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Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek was heard demanding an umpire remove a disruptive fan during her loss by Amanda Anisimova at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
Swiatek had claimed the opening set on a tie-break against Anisimova in their crucial group match at the season ending event in Riyadh, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals.
Despite seizing the advantage, Swiatek was seen approaching the chair umpire during the changeover to complain about the behaviour of one spectator.
The Polish star was heard allegedly that a 'clearly drunk' fan had been shouting between first and second serves and called for the umpire to take firm action.
'He is clearly drunk, can you kick him out,' Swiatek said.
'He is disturbing the game, he is shouting during the second serve.'
Iga Swiatek is asking the umpire to remove someone in the crowd who was shouting between 1st & 2nd serves during her match against Amanda Anisimova at the WTA Finals in Riyadh
“He’s disturbing the game.”
Iga Swiatek asked the umpire to remove a disruptive fan during her match with Amanda Anisimova
Anisimova fought back from a set down to beat Swiatek and earn a semi-final spot
'I cannot kick him out for that, I will see if we can talk to him,' the chair umpire responded.
A frustrated Swiatek replied: 'Why he is disturbing the game, he is shouting between first and second serves.'
Swiatek's allegation that the spectator was 'clearly drunk' was unlikely, owing to alcohol being strictly prohibited in Saudi Arabia.
The World No 2 would ultimately fall to defeat to Anisimova, who fought back to claim a 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory to earn a place in the semi-finals.
Anisimova now leads their head-to-head record with two victories to one, having bounced back impressively from her 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final humiliation at the hands of Swiatek.
The American won their previous meeting in the US Open quarter-finals and earned another impressive victory on Wednesday to keep her WTA Finals hopes alive.
The result also marked the first time in four years that Swiatek has lost back-to-back matches,
'Honestly, I did everything I could today, so no regrets. I felt like really in the zone, like I I had, you know, a positive mindset,' Swiatek told reporters post-match.
Swiatek bowed out after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time in four years
The Polish star admitted she did not know why she was unable to get out of her group
'Maybe some balls went short or something, but tennis is not like, it's not gonna be perfect.
'I fought, and I really didn't give up. It wasn't enough, which makes me sad.
'We all need to, like, find some understanding, because when you do everything and it's still not enough, I guess it means that you just need to get your tennis better.
'I felt good mentally, physically, and tennis-wise also it was nice, looking at the conditions and everything.
'I don’t really get why I couldn’t go out of the group. Maybe I won too much in the last years and this is karma. It’s really hard for me to say.'
