Meet ‘lucky loser’ Potapova who just made history at Madrid Open

She wasn’t even meant to be there.

Anastasia Potapova had lost in the qualifying tournament at the Madrid Open and was just enjoying "some nice days" in the Spanish capital when she was handed a place in the main draw at the last moment as a so-called lucky loser following the withdrawal of another player.

On Wednesday, the Austrian player dropped to her knees, put both hands on her face and started crying. The "explosion of emotions inside" came after the 56th-ranked Potapova beat Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 to become the first "lucky loser" to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 event.

She almost gave up the victory, squandering three match points in the second set and having to come back from 3-1 down in the third against the former No. 1-ranked player. It's been quite an impressive run to the semis during which she also upset world No 2 Elena Rybakina in the Round of 16.

"I (had) a few match points in the second set, on serve, but I couldn't manage my nerves at that time," she said. "It seems that this tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them. So yeah, supper happy."

Russian-born Potapova said she got a boost when her boyfriend, Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, arrived to watch.

"I was a little bit gone mentally in the third set. I didn't believe in myself at that moment," she said. "But big respect to my boyfriend who came just on time. He kept telling me, 'You can do this, we are all together here, just keep going.'"

Potapova said Griekspoor is "not scared" of telling her anything. "I just played, and mentally he kept me there," she said. "It just happened at such important moment, and it gave me a lot of energy. Mentally, I think he got this match. I did it physically. He did it mentally."

The women's tour said Potapova was the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 or Tier I semi-final since the format's inception in 1990.

"I didn't expect myself being in the draw again because at first they didn't take my name as a lucky loser," she said. "And then the days kept on going and nobody was injured or pulling out. Then the last moment I got the information, literally 30 minutes before the (first-round) match, that I was given a chance to step on court here again."

She said she had been just enjoying "some nice days" in Madrid, with no expectations.

"Maybe that's the key. You don't need to be always so zoomed in and so locked in on the tournament," Potapova said. "Maybe it's just a matter of sometimes just enjoy yourself and enjoy the journey."

She said it feels like "a miracle" to have advanced so far.

"It's pretty rare when you get the second chance and that you go almost all the way," Potapova said. "But ... I always say, if you got it, maybe you deserved it. I'm happy that I didn't waste it, and I was able to convert it and to be here now."

She next faces Marta Kostyuk for a place in the final and no matter what happens, the 25-year-old has already etched her name in history books.