Sinner and Potapova Go to Semi-Finals in Madrid

Apr 29, 2026, 16:47
EuropeSports

Introduction

Jannik Sinner and Anastasia Potapova won their tennis matches on Wednesday. Now they are in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.

Main Body

Jannik Sinner is the best player in the world. He beat Rafael Jodar. Sinner won 21 matches in a row. Jodar is only 19 years old and played well, but Sinner won the game. Anastasia Potapova also won her match. She beat Karolina Pliskova. Potapova is from Austria now. She is the first 'lucky loser' to reach this part of the tournament. Potapova beat many top players in this tournament. She had a difficult match, but she won in the end.

Conclusion

Sinner and Potapova are both in the final four. Sinner is playing very well and Potapova made history.

Learning

🎾 Talking about the Past

In this story, we see words that describe things that already happened. When we talk about a finished action, we often change the word.

The Pattern: The "-ed" change

  • Play →\rightarrow Played
  • Win →\rightarrow Won (Special change!)
  • Beat →\rightarrow Beat (Stays the same!)

How it works in the text:

  • "Jodar... played well" →\rightarrow This happened on Wednesday.
  • "Sinner won 21 matches" →\rightarrow He did this before now.

Quick Guide for A2 Learners: If you want to tell someone about your yesterday, use these shapes:

  • I played tennis.
  • I won the game.
  • I beat my friend.

Vocabulary Learning

tennis (n.)
sport / a sport played with rackets and a ball網球
Example:She loves playing tennis on weekends.
match (n.)
contest / a game or contest比賽
Example:The match started at 3 pm.
win (v.)
victory / to be victorious in a contest贏
Example:They will try to win the championship.
beat (v.)
defeat / to defeat someone in a contest打敗
Example:He beat his opponent in the final round.
player (n.)
athlete / a person who plays a sport選手
Example:She is a talented tennis player.
world (n.)
planet / the planet Earth or all people世界
Example:He is the best player in the world.
day (n.)
24‑hour period / a 24‑hour period天
Example:It was a sunny day during the tournament.
good (adj.)
positive / of high quality好
Example:She played a good game.
old (adj.)
aged / having lived many years老
Example:He was only 19 years old.
played (v.)
participated / performed a sport or game遊玩
Example:They played well in the early rounds.
part (n.)
section / a piece of something部分
Example:She reached this part of the tournament.
tournament (n.)
competition / a competition with many matches賽事
Example:The tournament lasted for two weeks.
difficult (adj.)
hard / hard to do困難
Example:He had a difficult match.
final (adj.)
last / last stage of competition最終
Example:They are in the final four.
history (n.)
past events / past events歷史
Example:She made history with her win.
semi-finals (n.)
pre‑final / the round before the final半決賽
Example:They reached the semi-finals.
lucky (adj.)
fortunate / having good fortune幸運
Example:She was the lucky loser.
loser (n.)
defeated person / someone who loses失敗者
Example:The loser of the match had to wait.
first (adj.)
initial / preceding others第一
Example:She is the first player from Austria.
many (det.)
numerous / a large number眾多
Example:They beat many top players.