Anastasia Potapova‘s grass-court season isn’t going her way. After retiring from her second-round clash against Zeynep Sonmez at the Libema Open last week, the Austrian has now suffered a similar fate in Berlin. After losing the first round 6-1 to Ekaterina Alexandrova, she sustained a neck injury and had no other choice but to retire. However, the match ended on a rather awkward note.

As both players reached the net, Alexandrova stepped toward Potapova for a hug, but the Australian backed out and offered a customary handshake instead. Many who questioned Potapova’s actions then now know why she avoided the hug.

Notably, Potapova had retired from the Libema Open because of illness and carried it to the Berlin Open. That is why the 25-year-old refused to hug Alexandrova.

Potapova’s retirement from the singles draw doesn’t end her campaign in Berlin. She has formed a doubles pair alongside French Open semifinalist Diana Shnaider. The two were to take on Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff later on Monday, but Potapova’s participation remains unclear.

Potapova’s grass-court season hampered her momentum on her clay swing. She had won 18 matches on clay during the season and made the later stages of multiple tournaments, including appearances in the Linz Open final and Madrid Open quarterfinals.

Potapova also had an impressive campaign at the French Open. Although the 25-year-old got knocked out in the R16 by Anna Kalinskaya, she racked up a monumental victory—4-6, 7-6, 6-4—over defending champion Coco Gauff in the R32, one of the best performances of her career.

This solid run of form led to a sharp rise in Potapova’s ranking, from No. 97 in April to No. 26 in June. She would have surpassed her career-high rank of No. 21 during the grass swing had she not had a poor start to the season.

With Potapova now working toward recovery, Alexandrova must feel relieved after the Berlin result. It was a much-needed victory for the Russian, who had suffered first-round exits in her previous four tournaments and was looking to improve her form. However, Alexandrova will need to give it her all if she wants to reach the quarterfinals of the Berlin Open.

What’s next for Ekaterina Alexandrova

The world No. 19 will lock horns against a familiar opponent in Aryna Sabalenka in the R16. This will be their first meeting in over a year and their first on grass since 2023.

This matchup has been quite evenly matched over the years, with the H2H record being 4-4. Both have won a match each in the two grass-court meetings they have had so far.

Alexandrova had got the better of Sabalenka 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) in the R32 in Doha last year. The two haven’t met since then, but now the rivalry is all set for a new chapter in Berlin. Like Alexandrova, Sabalenka also had a forgettable clay swing, which concluded with a quarterfinal exit at Roland Garros.

Though the World No. 1 will definitely be the favorite, she can’t make the mistake of underestimating Alexandrova, as she has the experience of defeating her in the past.