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Anastasia Potapova shared her excitement about her fiance Alexander Shevchenko reaching his first-ever ATP final at the ongoing 2023 Moselle Open.
Alexander Shevchenko is currently enjoying a standout week at the ATP 250 event in Metz. The Russian is gearing up to contest his maiden ATP final on Saturday, November 11, having lost just one set en route.
The World No. 63 earned victories over local Mathias Bourgue (6-4, 7-5), Hungarian Mate Valkusz (7-5, 2-6, 6-2), compatriot Karen Khachanov (6-4, 6-4), before defeating another local, Pierre-Hugues Herbert (6-4, 6-4), in the semifinal on Friday.
The 22-year-old is now set to face yet another Frenchman in World No. 23 Ugo Humbert in the title clash. Anastasia Potapova, who announced her engagement to Shevchenko earlier this year, was ecstatic about his ascent at the tournament.
“So proud @shevchenkoo_17,” the World No. 28 wrote on Instagram, adding a heart and a teary-eyed emoji.
Both Potapova and Shevchenko have witnessed a sharp rise in their rankings this season. Potapova, who commenced her 2023 campaign ranked outside the world’s top 40, clinched her career’s second WTA title at the Linz Open in Austria in February. On June 19, the Russian reached a career-high ranking of World No. 21.
Shevchenko, meanwhile, featured in three Challenger-level finals this season, winning two of those, in Tenerife and Madrid. Thanks to his success in the Spanish capital, the Russian broke into the World’s top 100 for the first time in April this year.
Standing at a career-high ranking of World No. 63, Shevchenko is now set for a top-50 debut following his Moselle Open campaign. He is placed in the 49th position in the live rankings and will be the new World No. 44 if he wins the upcoming clash against Humbert.
Anastasia Potapova's fiance Alexander Shevchenko to switch allegiance to Kazakhstan
Anastasia Potapova’s fiance Alexander Shevchenko, born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, is currently playing under no flag amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He is, however, on course for an allegiance switch.
In October 2023, the vice-president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, Yuri Polsky, revealed that the 22-year-old will be receiving a residence permit in Kazakhstan as he wishes to represent the country in the future.
“He receives a residence permit in Kazakhstan, we talked with him a long time ago. Sasha [Alexander Shevchenko] wants to play for Kazakhstan,” Polsky said as per Championat.
“Moreover, he has not lived in Russia for a long time; he is based in Europe. I think that in the near future he will receive Kazakhstani citizenship and, accordingly, will join our team,” Polsky added.
With the move, Anastasia Potapova’s fiance will join the likes of Russian-born Alexander Bublik and Elena Rybakina in representing the Asian country.
