Red Panda wasn't on the injured list for very long.
The popular halftime performer made her NBA return on Tuesday night in Chicago when the Bulls hosted the Philadelphia 76ers. She broke her left wrist during a July 1 performance at the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx.
Red Panda — whose real name is Rong Niu — spent 11 hours in a Minneapolis hospital after the fall. Her agent, Patrick Figley, said Tuesday that Niu first returned from the injury on Oct. 23 for an Amazon Prime event and she has also made a few appearances at universities.
The Chinese American performer's act is composed of her riding on the unicycle and balancing custom-made bowls on her lower leg before flipping them atop her head.
She has been a mainstay at countless NBA and college basketball games over the past several years, including Game 5 of the NBA Finals in June in Oklahoma City.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this story.
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FILE - Rong Niu, also known as the performer Red Panda, performs at halftime during an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Clippers in New Orleans, Jan. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
MADRID (AP) — Anastasia Potapova dropped to her knees, put both hands on her face and started crying.
The “explosion of emotions inside” came after the 56th-ranked Austrian became the first “lucky loser” to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal by defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 on Wednesday at the Madrid Open.
She almost gave up the victory, squandering three match points in the second set and having to overcome a 1-3 deficit in the decisive set.
“I (had) a few match points in the second set, on serve, but I couldn't manage my nerves at that time,” the 25-year-old Potapova said. “It seems that this tournament keeps giving me second chances and I keep using them. So yeah, supper happy.”
The Russian-born Potapova said she got a huge boost when her boyfriend, Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, arrived to watch.
“I was a little bit gone mentally in the third set. I didn’t believe in myself at that moment,” she said. “But big respect to my boyfriend who came just on time. He saved me. He kept telling me, ‘You can do this, we are all together here, just keep going.’”
Potapova said Griekspoor is “not scared” of telling her anything and deserved some credit for her victory.
“I just played, and mentally he kept me there,” she said. “It just happened at the such important moment, and it gave me a lot of energy. Mentally, I think he got this match. I did it physically. He did it mentally."
She will face either Linda Noskova or Marta Kostyuk for a spot in the final.
Potapova got into the main draw as a lucky loser despite losing her second qualifying match in Madrid. She became the first lucky loser to reach a WTA 1000 or Tier I semifinal since the Tier format’s inception in 1990, according to the WTA.
Potapova went on to win four straight matches, including against world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the round of 16.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect myself being in the draw again because at first they didn’t take my name as a lucky loser,” she said. “And then the days kept on going and nobody was injured or pulling out. Then the last moment I got the information, literally 30 minutes before the match, that I was given a chance to step on court here again.”
She said she had been just enjoying “some nice days” in the Spanish capital, with no expectations.
“Maybe that’s the key, you don’t need to be always so zoomed in and so locked in on the tournament,” Potapova said. “Maybe it’s just a matter of sometimes just enjoy yourself and enjoy the journey, and maybe that’s how the results can also come.”
She said it feels like “a miracle” to have made it all the way to the semifinals.
"It’s pretty rare when you get the second chance and that you go almost all the way until the end,” Potapova said. “But also at the same time I always say, if you got it, maybe you deserved it. So I did work hard. Also, you know, anyone can get a second chance, but how many of those will actually take it? So I’m happy that I didn’t waste it, and I was able to convert it and to be here now.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic reacts during her match against Anastasia Potapova of Russia during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Anastasia Potapova of Russia returns the ball to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Anastasia Potapova of Russia reacts during her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Anastasia Potapova of Russia reacts during her match against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
Anastasia Potapova of Russia returns the ball to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Garcia)
