Anastasia Potapova played spoiler Saturday in Beijing, upsetting No. 21 seed Victoria Mboko 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the second round of the China Open.
Beijing: Scores | Draws | Order of play
With teen stars like Mboko and Mirra Andreeva headlining the early slate, it was Potapova who stole the spotlight, outlasting Mboko in a 2-hour-and-5-minute battle full of momentum swings and unpredictability.
The chaos began in the opening game, when the reigning Canadian Open champion broke Potapova’s serve for an early lead. But Potapova responded immediately, converting her fourth break point in the next game to level the score.
Later in the set, it was Potapova saving two break points before eventually dropping serve to give Mboko a 6-5 edge. But the drama continued, as Mboko double-faulted four times in the next game and, after saving two break points, surrendered the break right back.
The tiebreak was no less turbulent. Potapova surged ahead 5-0, only to see Mboko to win five straight points to tie it. Potapova then quickly regrouped to take the final two points and seal the set after 70 minutes.
Mboko opened the second set with her eighth double fault, giving Potapova two early break chances. Mboko saved both and held for a brief second-set lead, but Potapova responded by winning three straight games to go up a set and a break.
Momentum flipped again, as Mboko reeled off four consecutive games and served for the set at 5-3. But Potapova closed with the following stretch: breaking at love, holding at love, breaking at love again and finally, serving out the match.
The 24-year-old won the final four games and 16 of the last 17 points to complete the upset and send the young Canadian packing.
Potapova finished 5-for-16 on break-point conversions.
She will face Zeynep Sonmez in the third round after the Turkish No. 1 upset No. 10 seed Clara Tauson 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to score her first career Top 20 win.
Andreeva attempts to up the ante in Beijing
Last year at the China Open, Andreeva was pushed to three sets in her opening match.
This time, the 18-year-old made quick work of hometown favorite Zhu Lin, defeating the wild card 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday in just 1 hour and 19 minutes to reach the third round in Beijing.
The win improves Andreeva’s record to 21-5 at WTA 1000 events this season.
“Last year I lost in the quarters on this court,” Andreeva said after the match. “So, I’m going to try not to think about it and enjoy every match that I get to play out here. And I’ll do my best to pass the bar of the quarterfinals here and go further.”
Her campaign got off to an ideal start, breaking serve in the first game and never appearing under serious threat.
She briefly faltered late in the first set, double faulting to surrender a break while leading 4-1 but still closed out the set in 36 minutes. That lone break point was the only one she faced in the entire match.
Despite the lopsided scoreline, the match featured standout moments from both players. Here are three of Andreeva’s best points, in the order in which they happened:
5-2, 30-0: In a 17-shot rally, Andreeva appeared out of the point multiple times but dug in, eventually striking a cross-court backhand winner just as Zhu Lin charged the net.
6-2, 4-1: Not quite 17, but a 16-shot exchange ended with Andreeva moving her opponent off the line, giving the 18-year-old just enough space to put away a forehand down the line.
6-2, 4-1: 30-15: A few points later, Andreeva controlled an 11-shot rally with a near-perfect lob, a cross-court backhand taken out of the air and a forehand winner going back the other way to close the point. She went on to win the game and move within a game of victory.
Next up for Andreeva is Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the third round. It will be their first meeting at the WTA level.