 Potdykova and Denis Petukhov began appearing together in international junior competitions in the 1994–1995 season.In November 1996, they won silver at the 1997 World Junior Championships in Seoul, South Korea, finishing second to their compatriots Nina Ulanova / Mikhail Stifounin.Competing in October on the 1997–1998 ISU Junior Series, Potdykova/Petukhov won gold in Chemnitz, Germany, and then bronze in Székesfehérvár, Hungary.