Andreeva consoles injured Potapova after US Open win

Mirra Andreeva finished her US Open fourth-round victory with a hug rather than a celebration, after Anastasia Potapova injured her knee during the final game.

Potapova jarred her knee after losing the first point of the game on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Andreeva ran to the other side of the court, helped her opponent up and asked someone to bring ice as Potapova limped to her bench.

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It’s not the perfect end to the match.

Andreeva then won the next three points to complete a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory. She ran around the net again after match point and embraced Potapova, who appeared to be crying. “It’s not the perfect end to the match,” Andreeva said.

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For me, Nastya, she was always like a prodigy.

The 19-year-old, who won the French Open, said Potapova had always been a player she admired. “For me, Nastya, she was always like a prodigy,” Andreeva said. “For me, she was always, like, a little star that I was kind of always looking at.” Andreeva has now won their last four meetings after Potapova took their first encounter in 2022.

Elsewhere, China’s Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng reached the quarterfinals after overturning a 0-5 deficit in the deciding set against Madison Keys and recovering from a five-game deficit against six-time major winner Iga Świątek. Zheng became the first qualifier since Emma Raducanu in 2021 to reach the women’s quarterfinals.

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For me, she was always, like, a little star that I was kind of always looking at.