It was meant to be a straightforward night for Iga Swiatek — one set up, one foot in the semifinals, and total control. Instead, a “drunk fan,” shouting apparently in Polish between serves, managed to throw the world No. 2 off her rhythm — and out of the WTA Finals.
The man, apparently intending to encourage Swiatek, picked his moments disastrously. Several times, he yelled just after her first serve — and then again, even as she was already bouncing the ball for her second. Neither the chair umpire nor the Tennis Channel commentators initially caught the problem. But Swiatek did — and she was furious.
“He is clearly drunk — can you please throw him out?” she demanded mid-match. “He’s disturbing the game, he’s shouting during my second serve.”
The umpire, attempting diplomacy, replied: “I can’t throw him out for that, but I’ll see if we can talk to him.”
Swiatek pressed again, visibly rattled: “He’s disturbing the game, he’s shouting between first and second serve.”
Her protests went unanswered — and so did her game.
Anisimova Keeps Her Head, and Her Nerve
Across the net, Amanda Anisimova stayed composed through the chaos. The American’s response was as cold as it was clinical: hit through the tension, take time away, and let Swiatek stew in the noise.
After dropping the first set in a tiebreak, Anisimova flipped the match with one decisive break late in the second. From there, her flat, fearless ball-striking dictated everything. She raced to a 4–1 lead in the decider, never blinked, and converted her first match point — sealing a semifinal berth in her WTA Finals debut.
Swiatek’s Season Ends on a Sour Note
For Swiatek, it was a frustrating finish to an uneven year. Her Wimbledon triumph still stands as a masterpiece — she had demolished Anisimova there 6–0, 6–0 — but in Riyadh, the composure cracked.
Whether undone by the fan’s interruptions, her own irritation, or simply Anisimova’s precision, Swiatek left the court visibly seething. She didn’t even raise a hand to the crowd — still angry, still disappointed, with a fair few Polish fans watching in silence.