Just In: Mirra Andreeva rushes across court in worrying incident as US Open rival in tears
Mirra Andreeva rushed over to assist an injured Anastasia Potapova when her Austrian opponent went down injured in the final game of their fourth-round US Open match. No. 5 seed Andreeva had to battle back from a set down, and was a game from victory when Potapova got injured.
The 24th seed was serving to stay in the match. But she hurt herself during the first point, and Andreeva crossed the net to assist her rival. The French Open champion helped Potapova get back on her feet and walk to her bench, where she saw the physio.
Potapova soon got to her feet, but there was a lengthy delay as she hobbled to her bench and received a medical timeout, lying on the ground while the physio worked on her thigh. “Good sporting gesture from Mirra Andreeva,” Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend said after the teenager went to help her opponent.
Potapova returned to the court a few minutes later, but could barely put weight on her leg and struggled to move. She lost the next three points to lose the match, and was in tears as she slowly started to approach the net.
Andreeva came over to Potapova’s side of the net again, embracing the 25-year-old for several seconds. The two are good friends and both hail from Russia – Potapova only switched allegiances to Austria at the end of 2025.
The physio returned to Potapova’s bench and walked alongside her as she left the court, waving goodbye to the fans on the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Afterwards, the French Open champion admitted it was difficult to see Potapova hurt herself. “I mean, Nastya, she’s my good friend, and seeing what a battle we had, seeing her fall like this, it’s not easy,” she said.
“I can’t imagine what she’s going through, and I remember I had goosebumps on my body. I don’t know. It’s not the way, obviously, you want to finish the match, or you want to see one of your good friends finish the match.
“I just told her that she’s been playing amazing so far, she’s been having one of the best seasons, and I’m sure that she’s going to come back even stronger, because she’s a warrior. I think she’s even a better fighter than me, so I’m sure that she’s going to come back even stronger.”
Andreeva is now through to the quarter-finals of the US Open for the very first time. No matter what, she will face an American opponent, as she gets the winner of an exciting contest between Coco Gauff and Iva Jovic.
