Anastasia Potapova faced a difficult challenger just getting to the US Open.

Potapova discussed an incident with a flight attendant — including a photo of her rival — that transpired during a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York on her Instagram Stories on Wednesday.

“I have never done anything like this before, but right now I simply cannot stay silent,” Potapova said. “As a professional athlete, I travel extensively all over the world, but this is the first time I have ever experienced this level of disrespect, rudeness, and, to some extent, discrimination. To me, flight attendants are supposed to be there to help passengers, not create problems for them.

“Today, on my flight from Houston to New York, flight UA678, I encountered a flight attendant who repeatedly seemed to go out of her way to cause problems for me for no apparent reason. She was extremely rude both to me personally and in the way she treated my dog. She also repeatedly brought up my status and threatened to remove me from the flight because of it.

“Her name is Mary. I truly hope that your airline will look into this situation and take it seriously, because no passenger — and no animal — deserves to be treated in such a humiliating and disrespectful way, especially by a member of the cabin crew.”

Potapova later told her Instagram followers that she was in communication with United Airlines over the incident.

The Russian tennis star recently withdrew from the Monterrey Open due to a back injury. The fact that she is headed to New York is a good she can compete in the US Open, which begins on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old made history in 2026 as the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal at the Madrid Open.

Potapova achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 21 in June 2023 and is currently No. 27,