Haters gonna hate: Austrian tennis star reacts to Amanda Anisima ‘goodbye’

Anastasia Potapova hit back at criticism for the gesture she made after beating Amanda Anisimova in the third round of the US Open, insisting her wave was not aimed at her opponent. Potapová, seed No. 24, on Saturday he beat the American 6:2, 7:5 reaching the fourth round for the first time in New York.

The Austrian appeared to wave at Anisima as she celebrated her win, prompting some fans on social media to interpret the gesture as a dismissive “goodbye” aimed at the American. The moment quickly became a talking point, despite Potapova coming off one of the biggest wins of her campaign at the US Open.

In response to criticism on Instagram, Potapova made it clear that the gesture had nothing to do with Anisimova.

“I see so many questions about my bye wave after the match. You want to turn everything into a circus. I waved to my friend who was sitting there supporting me. Be easy, but I guess haters will hate,” Potapová wrote. Courtesy: Anastasia Potapova Instagram

The 25-year-old had plenty to celebrate after putting in a composed performance against tenth seed Anisima. She broke the American early in the opening set and raced to a 6-2 lead, while Anisimova struggled to find consistency from the baseline.

The second set was much tighter, Anisimová twice took the lead after breaks of serve. But Potapova answered both times and eventually broke again at the end of the set before serving the match. She saved 13 of 16 break points and benefited from Anisimova’s 46 unforced errors.

POTAPOVA WILL PREPARE A ROUND 16 MEETING WITH ANDREEVA

Potapová’s reward is a meeting under 16 with Russian Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Czech teenager Nikola Bartunková 6:2, 7:6(5). Andreeva, the No. 5 seed, is also reaching the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time.

The victory over Anisimova also marked a significant milestone for Potapova. She came close to falling outside the world 100 earlier this year but has enjoyed a resurgence, including reaching the final in Linz and the semi-finals in Madrid.

For Anisima, meanwhile, the defeat ends another frustrating campaign at the US Open. The American was second in New York last year and entered this year’s tournament as the tenth seed. Her loss to Potapova also means she drops out of the world top 10.

With the social media controversy now being dealt with, Potapova will be hoping her tennis remains the focus as she looks to extend her best run at the US Open against Andreeva.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

06 Sep 2026 20:51 IST