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Anastasia Potapova recently shared a clip of her romantic date going awry while celebrating her fiance Alexander Shevchenko's birthday. The couple have been dating since early 2023 and announced their engagement in July.
Potapova is currently ranked No. 28 in the world and clinched her second career singles title at the Linz Open earlier this year. She is also a former junior World No. 1, and the 2016 Wimbledon girls’ singles champion.
Shevchenko is ranked No. 49 in the world and he too reached his first ATP final this year, at the Metz Open, where he lost to Ugo Humbert in straight sets, 3-6, 3-6. He is also a three-time Challenger winner and made his Grand Slam debut this year at the Roland Garros.
The clip was shared by Potapova on Wednesday, November 29, on Shevchenko’s 23rd birthday. It showed the couple holding hands as they were running on the sidewalk in the rain. They looked happy and playful, despite the wet weather.
"Happy birthday hubby! Running in the rain is not as romantic as we thought," Potapova wrote on her Instagram story.
The Russian also posted a birthday tribute to wish her fiance. In the picture, she can be seen sharing a passionate kiss with Shevchenko, with a beautiful backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.
"Happy birthday love 💗," Potapova wrote on Instagram.
A look into Anastasia Potapova's performance in the 2023 season
Anastasia Potapova has had a remarkable season in 2023 as she reached a career-high ranking of 21 in June.
Potapova, who turned 22 in March, has shown great consistency and improvement throughout the year, reaching at least the quarterfinals or beyond in six tournaments.
Potapova started the year with a disappointing second-round exit at the Australian Open, losing to Nuria Parrizas Diaz in straight sets, 3-6, 2-6. She bounced back with a strong showing at the Lyon Open in February, where she reached the quarterfinals, eventually losing to Maryna Zanevska in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 2-6.
The 22-year-old then reached the final of the Linz Open, where she beat sixth seed Petra Martic in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, claiming her first WTA singles title of the year and the second of her career.
In April, she made another quarterfinal appearance at the Miami Open, where she lost to third seed Jessica Pegula in a thrilling three-setter, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(2). She then made it to the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open, eventually losing to World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, 1-6, 2-6.
In June, the Russian reached the third round of the French Open, matching her best result at a Grand Slam. She eventually lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 0-6. She then reached another semifinal at the Rothsay Classic at Birmingham, where she lost to second seed Jelena Ostapenko in three sets, 7-5, 2-6, 4-6.
In September, Anastasia Potapova reached the quarterfinals at a WTA 500 tournament in the San Diego Open, where she lost to wildcard Sofia Kenin in straight sets, 2-6, 3-6. She played her last tournament of the season at the China Open, losing in the first round to Varvara Gracheva in three sets, 2-6, 6-3, 1-6.
