FANS are furious with Iga Swiatek after the tennis star smashed a ball at a ball kid as she was knocked out of Indian Wells by Mirra Andreeva.
The world number two was evidently frustrated as the upset saw her dumped out of the tournament, one of the most prestigious non-major events on the tennis calendar.
The five-time major winner and reigning Indian Wells champion was thrown a ball by the ball kid as she was on serve.
She then smashed the ball into the ground, narrowly missing the ball kid before it landed in the stands.
The ball kid flinched, but continued to offer a fresh ball.
He did not react as Swiatek appeared to scold him with an exasperated shrug, having complained to the umpire earlier in the match that the ball kids were moving too much during play.
She struggled to find her feet in the match, losing 7-6 1-6 6-3.
Fans at the match booed Swiatek following the outburst, and she has faced heavy criticism on social media.
She has not acknowledged the incident, but new comments on her most recent Instagram post uploaded after her Round of 32 win over Dayana Yastremska – which simply read “Moving on” – have called for an apology.
One disappointed fan wrote on X: “Poor sportsmanship and dangerous play. I’ve never seen such ugly behaviour before.”
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Another was more dramatic: “The spoilt brat attitude of some players continues to be a stain on tennis – this time it was Iga Swiatek.”
A third wrote that “Swiatek deserved that loss, what a jerk. Awful behaviour.”
Others called for her to be disqualified from the match.
The victory was the 2007-born Andreeva’s second consecutive win over Swiatek, also beating her at the Dubai Open last month.
She will go on to face world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
