Iga Świątek faced a disappointing loss at the hands of Coco Gauff in the semifinals of the Madrid Open. The American dominated the match and registered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 win to reach her third WTA 1000 singles final.
The World No. 2, visibly tense throughout the match, lost her composure at one point and faced a code violation for audible obscenity from the umpire.
Iga Świątek Handed Code Violation for Outburst in Native Language at Madrid Open
The 2025 season has been somewhat underwhelming by Świątek’s standards. While the Pole has made deep runs at several notable events, including the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, she has yet to win a title.
The Pole, who made a phenomenal comeback against Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, could not perform at her best against Gauff. She hit 28 unforced errors compared to the latter’s four. Additionally, while Gauff finished with 18 winners, Świątek only hit seven.
Emotions seemingly got the better of the Pole in the second set, who otherwise is known for her calm on-court demeanor. Being 0-1 down, Świątek played a shot into the net during a rally. Visibly frustrated, she shouted in Polish:
“Kurwa! Dlaczego?” meaning “F**k! Why?”
studenci, gdy na egzaminie nie wejdzie baza: pic.twitter.com/JKlrpA8mi0
— spxrrow (@spxrrow1)
These harsh words reportedly got Świątek in trouble, as she received a code violation from the umpire for an audible obscenity.
Code violation warning (Audible Obscenity) for Iga Swiatek as she gets broken once again by Coco Gauff.
It sounded like she screamed “Kurw•”.
Gauff serving next at 2-0 up in set 2. pic.twitter.com/FNWW7tqwNM
— edgeAI (@edgeAIapp)
The Madrid Open semifinal defeat is Świątek’s third successive one to Gauff, having previously lost to her at the WTA Finals last year and the United Cup in January. However, she still has an 11-4 lead over the American in 15 matches between the two.
Instances Where Iga Świątek Displayed Visible Frustration This Season
Świątek’s frustration is seldom seen on tour, but this season has featured a few notable incidents where it came to the fore.
The 23-year-old showed steady progress at the Qatar Open earlier in February, advancing to the semifinals, where she faced Jelena Ostapenko. Świątek, however, struggled to find her rhythm and faced a 3-6, 1-6 loss to the Latvian.
Ostapenko’s dominance was evident as she broke serve five times, never fell behind, and at one stage won six consecutive games. Świątek, meanwhile, was livid with her performance and smashed her racket into the ground during the second set.
Jelena Ostapenko's reaction to Iga Swiatek throwing her racquet in Doha
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/EvIjoEtKBx
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter)
Another instance took place in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, where the Pole lost 3-6, 3-6 to Mirra Andreeva. Seemingly frustrated, Świątek rushed back to the locker room, snubbing her coach, Wim Fissette’s handshake.
— Madziol (@madziol127)
Andreeva later dashed Świątek’s hopes of defending her title at the BNP Paribas Open by beating her 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 in the semifinals, thus breaking her 10-match winning streak at Indian Wells. Swiatek’s emotions again took over as she smashed the ball given to her by a ball kid during the third set. The five-time Major champion was later met with jeers from the crowd.
