US Open: Mirra Andreeva rushes to help injured friend Anastasia Potapova in touching moment

Mirra Andreeva from Russia, left, helps Anastasia Potapova from Austria. (AP photo) NEW YORK CITY: Anastasia Potapova clutched her knee and collapsed to the court in the closing stages of a grueling US Open fourth-round clash. After two hours and 25 minutes of pushing each other to their limits, the moment the 25-year-old went down, No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva sprinted across the court to help her friend.Andreeva, the reigning Roland Garros champion, eventually won the final game to seal a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory, but it was her rush to help Potapova that lingered long after the match.Nineteen-year-old Andreeva first met Potapova in Monastir, Tunisia, when she was handed a wild card into the WTA 250 and Potapova was drawn in the first round. By then, she was already an established name on the tour and a player for Andreeva to watch from afar.“Nastya was always like a child prodigy. She came to the tour early, she also had a lot of victories,” recalled Andreeva.Potapova won the first meeting, but Andreeva came away impressed with more than just her tennis.“She said a lot of nice words,” Andreeva said. The two began working out together and as they spent more time together, their friendship naturally grew.Andreeva will face world number four Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals.