Iga Świątek has made a strong start to her title defense at the Cincinnati Open, winning her opening match in dominant fashion. However, her clash drew attention for more than just the on-court battle, as members of the tennis community took issue with the commentary surrounding the Pole during the contest.
Tennis Fans Call Out Cincinnati Open Commentary on Iga Świątek
Fresh off winning her first title of the season at the Canadian Open, Świątek is looking to build on her momentum by successfully defending her title at the Cincinnati Open. Despite the quick turnaround between tournaments, the world No. 5 showed little sign of fatigue as she kicked off her campaign against Emiliana Arango following a first-round bye.
Although Świątek conceded an early break of serve as she adjusted to the conditions, she was quick to regroup and take control of the match, claiming a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Arango.
While the six-time Grand Slam champion’s display satisfied her fans, there was considerable discourse about how the commentators spoke about her during the match. One fan condemned the “annoying” commentary, lamenting that Świątek was not receiving the credit she deserved.
“These commentators are so annoying. Girl loses a game and they are already questioning how she won Toronto with “such below average performance”. Not to mention how they are always surprised by prediction percentages favouring her that seem to them to be extremely high,” a fan posted.
“ijbol they just said “she lead but unconvincingly” they can’t be serious. They never give her credit it’s as if everything good she does is just by luck,” the fan commented further.
Other fans echoed those sentiments, calling out the commentators as they rushed to defend the 25-year-old.
“Iga Swiatek got broken once and this commentator is acting like she just lost the whole match smh and worse she broke right back 🤦🏾,” one user commented.
“I suppose they never watched her play in Toronto – where she performed high class tennis. They are forgetting she’s fatigued coming straight from a tournament. Iga is not a robot that she cannot lose a game,” said another.
Notably, the discussion follows on the heels of Świątek candidly speaking about the “unfair judgment” and scrutiny she faced from the media during her dip in form earlier in the season.
MORE: ‘Hateful, Shameful Comments’ – Chris Evert Empathizes With Iga Świątek After Her ‘Angry’ Admission
Up next, No. 7 seed Iga Świątek will take on No. 29 seed Maria Sakkari in the third round of the Cincinnati Open. If she advances to the fourth round, the Pole will face the winner of the match between Diane Parry and Loïs Boisson.
