Potapova beats Plíšková and advances to the Madrid Open semi-finals

Anastasia Potapova overcame Karolína Plíšková in three sets in the Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinals. The Russian, lucky loser in the group, won 6-1, 6-7(4) and 6-3 on the Manolo Santana court this Wednesday. The triumph takes Potapova to his first semifinal at a WTA 1000 this year.

Plíšková, who entered as a protected ranking, had made history by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in Madri. The 34-year-old Czech showed power of reaction in the second set, saving match points and forcing a tiebreak. Mesmo thus failed to maintain the pace against the opponent’s consistency in the third set.

Potapova d. Pliskova 6-1 6-7 6-3 in Madrid

Wow

Down 1-3 in the 3rd set

Anastasia reaches her 1st WTA 1000 SF

She led 6-1 5-3 & had 3 match points in the 2nd

✅3rd QF of 2026
✅Won 9 of last 11 matches

From Lucky Loser to WTA 1000 semifinalist

A hard-earned dream run

🇦🇹🤍 pic.twitter.com/seTwfUUxPr

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 29, 2026

Potapova dominates the first set with aggression

The Russian started pressing the Czech’s serve. Potapova broke twice early on and took a 4-0 lead. Plíšková struggled to find the first serve and committed double faults. The partial ended 6-1 after 28 minutes.

• Potapova converted 3 of 5 break points
• Plíšková won just 36% of the points on the second serve
• The Russian hit 8 aces in total in the match

Tiebreak decides second set after Plíšková recovers

The Czech balanced the game in the second set. Plíšková saved three match points and led on the scoreboard. The set went to a tiebreak. Potapova finished 7-4 in the tiebreaker after an unforced error from the opponent. Plíšková celebrated important points with strong gestures to the fans.

The partial lasted more than 50 minutes. Ambas the players raised the level of aggression in long court exchanges, typical of Madrid clay.

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Potapova closes the game in the third set with decisive breaks

In the decisive set, Potapova regained control of the returns. Ela broke Plíšková’s serve in the fourth game and consolidated the lead. The Russian kept her serve calmly in the final games and closed out the victory after 2h10 of the match.

Potapova celebrated the final point by punching the air. Ela became the first lucky loser to reach the Madrid Open semifinals in the WTA era.

Estatísticas highlights the winner’s balance and efficiency

The match had 142 points played in total. Potapova won 77 of them against 65 for the Czech. Ela converted 100% of the break points he had in the third set. Plíšková hit more winners at times, but made more unforced errors.

Potapova reaches the semi-finals with high morale after eliminating Elena Rybakina in the previous round. The 25-year-old Russian is coming off a solid campaign on European clay.

Plíšková’s Caminho shows season resilience

The Czech had beaten Solana Sierra in the round of 16 and Elise Mertens in the third round. Sua’s presence in the quarterfinals reinforces the good moment in the return after injuries. Plíšková accumulates important points in the ranking.

Madri’s Aberto continues with the women’s semi-finals in the coming days. Potapova awaits the winner of the confrontation between Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova.