"She went to No. 2 & they said welp you're irrelevant now" - Tennis fans react to Iga Swiatek not getting a center-court spot at China Open yet again

Tennis fans have shared their reactions to Iga Swiatek not being given a center-court spot for the second time in a row at the 2023 China Open.

Swiatek is contesting the ongoing WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing. The World No. 2 took to the Lotus Court on Monday, beating Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round.

Swiatek is now set to take on France’s Varvara Gracheva in the second round. The four-time Grand Slam champion has been allotted a slot at the Lotus Court yet again, the first match of the evening session on Tuesday.

Several fans, however, have been left disappointed with the former World No. 1 not bagging the Diamond Court spot (which is the center court at the China Open) for the second time in a row.

On Tuesday, the Diamond Court is hosting World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter, World No. 3 Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic, Alexander Zverev vs Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner, and Maria Sakkari vs Linda Fruhvirtova.

Players such as Elena Rybakina, Daria Kasatkina, and Jessica Pegula, meanwhile, will join Swiatek on the Lotus Court (the second-largest court at the venue).

“Is the same story like US open. Coco played on center court only and it is not dependant on ranking position as it seems to be. Iga is smart and doesn't care about this but more respect towards higher ranking players the organizers should show !!” one fan said.

“For the record I don’t care but it’s just funny how much weight one ranking place holds. She went to No. 2 and they really said welp you’re IRRELEVANT now,” another fan joked.

A few other fans suggested it was likely that Iga Swiatek herself asked for the slot so as to not delay her matches due to a court preference. The fans also claimed that the Lotus court is, in fact, the preferred of the two main courts among the fans as well as the players.

“The way I have feeling that they wanted to put Iga or Elena as last match on cc but they said hell no and anyways Lotus is better,” one fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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Iga Swiatek will hope for renewed success at the 2023 China Open

Iga Swiatek has had an eventful 2023 season thus far. She has collected four titles, including the French Open, and is thus currently the tour leader alongside Coco Gauff, who has similarly clinched four trophies in 2023. The Pole is also the leader in terms of matches won, with 58 victories to her name.

Despite all the success, Swiatek has also dealt with failure.

She sustained injuries at the WTA 1000 Miami Open as well as the Italian Open, which hampered her title defense. The 22-year-old, who was ranked as the World No. 1 for 75 consecutive weeks, was also dethroned by Aryna Sabalenka following her early loss at the US Open.

Iga Swiatek will now hope to finish off the 2023 season on a high note as she chases the year-end top spot.

She is competing at the China Open on the back of a quarterfinal exit against eventual champion Veronika Kudermetova at the Japan Open.

Swiatek is aiming for her maiden WTA 1000 title of the season in Beijing.