- Anastasia Potapova and Alexander Shevchenko got married on December 5
- However, the Russian tennis stars lost in the first round of the Australian Open
- Potapova and Shevchenko both failed to win a set as they suffered setbacks
A newlywed couple of Russian professional tennis players both crashed out in the first round of the Australian Open.
Anastasia Potapova, 22, and Alexander Shevchenko, 23, tied the knot on December 5 in St. Petersburg after getting engaged in September 2023, with their wedding streamed live on Instagram.
Despite both Potapova and Shevchenko being early in their careers, they are ranked 27th and 48th in the world in the women’s and men’s games respectively.
However, Potapova, who will continue to play under her maiden name on the tour, was beaten 1-6 4-6 by 102-seeded Slovenian Kaja Juvan.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko was defeated in straight sets by Jaime Munar 3-6 3-6 1-6, with the Spaniard at 82 in the rankings.
Newlywed Russian professional tennis players Alexander Shevchenko (left) and Anastasia Potapova (right) both crashed out in the first round of the Australian Open
Shevchenko and Potapova tied the knot on December 5 in the Russian city of St. Petersburg
The couple got engaged in September and streamed their wedding live on Instagram
This means that the couple crashed at the first possible opportunity without winning a single set during the tournament.
Shevchenko and Potapova will now go home together, having failed to capitalize on one of the few opportunities they have to play at the same tournament.
Apart from the four Grand Slams, there are a limited number of events where the men’s and women’s competition take place simultaneously.
Last year, Potapova outlined the benefits of being with a fellow professional tennis player.
She said: ‘It’s always nice to have someone on tour who understands you. Even when I mess up, he always has my back.”
Shevchenko lost to Jaime Munar in straight sets, while Potapova was defeated by Kaja Juvan
They aren’t the only tennis stars to get married, with Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils together
Shevchenko and Potapova are not the first couple in the tennis world to get married.
Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina tied the knot with Frenchman Gael Monfils in 2021 and both stars successfully made it through the first round of the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, there have been several marriages between players and coaches, such as Petra Kvitova and Jiri Vanek, along with Tatjana Maria and Charles-Edouard Maria.
Shevchenko and Potapova will hope for better luck when they play simultaneously at the French Open in May, the next Grand Slam on the calendar.