WATCH: Anastasia Potapova smashes racket after losing Australian Open 1R clash to Kaja Juvan, Slovenian later gifts it to fan

Anastasia Potapova commenced her 2024 Australian Open campaign against Slovenian Kaja Juvan in the first round of the tournament. While trailing in the game, Potapova expressed frustration by smashing her racket on the floor. Her opponent picked up the racket and gifted it to a fan after the game.

On Monday, January 15, Potapova could not overcome Juvan as the first-round tie concluded with scores of 6-1, 6-4. Kaja Juvan will now face Anastasia Zakharova in the second round on Thursday, January 18.

A few hours after the match, a user on X (formerly Twitter) posted a video that showed Potapova smashing her racket on the floor and the scene when Juvan presented the racket to a lucky fan.

“Potapova smashed her racquet (one of many) on mp and left it in the middle of the court. thankfully Juvan had the decency afterwards to pick it up and give it to a fan,” the user captioned the post.

This match marked the second encounter between Anastasia Potapova and Kaja Juvan on the WTA tour. Their head-to-head record currently stands at 1-1. The first time they faced each other on tour was during the second round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where Potapova emerged victorious with scores of 6-3, 7-5.

The Russian player began her 2024 season at the Brisbane International. She successfully defeated Daria Saville and Veronika Kudermetova in the second and third rounds respectively. In the quarter-finals, Potapova faced eventual champion Elena Rybakina but retired after the first set due to a left abdominal injury.

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Anastasia Potapova won her second career singles title last season

Anastasia Potapova with the Upper Austria Ladies Linz 2023 trophy

The 2023 season marked Anastasia Potapova's best performance as she reached a career-high ranking of No. 21 on the WTA rankings in June 2023. She also secured her second career singles title at the Linz Open last season.

Her journey at the Linz Open began with a victory over Italy's Lucia Bronzetti in the first round. She continued her winning streak by defeating 24-year-old Jule Niemeier in the second round. In a challenging quarter-final match, Potapova faced Anna-Lena Friedsam and managed to secure a comeback victory with scores of 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. She then defeated Marketa Vondrousova and Petra Martic in the semi-final and final respectively to clinch the Linz Open.

Anastasia Potapova had an impressive run at the 2023 Miami Open as well. She defeated Marta Kostyuk, Coco Gauff, and Zheng Qinwen before being knocked out by the current World No. 5 Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.