Iga Swiatek was accused of deploying an unsporting move in her victory over Donna Vekic
Swiatek waved her hands in a bid to distract her rival. © Twitter / WTA
Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek was forced to apologized to beaten rival Donna Vekic after using a ploy which some fans claimed was unacceptable as the Pole won the San Diego Open on Sunday.
Swiatek, 21, cemented her status as the undisputed current ruler of women’s tennis with a 6-3 3-6 6-0 win over Croatia’s Vekic in California, collecting an eighth WTA title of the season.
Top seed Swiatek was made to work harder against the unseeded Vekic than many had perhaps expected, with the Croatian taking the second set before crumbling in the third.
While fans saluted Swiatek after her latest title, some took issue with a tactic she used in when facing a break point in game six of the second set.
Finding herself at the net after scrambling to return a net-cord shot from Vekic, Swiatek threw out her arms in a bid to put her opponent off.
omg 😮@DonnaVekic | #SanDiegoOpenpic.twitter.com/AzkPYL95gG
— wta (@WTA) October 17, 2022
Iga did the thing again.. pic.twitter.com/90MNUYZKDD
— Kyra (@atpwtathottie) October 17, 2022
Vekic went on to win the point with a cross-court backhand, helping her open up a 4-2 lead before seeing out the set.
Swiatek powered back in the decisive set to seal the match, celebrating in style by hoping on a surfboard, in keeping with the Californian vibes of the tournament.
But some fans were still smarting at her use of a tactic which they claimed was unbecoming.
“Listen I like Iga, but waving your arms to distract your opponents while they’re hitting is sh*tty and she keeps doing it,” wrote tennis journalist Caitlin Thompson.
I’m a fan of Iga but this hand wave thing she does at the net is not it. #SanDiegoOpen#Igaswiatek#DonnaVekicpic.twitter.com/KaC62PrJsB
— Litty (@Profesionalvibe) October 17, 2022
Others noted that it wasn’t the first time Swiatek had made use of distraction antics on court.
“I’m a fan of Iga but this hand wave thing she does at the net is not it,” said another social media user.
“It’s not technically a hindrance, but I really don’t like the hand waving at the net to distract the opponent,” wrote another fan.
“I like Iga, but the more she does this, the more it puts me off her.”
I’m a fan of Iga but this hand wave thing she does at the net is not it. #SanDiegoOpen#Igaswiatek#DonnaVekicpic.twitter.com/KaC62PrJsB
— Litty (@Profesionalvibe) October 17, 2022
Another observer added: “Iga is the number one player in the world. She should be way above flailing her arms at the net to try to distract her opponent.
“She does it was too frequently for it to be anything other than strategy.”
One tennis fan bluntly described the ploy as “embarrassing,” telling Swiatek: “You are the best player in the world, you don’t need to do all that.”
The Polish star seemed sheepish enough to mention the incident in her own social media message celebrating her victory.
🏄♀️This is the best prize/trophy ever! Thank you San Diego for an amazing (cloudy😥) week and this unique vibe. I love it here. And congrats @DonnaVekic for your amazing run! And sorry for waving my hands at the net. pic.twitter.com/SLwGiVM4zr
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) October 17, 2022
“This is the best prize/trophy ever!” wrote Swiatek as she shared a picture of herself posing on a surfboard.
“Thank you San Diego for an amazing (cloudy) week and this unique vibe. I love it here. And congrats @DonnaVekic for your amazing run! And sorry for waving my hands at the net.”
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The title for the three-time Grand Slam winner increased Swiatek’s stranglehold at the top of the WTA ratings.
The Pole is way out in front of her rivals after amassing 10,835 points – more than twice the number of second-placed Ons Jabeur, who has 4,555 points.
Swiatek will be hot favorite to cap the season with another title at the WTA Finals at Fort Worth in Texas, which gets underway at the end of the month.
