news desk
\nparis
\nRussian teenager Anastasia Potapova said she was left \u201cspeechless\u201d after knocking out her \u201cidol\u201d Angelique Kerber in the first round of the French Open on Sunday.
\nThe 18-year-old made short work of the fifth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion, who was bidding to complete a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros, winning 6-4, 6-2.
\nPlaying in the main draw of the tournament for the first time in her young career, Potapova claimed her first-ever victory over a top-10 player to set up a second-round tie against either fellow teenager Marketa Vondrousova or China\u2019s Wang Yafan.
\n\u201cI was just speechless,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to say and what to do, but, yes, I was so happy at that moment, and I\u2019m still so happy.
\n\u201cI live for this win, for these emotions, for these moments. I\u2019m going to do everything to live it through again and again and again.\u201d
\nPotapova hammered 28 winners past the flailing Kerber, who had been struggling with a right ankle injury in the build-up to the event.
\nThe Russian said she had looked up to Kerber, 13 years her senior, as a child.
\n\u201cI was really looking forward for this match, because Kerber, I like her very much. She\u2019s actually one of my idols, and when I was young I was looking for her game, how she\u2019s playing,\u201d said Potapova, the 2016 junior Wimbledon champion.
\n\u201cWhen you step in on the court and you know you play your, I would say idol, you\u2019ve just got to show your best. That helped me. So, yeah, I was fighting for every point.\u201d
\nPotapova is one of several teenagers making their presence felt on the WTA Tour this year.
\nCzech Vondrousova claimed a surprise win over reigning French Open champion Simona Halep last week in Rome, while 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova reached the Australian Open last 16 and Canada\u2019s Bianca Andreescu, 18, was a shock title winner at Indian Wells.
\nPotapova admitted that the attention that comes with winning such a big match on Court Philippe Chatrier was something new.
\n\u201cMy phone is exploding right now, you know, social media, anything, WhatsApp, the messengers.\u201d
\nThe draw could open up nicely for Potapova, too, with 28th seed Carla Suarez Navarro the highest-ranked player she can face before the fourth round.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
news desk paris Russian teenager Anastasia Potapova said she was left \u201cspeechless\u201d after knocking out her \u201cidol\u201d Angelique Kerber in the first round of the French Open on Sunday. The 18-year-old made short work of the fifth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion, who was bidding to complete a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros, winning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":66316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n