Anastasia Potapova excited to face Aryna Sabalenka, says she always wanted to play against her

Russian tennis player Anastasia Potapova recently expressed her excitement to lock horns with reigning Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open.

Potapova, 22, has caused quite a few upsets in the Stuttgart Open. The former World No. 25 defeated fifth seed Coco Gauff, 6-2, 6-3, in the round of 16 of the tournament in Germany. Up against the fourth seed, Caroline Garcia, the Russian lost the first set but quickly regained her mojo as she rallied to beat the Spaniard, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarterfinals.

Speaking to the media after her win over Garcia, Potapova expressed her desire to lock horns with the World No. 2. Speaking further, the 22-year-old revealed that she has always wanted to play against Aryna Sabalenka and commented that they are good friends.

"Aryna is my good friend, I think it's gonna be fun. I've been waiting for this match, I've really wanted to play against you Aryna I don't know if you're watching," Potapova said.

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"I have done nothing bad to Ukraine and I did nothing" - Aryna Sabalenka

2021 WTA Finals - Day 2

Aryna Sabalenka recently opened up about the hate she gets from Ukrainians. The Belarusian is also joined by a number of Russian and Belarusian players, who have been on the receiving end of constant criticism from Ukraine due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

While speaking to the media, Sabalenka reflected on constant hatred because of her nationality and stated that it was not in her hands to do anything about the war.

"If they feel better by hating me, I'm happy to help them with that. They can do that," she said. "But the rest, like, if I could stop the war, I would do that, but unfortunately it's not in my hands and it's not under my control, Aryna Sabalenka said.

She further stated that she's trying to avoid the internet to not let these trolls affect her or her game.

"I'm just trying to stay less in the Internet so I'm not gonna see anything like that. I'll be able to focus on myself and on my game and not get too depressed about this situation," the Belarusian added.

The 2023 Australian Open winner also added that she realized that some people don't like her simply because of her nationality.

"Now I just realize that I have done nothing bad to Ukraine and I did nothing. There is some people don't like me just because I was born in Belarus. It's like it's their decision, and I cannot control that," she said during the press conference.