lone meeting in three sets in Doha 2024. A victory would send her to her first WTA 1000 semifinal and make her the first lucky loser, and the first player representing Austria, to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal.

Noskova shuts out Gauff

Linda Noskova shut out Coco Gauff with another upset victory at the Mutua Madrid Open. After winning her first set in five played against Gauff, she lost 10 of 12 games to not just lose the second set, but stare down a double-break deficit in the third set.

“I know the match is not over until it’s over,” she told reporters after later completing a 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5) comeback from 4-1 down in the decider.

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The Czech started her third career meeting with Gauff solidly off the ground, hitting 11 winners to Gauff’s four in the opening 10 games. But last year’s Madrid finalist, who overcame a set and a break deficit against Sorana Cirstea, and mid-match sickness, in the previous round, started to turn the match around early in the second set. Noskova failed to convert a break point at 1-1, and Gauff quickly won five straight games in the second set. Noskova won just four points in the last four games.

Runs of games were again the story of the decider. Four of the first five went to Gauff — including a hold from 0-40 down at 1-0 — and four straight then went to Noskova.

Both players ended the match with 30 winners, and Noskova actually totaled more unforced errors than Gauff (40 to 27) in her victory. She also served far fewer aces – eight, to Gauff’s 13 – but four of them came in the final set. But she won the points that mattered most in the match’s dramatic conclusion.

Down 3-0 in the deciding tiebreak, Noskova won seven of the last nine points to take her first Top 10 victory of the season. The 21-year-old, who played the China Open final last fall and reached the semifinals in Indian Wells, will seek her third career WTA 1000 semifinal when she faces No. 26 seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine on Wednesday. The two have never played previously.

Andreeva edges Bondar to reach quarters

World No. 10 Mirra Andreeva has reached the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open for the third year in a row after a dramatic third-set tiebreak win over Hungary’s Anna Bondar that left her in tears of relief. She will next meet No. 24-seed Leylah Fernandez for a place in the semifinals following her 5-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (5) win over the Hungarian.

“I held a lot of emotions inside of myself,” Andreeva said to press. “I was trying be very pumped in the third set, and I felt I was playing pretty good. Then after, being 5-1 up, I just felt a little bit nervous for some reason, even though I feel I should just have more confidence that I’m up on the score.

Andreeva struck the first blow of the match to break for a 6-5 lead in a close first set. However, Bondar, who had won their only previous meeting on the WTA Tour (Lausanne 2023), broke right back and claimed the first set 7-5 in a tiebreak.

In the second, Andreeva once again got the first break in the sixth game to lead 4-2. This time, she held on to claim the set 6-3 and force a decider. Andreeva broke twice early in the deciding set to build a commanding 5-1 lead. However, Bondar fought back to level the match at 5-5.

After both players held serve to force a final-set tiebreak, Andreeva jumped to a 3-0 lead. Bondar once again battled back to level at 4-4 before Andreeva was able to win it 7-5 and close out the 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 victory in 2 hours, 53 minutes.

The victory makes her the youngest player to reach three consecutive quarterfinals at a single Tier I/WTA 1000 event since Martina Hingis in Miami (1997 to 1999). It is also Andreeva’s 12th main-draw victory in Madrid, her highest tally at any WTA-level event, and her 10th clay-court win of the season, the most by any player in 2026.

Earlier in the day, Fernandez scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over 31st-seeded Ann Li to advance to the quarterfinals in Madrid for the first time in her career. It was the Canadian’s first win over Li in three career meetings, avenging losses in Madrid last year and in Doha earlier this year.

The Canadian, only the second from her country to make the last eight in Madrid, has equaled her best career result at a WTA 1000 event. She also reached the quarterfinals in Guadalajara in 2023, Doha in 2024 and Cincinnati in 2024.

Andreeva and Fernandez have split their two previous meetings, both of which came in 2023. Andreeva won in straight sets in the first round in Madrid, while Fernandez scored a three-set win in the second round in Hong Kong.

Sabalenka downs an inspired Osaka

No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka survived a barnburner against an inspired Naomi Osaka in the fourth round, coming from a set and a break down against the No. 14 seed to triumph 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The defending champion, who is bidding to lift the Madrid trophy for a fourth time this year, improved to 2-1 overall against former World No. 1 Osaka, backing up her straight-sets win at the same stage of Indian Wells last month.

“Oh my God, that was incredible level,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “She played incredible tennis. I feel like I just got lucky in a couple shots in the third set, that’s why it went that fast.”

Sabalenka will next face No. 30 seed Hailey Baptiste, who came through a wild 6-1, 6-7(14), 6-3 rollercoaster to defeat No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic in 2 hours and 42 minutes. The American held six match points in the second set, one serving at 6-5 and five more in the tiebreak, but was undone by a cascade of double faults. Three came along as she served for the match at 6-5, and another two when up match point. After her third double fault of the tiebreak at 11-11, Baptiste demolished her racquet in frustration.

But for most of the first two sets, Baptiste’s silky net skills and heavy forehand had been the key shots of the match, and she reset impressively in the third set to reach her second consecutive WTA 1000 quarterfinal. In her first, last month in Miami, she fell to Sabalenka 6-4, 6-4 in their first career meeting. The 24-year-old will seek to reverse that result on Tuesday.