Donna Vekic reacts to comment saying she should have "hit the ball straight at" Iga Swiatek during San Diego final

Donna Vekic had a dream run at the 2022 San Diego Open, going all the way from the qualifiers to the final before falling to Iga Swiatek. Along the way, the Croat beat Maria Sakkari, Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka and Danielle Collins, and even took a set off the World No. 1 in the summit clash.

The contest, however, was marred by a moment of controversy that has taken the tennis world by storm. During a point in the second set, Swiatek was accused by many of intentional hindrance, where she waved her arms at the net while Vekic was about to hit the ball.

The incident gained such momentum that the Pole herself apologized to Donna Vekic for "waving" her arms in a social media message afterward. Vekic made no remarks whatsoever about the moment, either in the presentation ceremony or on the internet later.

However, when a fan commented on a photo of the Croat looking solemn during the clash, saying that she must be wondering why she did not simply hit the ball "straight at" the three-time Grand Slam champion in retaliation to her antics, the World No. 47 couldn't help herself.

Vekic reacted to the statement with three 'laughing-out-loud' emojis, hinting that she was definitely bothered by Iga Swiatek's actions, albeit not enough for her to think of it as a game-changing incident.

P.S. It should be noted that the original comment has since been deleted by the user, owing perhaps to backlash from the World No. 1's fans.

Donna Vekic reaches 2nd round in Guadalajara, Iga Swiatek awaits colleagues to join her in WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek has qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals

Following their clash in the final of the San Diego Open, Iga Swiatek and Donna Vekic have had to take different paths. Vekic is currently in Guadalajara for the WTA 1000 event, beating Laura Pigossi in straight sets in the first round and looking forward to her encounter against Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.

Swiatek, meanwhile, has left for Fort Worth, Texas, where she will be appearing in the WTA Finals in November. The World No. 1 was the first player to qualify for the event, thanks to her extraordinary year so far. Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula have already joined the Pole in the competition, but the rest of the playing field is going toe-to-toe with one another for the remaining five spots.

Vekic herself is out of the running despite her San Diego display, while Iga Swiatek will be hoping to win her maiden title in the event in the coming days.