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Lucky-Loser Potapova Beats Pliskova, Reaches Madrid Semifinal

5/1/2026

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Summary

Potapova Reaches Semis

Anastasia Potapova, a lucky loser called up 30 minutes before her first match, defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 to reach the Madrid Open semifinal.
She credited Dutch boyfriend Tallon Griekspoor, who entered her box after his own doubles loss, for keeping her mentally strong in the third set.
The semifinal will pit Potapova against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, their seventh meeting with Potapova leading the head-to-head 4-2.

Summary

Sinner Semis

Jannik Sinner, world No.1, defeated 19-year-old wildcard Rafael Jodar 6-2, 7-6(7-0) to reach the ATP 1000 semifinals in Madrid.
The win made Sinner the sixth player ever to reach the semifinals of all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
Sinner saved five break points in the second set before closing out the match.
Wildcard Jodar earned his first Masters 1000 main-draw win despite the loss, signaling a promising rise.

History

Historical Context

Goran Ivaniševic’s 2001 Wimbledon triumph, achieved as a wild-card while ranked No. 125, marked the first unseeded champion and remains the only male Grand Slam winner entered this way. His 1994 peak at world No. 2 and a record 1,477 aces in 1996 underscored his serve dominance, setting a precedent that today’s lucky-loser runs by Potapova and Sinner’s Masters-1000 wildcard milestone echo.

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Potapova Reaches Semis

Anastasia Potapova, a lucky loser called up 30 minutes before her first match, defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-3 to reach the Madrid Open semifinal.
She credited Dutch boyfriend Tallon Griekspoor, who entered her box after his own doubles loss, for keeping her mentally strong in the third set.
The semifinal will pit Potapova against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, their seventh meeting with Potapova leading the head-to-head 4-2.

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