Iga Swiatek won the battle of the reigning Grand Slam champions, beating Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets, but the conclusion to the match left a bitter taste on the Pole.
Swiatek had nabbed the first set against the odds and against the run of play, recovering from a 5-3 deficit to win the tiebreak 7-3 at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters. The Pole then shifted through the gears in the second set, breaking the 10th-seeded Czech three times en route to a 7-6, 6-1 in just over 90 minutes.
But the major talking point came at the start and the end of the second set, which involved an altercation ignited by Swiatek on the chair umpire Maria Cicak. The Croatian umpire hastily asked Swiatek to play after the Pole raised her arms, pointing to fans walking outside the the stadium.
"Iga, those people walking around is fine, as long as they are not coming down the rest is fine. I know but, we need to play, we cannot stop for one person."
Vondrousova would drop her serve to open the second stanza, and Swiatek went on to build a 5-1 lead. The World No. 1 on the WTA Tour got to match point, but turned her back as she was not ready to receive Vondrousova's serve. That earned her a time violation from Cicak.
Swiatek didn't dipsute the call instantly, and played the point thereafter before sealing the win. A disdainful handshake was what Vondrousova gave the Pole and quickly packed her bags, seemingly upset by the Pole's behavior.
The ITF rules clearly state, 'the receiver shall play to the reasonable pace of the server and shall be ready to receive within a reasonable time of the server being ready.' Cicak was justified in her decision, but Swiatek didn't take it too lightly once the match was over and exchanged a few words with the umpire when they shook hands.
"It is not your time. You were stood there for another five to seven seconds for no reason and you can at least turn around."
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