Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu is all set to take on Anastasia Potapova in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open. These two players have not met each other previously on the Tour, with the winner potentially facing top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the next round.
Potapova had a bright junior career, as the Russian-born player made deep runs at the Junior Slams, winning the Girls’ Singles Championship at the 2016 Wimbledon, which made her the No. 1-ranked junior in the world. Let’s take a look at her career once she turned pro in 2017.
Anastasia Potapova’s Career So Far
Despite being a prolific player on the juniors circuit, Potapova has yet to reach those kinds of heights on the Tour. She has reached six career finals, winning three titles. Her wins came at the 2022 Istanbul Cup, 2023 Linz Open, and at the Transylvania Open last year.
Being an expert Slam player in her junior days, Potapova has not been able to put together a deep run at any of the Majors at the senior level. Her best result at a Major was reaching the fourth round at the 2024 French Open, where she lost to Iga Świątek, not being able to win a single game against the Pole. She has had some decent quarterfinal runs at the WTA 1000 level, reaching the last eight at Miami in 2023 and Indian Wells in 2024.
Beginning the 2026 season, Potapova made a major decision, as she officially switched her nationality from Russian to Austrian, and this year is the first when the 24-year-old will be officially playing under the Austrian flag.
Anastasia Potapova’s Coach and Family
Potapova was coached for a span of almost four years (2021-2024) by Igor Andreev, under whom she reached a career-high ranking of 21. She parted ways with Andreev in 2024, hiring Dorian Descloix as her new coach, under whom she won the title in Cluj last year. However, Poptapova has parted ways with the Frenchman and is accompanied by Alexander Ostrovsky in Melbourne currently.
Potapova is the only child of her father, Sergey Potapov. Her mother came from a sports background, being a former volleyball player, and it was she and Potapova’s grandmother who inspired the young Russian to take up the sport of tennis professionally.
In her personal life, Potapova was married to fellow tennis player Alexander Shevchenko, but the pair got divorced in 2025. The Austrian has not made any public announcements as to her personal life since then, but she has been spotted with Tallon Griekspoor on multiple occasions, which has sparked dating rumors. Potapova herself had shared a picture of her and the Dutch player in a restaurant recently.
Griekspoor, seeded 23, lost in his first round match at the Australian Open, losing to Ethan Quinn in straight sets.
Anastasia Potapova’s Australian Open Campaign So Far
Potapova did not arrive in Melbourne in great form. The now-Austrian player had lost in the first rounds of the warm-up events in Brisbane and Adelaide. She did not start well against Suzan Lamens in her first-round match at the Australian Open, losing the first set 3-6.
Potapova seemed down and out as she was trailing 1-5 in the second set, and was looking at a third straight opening round exit in 2026. However, she rallied back, winning six games in a row to win the second set, and then won the final set dominantly, winning 6-2 against the Dutch player.
